What’s next for UNLV after season-ending loss to Boise State?

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Thursday, March 9, 2023 | 10 p.m.

UNLV waited just a bit too long to play its best basketball of the season.

After digging a 22-point deficit in the first half of Thursday’s Mountain West quarterfinal game against Boise State, the Scarlet and Gray finally came to life, rallying to force overtime on a last-second shot by Shane Nowell. The celebration was fleeting, however, as Boise State dominated the OT period and eliminated UNLV, 87-76.

UNLV shot 51.9% from the floor in the second half and made 8-of-14 from 3-point range to stage a furious comeback. Trailing, 73-70, E.J. Harkless missed a 3-pointer with eight seconds left, but Nowell fought for the rebound, retreated behind the arc and hit a difficult triple to send the game to overtime.

The Scarlet and Gray ran out of gas at that point, however, shooting 1-of-9 in overtime while committing three turnovers.

Kevin Kruger’s second season at the helm ended with a 19-13 overall record, and now, the program enters a pivotal offseason, with roster and long-term philosophical questions hovering over the next few months.

Can Kruger get the team to make a leap to the NCAA Tournament in Year 3?

A look at what’s ahead now that UNLV’s season is over:

Who’s coming back?

As was the case for Kruger’s first two offseasons in charge, heavy changes could be coming to the roster.

UNLV only has three outgoing players who don’t have any eligibility remaining: Harkless, senior point guard Jordan McCabe and senior guard Eli Parquet. They’re gone for sure, and Harkless’ absence will be felt particularly hard, as he led the team in scoring and assists this season.

Three young players transferred into the program last offseason and played immediately, meaning they’d have to sit out a year if they transferred again: sophomore wing Nowell, sophomore guard Jackie Johnson and junior big man Isaiah Cottrell. They are bound to UNLV, unless they want to redshirt next year.

For the rest of the roster, the transfer portal is a real possibility. Seniors Justin Webster, David Muoka, Victor Iwuakor and Luis Rodriguez all have one more year of eligibility and could leave for other teams.

Homegrown players like sophomore Keshon Gilbert and freshman Keyshawn Hall can test the portal if they want, as can junior juco transfer Karl Jones.

After Thursday’s loss, Webster was asked about his future plans and said he’s going to consider his options.

“I can’t speak for the other guys,” Webster said. “Obviously, coach would love to have everybody back. Me, myself, it’s just something I’ve got to talk to my family about and decide what my future is. Whether it’s going to be here or whether I decide to take another route, but it’s something I’m going to think about. I’m going to talk to the coaches, talk to my family, pray about it and go from there.”

Kruger didn’t offer much when asked about re-recruiting his roster.

“We’ll meet with them and go from there,” he said. “Really, until that happens, there’s not a lot of things that can really be decided, big picture-wise.”

On the right track?

Heading into Kruger’s third year, there’s one big question that looms over everything: How far away is this team from the NCAA Tournament? UNLV hasn’t made the dance since 2012-13 and hasn’t even advanced to the Mountain West tournament semifinals since 2013-14. The drought has sapped a lot of passion from the fan base and resulted in each coach receiving a progressively shorter leash.

Kruger wants to build his teams with a defense-first mentality, using ball pressure to force turnovers. It’s the team identity. But can it work?

Playing that style got UNLV off to a 10-0 start in nonconference play, but Mountain West opponents figured it out and gashed that defense consistently.

After the game, it sounded like Kruger wants to stick with the plan.

“Of course we wanted to end the season later,” Kruger said. “At the same time, I still think there’s a lot of great that can come from this year. A lot of good things have been established.”

Talent needed

There were times in the loss to Boise State where UNLV clearly had an undertalented group of players on the floor. And that happened in too many Mountain West games, as evidenced by the Scarlet and Gray placing just one player on the All-MWC team (E.J. Harkless, who made the second team).

Upgrading the talent level of the entire roster has to be the top priority this offseason.

As of now, UNLV has two players committed for 2023-24. Prep wing Brooklyn Hicks was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Washington after averaging 32 points per game this season, and forward Rob Whaley is leading the nation’s No. 1-ranked juco squad. Both look like solid prospects, if not quite immediate program-changers.

If Kruger is to turn this thing around, it looks like he’s going to have to hit a grand slam in the transfer portal. Immediate impact players are needed — several of them — and at just about every position.

That work will begin soon, and it would help if there is some continuity among the coaching staff (Kruger had to replace all three assistants last offseason).

It’s an uphill battle, but making the NCAA Tournament has to be the goal next year.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.