OVERCOMMITTED?! Probably not, but how will this play out...

[BleedRebelRed90]

Seagears and Nwamu will be done after this season, leaving two open positions. (Obekpa sits out this year, and this graphic doesn't account for Cook's redshirt last season.

The Rebs are actually now at "-2" spots left for the class of '16, since Cook is not really a senior.

There is still a strong possibility that Kobi Simmons will commit to UNLV, putting us at "-3"... for now.

Johnson and Vital seem to be more "traditional" commits, who won't expect immediate playing time and who both have huge potential if they become four-year players.

Early exit to the NBA might take one or even two players (I believe that McCaw could explode this season). Disappointment over playing time will likely be a factor for other players. Others may graduate and be free to transfer and play elsewhere (Cook? TBG? Carter?). One or more of the freshmen could end up being placed in a JC for a season or two at the risk of losing him (which is what should have been done with Demetrius Morant a few years back). This will be a subplot this entire season since the math will force it to be.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

The best quote of the day came from '16 PG commit Christian Vital, when asked about UNLV getting another PG in his class:

(full article: http://zagsblog.com/articles/jaylen-fisher-to-unlv/ )

These players know they're going into a situation where they are going to have to battle for playing time. And they aren't backing down.

 

[j. spilotro]

The best quote of the day came from '16 PG commit Christian Vital, when asked about UNLV getting another PG in his class:

(full article: http://zagsblog.com/articles/jaylen-fisher-to-unlv/ )

These players know they're going into a situation where they are going to have to battle for playing time. And they aren't backing down.

I think one of the more difficult things with building a roster is finding guys WITH TALENT who can actually accept a role. Very hard. The more the talent level goes down, the easier it is. But even then, not the easiest thing in the world.

 

[the Florian Trout]

i can't overstate it enough. i'm so tired of kids leaving early. transfers i'm fine with leaving. i am getting irritated with really liking a player and then he's gone. every year personalities change and it's hard to get connected with the team.

this year has to be one of the first times in a few years where we won't be fielding 11 (or whatever the number) new players on the roster. i'm really excited to see McCaw, Goodluck, Morgan, Cornish, and Cook.

 

[JTthe2nd]

i can't overstate it enough. i'm so tired of kids leaving early. transfers i'm fine with leaving. i am getting irritated with really liking a player and then he's gone. every year personalities change and it's hard to get connected with the team.

this year has to be one of the first times in a few years where we won't be fielding 11 (or whatever the number) new players on the roster. i'm really excited to see McCaw, Goodluck, Morgan, Cornish, and Cook.

Me too. Johnson and Vital will be good 4-year players for us and that's great for continuity. Plus you know the 3-star players have a chip on their shoulder for not being ranked as 4/5-star players and will be working hard to prove they're just as good every time they step on the floor.

 

[RebPubnGrub]

I for one would love to see a four year player get a standing ovation on senior night having played all four years at unlv. I believe the last one was Lopez.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

I for one would love to see a four year player get a standing ovation on senior night having played all four years at unlv. I believe the last one was Lopez.

Lopez was the last. He was in the same Freshman class as Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins, but he sat out a year. The season before Marshall and Hawkins there was Massamba and Bellfield.

I believe that Cook will stay and finish here. What this program really needs is for McCaw, Morgan, Cornish, and Okonoboh to stick together and play their entire college careers at UNLV (whether they play four years of college ball or not).

 

[babalou]

Well as of now we are in a position where at least 2 players won't have an option to be 4 year players no matter what. I know that it will be spun to where there will be at least that many than won't want to stay but then again why is that? We no longer have any reason to even think that we will have any 4 year players again and that has become the norm here instead of the exception.

 

[Doneoett]

If you can recruit at a high level, then not having four year players will be the norm. Not that is a bad problem to have.

 

[tarkaniancourt...nm]

Good mixture of both. I think UNLVs coaching staff is in a good rhythm; now they need to show it on the court.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

UNLV traditionally is not a program that has relied on four year players. The four-year guys like Freddie Banks, Stacy Augmon, or Sid Green have always been greatly outnumbered.

