Where in the F*#* is the defense?

[Doneoett]

Reno had only 4 turnovers and 2 were in garbage time.
They shot 50% from the field 36-72
They shot 44.4% from 3 12-27
No defense,heart, or pride was shown in this game. The team should not be allowed to wear Rebel gear as they disgraced the UNLV jersey. This was the worst game I have ever seen the Rebels ever play.

 

[Pistol Pete 1]

Defense? Defense? We don't need no stinking' Defense. I was gonna start a thread after watching yesterday's game. It's pretty obvious that this team has thrown in the towel. I really see no need at this point for some of the guys to be playing unless we are out of options. Ofoegbu needs to take a seat. If Green isn't coming back he needs to take a seat. Poyser needs to take a seat. He hasn't scored a meaningful bucket in 2 months. Don't know what happened to him.

Let Ben Coupet, Z Morgan, Larry Bush & D Slij take their minutes. It can't get any uglier and at least there will be effort on the floor. It is a tough pill to swallow but there is a talent discrepancy between us and the teams of the mighty Mountain West and a chasm exists between us & some of them but that is not an excuse to not play with heart & pride. And yes, they disgraced the UNLV jersey the last 2 games.

I have not until now brought her into any of my posts until now but thank you TKM. You couldn't have destroyed the proud legacy of UNLV basketball any more completely if you had tried. And thank you Len Jessup for overseeing this fiasco.

 

[j. spilotro]

Defense? Defense? We don't need no stinking' Defense. I was gonna start a thread after watching yesterday's game. It's pretty obvious that this team has thrown in the towel. I really see no need at this point for some of the guys to be playing unless we are out of options. Ofoegbu needs to take a seat. If Green isn't coming back he needs to take a seat. Poyser needs to take a seat. He hasn't scored a meaningful bucket in 2 months. Don't know what happened to him.

Let Ben Coupet, Z Morgan, Larry Bush & D Slij take their minutes. It can't get any uglier and at least there will be effort on the floor. It is a tough pill to swallow but there is a talent discrepancy between us and the teams of the mighty Mountain West and a chasm exists between us & some of them but that is not an excuse to not play with heart & pride. And yes, they disgraced the UNLV jersey the last 2 games.

I have not until now brought her into any of my posts until now but thank you TKM. You couldn't have destroyed the proud legacy of UNLV basketball any more completely if you had tried. And thank you Len Jessup for overseeing this fiasco.

They may have thrown in the towel for good a few games back. But they've had their spirit broken in game many, many times, as far back as early December .... and they've decided to throw in the towel mid game. The team just sleepwalked through long portions of games they saw were headed to defeat. Now it seems as if it happens before tip. It's the hugely psychology of losing, accepting losing, getting used to it as a way of life. I've read hundreds of posts how this team is "fun to watch play" and I just wasn't seeing it. Even in the 10 wins against nobodies, a large chunk of it was ugly, uninspired ball. I think the Wyoming home game was well played as well as the at UNM game. The NAU and Fullerton games were "feel good" games against the very lowest of the low. The home win against Air Force was exciting because of the nature, but it was a complete fluke win where UNLV played like garbage.

It's a season that would be one of those couple dozen or so forgettable ones because it didn't bear any fruit. But because it was some monumentally horrific, it'll be hard to forget.

 

[UNLVAlumni]

We're watching players who would be playing in Div 2 against pro prospects and some quality D-1 players. We are always overmatched. But I'm not throwing the players under the bus. You think it's bad for you to watch how do you think they really feel. They see a community giving up on them as they try to rally around each other.

You need to direct your energy at the inept admin and the key figures who put us in this spot. It's TKM and one particular booster who did this. And because of that booster they reward her with the foundation job.

All season I kept hoping the crowd would literally Boo her out of the arena every time she showed her face. And that booster deserves the same! He hasn't stayed an entire game once this season. He left the Duke game 2 min into the 2nd half. I will never buy a car from him again.

We're getting our ass kicked because of them.

 

[j. spilotro]

We're watching players who would be playing in Div 2 against pro prospects and some quality D-1 players. We are always overmatched. But I'm not throwing the players under the bus. You think it's bad for you to watch how do you think they really feel. They see a community giving up on them as they try to rally around each other.

