Can UNLV Become Point Guard U?
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The most important position on the hardwood is point guard. That’s an undeniable fact. So much so that I’m sure you’ve heard the position referred to as “floor general” and as the extension of the head coach on the court. Having a skilled lead guard is invaluable. It means your team chemistry is high, your offense is efficient, and more often than not your team is winning.
At UNLV, the point guard position has been neglected for many seasons. Under former head coaches Dave Rice and Marvin Menzies, a plug and play approach was adopted. What that means is a one-year player like a grad transfer was brought in to man the spot. Players like Cody Doolin, Deville Smith, and Jordan Johnson all tried their hand at leading the program with varying degrees of success or lack thereof.
Even current head coach TJ Otzelberger was forced to use a plug and play approach in his first season on the UNLV sideline. Texas grad transfer Elijah Mitrou-Long was recruited as a one-year holdover until reinforcements could arrive in the form of the 2020 recruiting class.
Mitrou-Long ended up missing an extended period due to injury, so it was up to a former walk-on Marvin Coleman to fill the role as point guard for a team that was short on ball handlers. As it turns out, the much overlooked and under-recruited Coleman was the man for the job. He deftly stepped into the position and showed he was more than capable of leading UNLV.
That was not by design, however. Nick Fleming, a JUCO prospect (who was targeted by Runnin’ Rebels assistant Tim Buckley), was supposed to come in and vie for the point guard spot. With Coleman elevating his play, Fleming reopened his recruitment and ended up at Southern Utah with former UNLV interim head coach, Todd Simon.
Whether you consider it lucky or serendipitous that the Rebels are now set for 2020 at point guard, the UNLV staff isn’t banking on a walk-on stepping up to the plate every season to lead their team. In fact, they’re setting themselves up to become “Point Guard U” in the next handful of recruiting classes.
We’ve talked about Zaon Collins at length. The Top 40 player and number 6 rated point guard in the 2021 class is a game-changer. UNLV is in his Top 4 (UNLV Hoops Podcast With Jeff Waddilove – Episode 8), and the Gorman standout has a tremendous relationship with Otzelberger and UNLV. Despite Arizona State, USC, and Arizona rounding out his list of finalists, I believe UNLV will be his ultimate destination.
Perhaps not as talked about is another local game-changer, Milos Uzan. The 2022 floor general at Desert Pines in Las Vegas is also highly sought after. Pac-12 schools like Arizona, UCLA, and Washington have all offered, and so have Big 12 programs Texas Tech and TCU.
Uzan had a breakout season for the Jaguars, where he led the team to an appearance in the state finals. He averaged 16.9 points, five assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game while demonstrating that IT-factor that shows he can be a star at the college level and eventually get himself into the NBA. Once again, UNLV is in excellent shape with this recruitment. They’ve worked very hard to create healthy, lasting relationships and a family-feel with their program, especially with local talent.
Hopefully, that recruiting momentum can carry over to as far as the 2024 class.
That might seem like a far way out, but it will be here before we know it. As it stands, UNLV just offered highly regarded Liberty High School point guard, Dedan Thomas Jr. The Rebels made their offer on July 23rd, and LSU did the same the following day. DJ Thomas is the son of one of the last great Tarkanian players at UNLV and is considered to be on a trajectory that would surpass even his father’s impressive abilities.
As exciting as it is to talk about the possible signees for the program, it’s not just Marvin Coleman who will get their chance at running the show at the Thomas and Mack Center. You also have 2020 guard Donavan Yap who will perform point guard duties, as well as 2021 guard Keshon Gilbert who will be at UNLV next season. Both were recruited for a magnitude of reasons, but prime among them is ensuring the Rebels’ depth at the point guard position.
After years of having few options and zero continuity at the most critical position in basketball, TJ Otzelberger has solidified his roster and put his program in an excellent place recruiting-wise to build on it for years to come. UNLV hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since Dave Rice’s 2nd season when he had Anthony Marshall playing point guard. Marshall was by no means a pure point guard, but he played the lead guard spot at UNLV in consecutive seasons. He backed up Oscar Bellfield as a junior and came into his own as the starter the following year.
It’s no surprise that UNLV hasn’t been able to elevate itself since then without cultivating that key spot. Expect that to change moving forward.
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-Jeff Waddilove – Franchise Sports Media
Follow me on Twitter @JeffWaddilove
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