What has changed in college basketball is that the "blue bloods" who used to take most of the high school all-Americans and keep them four years (and not take JC guys or transfers) now don't even have a lot of guys who last from freshman to senior season. It's unfortunate, but that's the landscape of college basketball now.

 

[Willden4UNLV]

Yes, but UNLV isn't taking in 3 or 4 All-Americans every single year. They are maybe taking 1 and a couple other top 100 kids who should stay in school for 3 to 4 years. What concerns me is that if we recruit Simmons to UNLV as well as a big that becomes 4 early departures for the team. Are there four players on the team that we think would rather have replaced with freshmen? I would say I'd rather not have Bellot-Green and Cook on the team. But is a freshman Carlos Johnson worth more to the team than a junior Dwayne Morgan? Or how about a freshman Christian Vital for a sophomore Jalen Poyser or a junior Jordan Cornish? Obviously there are a lot of other good points to discuss. It could be that the staff is simply anticipating people leaving early, but I thought they were trying to fix this turnover problem, not embrace it.

 

[babalou]

There seems to not be much thought about how to get players to stay. The assumption is that they want to go at almost any price. It is assumed that a bad decision to try the professional ranks is normal or even inevitable. The players that don't go that route are just compelled to find a better situation but then they seem to stay at their new schools even when it is a worse situation. The excuse is that it is normal especially with the higher ranked guys. What stable team has the kind of turnover that we have had the past 3 years? You don't build consistency through inconsistency or stability through instability.

The most valuable part of this team is the 4 returning Sophomores. Combine them with the incoming Freshmen and we have a hope for building a future of success.

 

[the Florian Trout]

...I would say I'd rather not have Bellot-Green and Cook on the team.

this is blasphemy! Cook is the ONLY guy to have stayed as a Rebel from start (and hopefully finish). we should be praising him.

i'm attaching a SHAME gif directed at you.

 

[Bleed_Red702]

this is blasphemy! Cook is the ONLY guy to have stayed as a Rebel from start (and hopefully finish). we should be praising him.

Go ahead and praise him. But he has been over recruited and I'd gladly lose him over some others like Cornish/Poyser. And I agree. If we were to land Simmons and another, I'd rather cut Vital/Johnson. And I also wouldn't mind losing bellot-green.

 

[the Florian Trout]

Go ahead and praise him. But he has been over recruited and I'd gladly lose him over some others like Cornish/Poyser. And I agree. If we were to land Simmons and another, I'd rather cut Vital/Johnson. And I also wouldn't mind losing bellot-green.

yes! because we need 12 4/5 star recruits!!!

 

[Bleed_Red702]

yes! because we need 12 4/5 star recruits!!!

Did I ever say that? No. That's just my opinion, which I'm entitled to. Gotta love when people criticize others when all they do is make an innocent statement. But hey, you're right brown trout.

 

[Bleed_Red702]

yes! because we need 12 4/5 star recruits!!!

You didn't even bother to address my statement either. You insinuated that I made a statement that I did not. Keep being you though.

 

[RebelScrub]

Love it when our fans push out players because they don't adhere to their expectations.

Rice has given Cook a fair shake and I hope Cook is happy with whatever choices he makes in life.

but for now he's a rebel and everyone should acknowledge that Cook has been blessed to play ball and get himself away from Baltimore.

In life, the degree is more important tjan whatever amount of minutes or PT in a game of basketball.

 

[the Florian Trout]

Go ahead and praise him. But he has been over recruited and I'd gladly lose him over some others like Cornish/Poyser. And I agree. If we were to land Simmons and another, I'd rather cut Vital/Johnson. And I also wouldn't mind losing bellot-green.

apparently i am having trouble understanding some of what you've said. i'm reading you as wanting to CUT players that don't meet your standards (aka "not good enough").

sorry that i hit a nerve.