You need to direct your energy at the inept admin and the key figures who put us in this spot. It's TKM and one particular booster who did this. And because of that booster they reward her with the foundation job.

All season I kept hoping the crowd would literally Boo her out of the arena every time she showed her face. And that booster deserves the same! He hasn't stayed an entire game once this season. He left the Duke game 2 min into the 2nd half. I will never buy a car from him again.

We're getting our ass kicked because of them.

I don't disagree with this sentiment at all. It was more than one booster and an inept administration, but that's where the blame is for this disaster season and any long recovery we have. Menzies was about as hamstrung as possible.

There's not an over abundance of talent on squad, but there's certainly more than we've shown, especially in this terrible conference. Yeah, you can point to guys not playing well and then say they have no talent - obviously we've had several not play well. But why are they playing so badly? I don't buy the answer that they aren't good enough for D1. Have you seen some of the scrubs in this conference? There's been a lack of response, a lack of carryover, they've succumbed to a losing mindset. That's different than not having enough talent, IMO. In the end, it doesn't matter much because it was going to be a poor year regardless - but in no way should it be the historically weakest year ever at UNLV, especially since we are in a conference that's been the worst UNLV has ever been a part of. They didn't reach players effectively, players didn't respond effectively. It's a free pass year so it doesn't really matter. But when we were 10-9 or whatever it was, after beating Wyoming (yeah, it's only Wyoming) in a game where UNLV played well and an ensuing game at the Pit, the narrative was, too young, too inexperienced, not enough time together, but there's some decent talent and they fight, they are fun to watch (scroll back through old messages for the popular opinion at that point and time)... fast forward 7 weeks and all of a sudden the narrative is that none of these guys are D1 players... I don't buy that. The team is mentally weak, but there is some talent there, not a ton, but enough to go .500 in a horrible conference... staff wasn't able to get through to this particular group.

 

[TarkisGod]

I've read hundreds of posts how this team is "fun to watch play" and I just wasn't seeing it

I penned more than one of those “fun to watch” posts, and I stand by them. Earlier in the season, there were the games you mentioned, all wins, but even in many of the losses, they came down to final seconds. The fact that they came out on the short-end of the score is a testament to their lack of experience, both at the D-1 level, and with each other. But the games were exciting, and our overmatched guys were trying hard.

But as the losses piled-up, they got beaten-up mentally, and they are now in a hole too deep to climb out of this season. The sooner it comes to a merciful end, the better. They will not win again. What one might have identified as a winnable game at home to Utah State now seems like an insurmountable task. And a final road game at Fresno will surely be another blow-out. Whoever gets us in the opening-round of the MW Tournament is receiving a virtual bye.

I don’t believe that decrying the contributions of individual players is productive. They’re broken, and frankly, I feel for them. As bad as we, as fans of the Rebels, feel about the depths our team has sunk to, I can only imagine what they are going through. We will return. But the 2016-17 season is utterly forgettable. The ingredients in the mix that produced this depressing year are not however, on the court, or the bench.

Go Rebels!

 

[MonsterJam]

Coach Menzies show on the radio this evening, it sounds like the staff's focus is almost exclusively on recruiting right now. And it probably should be.

 

[j. spilotro]

Coach Menzies show on the radio this evening, it sounds like the staff's focus is almost exclusively on recruiting right now. And it probably should be.

It should be. Let's hope this staff is really good with meshing a ton of new faces together. As we've seen, it's difficult. But probably more difficult the higher the level of player. We will see.

 

[TarkisGod]

It should be. Let's hope this staff is really good with meshing a ton of new faces together. As we've seen, it's difficult. But probably more difficult the higher the level of player. We will see.

Recruiting must be their entire focus. Finding the right pieces to begin to rebuild our brand.

I have complete confidence in Coach Menzies’ and his staff’s, ability to bring a winning culture back to the Rebels. I’m able to make such a pronouncement because I recognize Marvin Menzies as more than just a basketball coach. He is a developer of young men.

He will teach his future Rebel teams the maturity that the current group lacks. I only regret that it will be November before we begin to see the fruits of his labor. I'm excited for what's coming...

Go Rebels!

 

[UNLVAlumni]

I have to admit I didn't think we would beat Utah St. So happy I went to the game. Beating Fresno St though will take an almost perfect game. Tough to beat them the way they are playing right now.