Mike Mitchell eyed as early portal target to join Kruger’s squad

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 | 2 a.m.

To this point in the offseason, talent has only flowed one way when it comes to the UNLV basketball program: out of town.

The Scarlet and Gray have lost three players to the transfer portal, including one valuable starter, but the tide could be turning as Kevin Kruger and his coaching staff begin to hone in on available talent. According to a source, Pepperdine guard Mike Mitchell has emerged as one such early target.

Mitchell is a 6-foot-2 point guard who averaged 11.4 points and 5.0 assists as a sophomore in 2022-23. He is drawing plenty of attention, especially from West Coast schools, with San Diego State, Arizona, San Francisco and Stanford making contact. Boise State, Arkansas and Minnesota are also in the mix; Mitchell reportedly visited Minnesota over the weekend.

Kruger’s interest makes a lot of sense. UNLV is losing both of its lead guards with E.J. Harkless graduating and Keshon Gilbert transferring, so there is a major need for a ballhandler to run the show. Mitchell is experienced, having started 63 games already in his young career, and he’s a good distributor, racking up more assists in each of the last two years than any UNLV player.

Mitchell has consistently put up elite shooting numbers at Pepperdine. As a freshman, Mitchell scored 9.1 points per game and made 40.0% of his 3-point attempts. Last year, he bumped his accuracy to 44.0% from long range, averaging 2.4 makes per game.

If UNLV were able to land Mitchell, Kruger could team him with returning senior Justin Webster (46.0 3FG% last year) to form perhaps the best shooting backcourt in the Mountain West. Webster announced last week that he intends to return to UNLV for his final collegiate season.

Mitchell profiles primarily as a jump shooter. More than half his attempts last year came from beyond the arc, while just 15 percent were around the rim.

More than 100 players have reportedly entered the portal so far, and more are sure to follow. Coaches can continue to reach out to players this week, then an NCAA-imposed recruiting dead period from March 30 to April 6 figures to temporarily slow down the portal action. Last year the total number of players who entered the portal approached 1,500.

As of now, UNLV has four open scholarships for the 2023-24 season.

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