 

[Bleed_Red702]

apparently i am having trouble understanding some of what you've said. i'm reading you as wanting to CUT players that don't meet your standards (aka "not good enough").

sorry that i hit a nerve.

I'm wanting to cut players if it jeopardizes our core. Note how I said l'd rather cut those players than lose Cornish/Poyser/Morgan etc. And if we over recruit someone and they basically aren't contributing we should keep them anyways? If a guy isn't producing he needs to go. And that has happened. Dantley Walker is a perfect example. But I guess we shouldn't have had him move on because he's a rebel and we should have stayed true to him. Right?

 

[babalou]

Couldn't the same thing be said about coaches? If they aren't living up to expectations and contributing at the level of others? If it is all about accomplishment then .........right?

 

[Bleed_Red702]

Couldn't the same thing be said about coaches? If they aren't living up to expectations and contributing at the level of others? If it is all about accomplishment then .........right?

Exactly. And if Rice has another underachieving season he should be out. He has no excuses this season. If he can't get it done this season, then I doubt he ever will.

 

[the Florian Trout]

I'm wanting to cut players if it jeopardizes our core. Note how I said l'd rather cut those players than lose Cornish/Poyser/Morgan etc. And if we over recruit someone and they basically aren't contributing we should keep them anyways? If a guy isn't producing he needs to go. And that has happened. Dantley Walker is a perfect example. But I guess we shouldn't have had him move on because he's a rebel and we should have stayed true to him. Right?

i admit, i did read some of that wrong.

i agree with you that i'd want something about players who were jeopardizing our core. thankfully, as of now, we don't have that.

you're asking me if Rice should keep players who aren't contributing? who isn't contributing? you don't have a clue how Belliot-Green, Cook, Poyser or any other player is contributing/not-contributing in practice or in the locker room. if they're a malcontent, you toss. if you want to ask me if Rice should honor his commitment to players he recruited who aren't excelling as everyone had hoped, then my answer absolutely, yes he should.

*(*)&^(^ the guys who wanted to be Rebels from the start, but can't break into that starting lineup? is that your answer?

FYI - Walker left on his own accord. he could probably see he wouldn't have much of a shot, but he could have stayed if he wanted to and competed for time. Rice did NOT tell him "Dantley, pack your bags, you aren't good enough so I'm giving your scholarship to someone else that has more stars."

 

[Dloch002]

Lets face facts, over recruiting is always going to happen. Whether it's to fill a spot or to get someone who improves the team. As a player, you have to look over your shoulder and not get too comfortable with your spot on the team. If you're not, then you just might ride the pine. Also, in this day of transfers, players seem to be very quick to jump from team to team when their situation doesn't fit them. Not just UNLV, but all schools. Personally, I don't think CDR is the kind of person that has bad intentions. He seems to be very open about his plans.

 

[Mjs_702]

You didn't even bother to address my statement either. You insinuated that I made a statement that I did not. Keep being you though.

Reoccurring problem with that one.

Seems this all worked out in the wash. Consistent high level recruiting forces out those who aren't producing, one way or another.

 

[reb4life777]

Seagears and Nwamu will be done after this season, leaving two open positions. (Obekpa sits out this year, and this graphic doesn't account for Cook's redshirt last season.

The Rebs are actually now at "-2" spots left for the class of '16, since Cook is not really a senior.

There is still a strong possibility that Kobi Simmons will commit to UNLV, putting us at "-3"... for now.

Johnson and Vital seem to be more "traditional" commits, who won't expect immediate playing time and who both have huge potential if they become four-year players.

Early exit to the NBA might take one or even two players (I believe that McCaw could explode this season). Disappointment over playing time will likely be a factor for other players. Others may graduate and be free to transfer and play elsewhere (Cook? TBG? Carter?). One or more of the freshmen could end up being placed in a JC for a season or two at the risk of losing him (which is what should have been done with Demetrius Morant a few years back). This will be a subplot this entire season since the math will force it to be.

.

Looking less and less like a quandary as the season progresses. who would have figured they had a clue as to what they were doing when it came to recruiting?