2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team

The 2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Runnin' Rebels were led by first-year head coach Kevin Kruger and played their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 18–14, 10–8 in MWC play to finish in fifth place. They lost to Wyoming in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament. They failed to receive an invite to a postseason tournament.[1]

2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record18–14 (10–8 MW)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThomas & Mack Center
Seasons
2021–22 Mountain West Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 23 Boise State 15 3   .833 27 8   .771
No. 24 Colorado State 14 4   .778 25 6   .806
San Diego State 13 4   .765 23 9   .719
Wyoming 13 5   .722 25 9   .735
UNLV 10 8   .556 18 14   .563
Fresno State 8 9   .471 23 13   .639
Utah State 8 10   .444 18 16   .529
Nevada 6 12   .333 13 18   .419
New Mexico 5 12   .294 13 19   .406
Air Force 4 13   .235 11 18   .379
San Jose State 1 17   .056 8 23   .258
Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Runnin' Rebels finished the 2020–21 season 12–15, 12–6 in Mountain West play to finish in seventh place. They defeated Air Force in the first round of the Mountain West tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Utah State.

On March 18, 2021, head coach T. J. Otzelberger left UNLV after two seasons for the Iowa State head coaching job.[2] On March 21, the school announced that assistant coach Kevin Kruger would be promoted to the head coaching position.[3]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Donovan Yap 0 G 6'3" 175 Freshman Las Vegas, NV Transferred to Fresno State
Moses Wood 1 F 6'8" 210 RS Sophomore Reno, NV Transferred to Portland
Caleb Grill 3 G 6'3" 195 Sophomore Wichita, KS Transferred to Iowa State
David Jenkins Jr. 5 G 6'2" 195 RS Junior Tacoma, WA Graduate transferred from Utah
Edoardo Del Cadia 10 F 6'7" 235 Junior Senigallia, Italy Transferred to Nicholls
Jhaylon Martinez 12 C 6'11" 260 Freshman Vallejo, CA Transferred to UC Riverside
Issac Lindsey 14 G 6'4" 190 Freshman Mineral Point, WI Walk-on; transferred to Wisconsin
Nick Blake 22 G 6'6" 220 Freshman Las Vegas, NV Transferred to Pacific
Kendrick Gilbert 24 F 6'5" 190 Freshman Las Vegas, NV Walk-on; no long on team roster
Devin Tillis 30 F 6'6" 215 Freshman Los Angeles, CA Transferred to UC Irvine
Cheikh Mbacke Diong 34 F 6'11" 220 Senior Dakar, Senegal Graduate transferred to UCF

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Victor Iwuakor 0 F 6'7" 223 Junior Abuja, Nigeria Transferred from Oklahoma. Under NCAA transfer rules, Iwuakor will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Mike Nuga 1 G 6'2" 180 GS Senior Toronto, ON Transferred from Kent State. Will be eligible to play immediately since Nuga graduated from Kent State.
Justin Webster 2 G 6'3" 180 Junior Dallas, TX Transferred from Hawaii. Under NCAA transfer rules, Webster will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Donovan Williams 3 G 6’6” 190 Junior Houston, TX Transferred from Texas. Under NCAA transfer rules, Williams will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Jordan McCabe 5 G 6'0" 188 Senior Kaukauna, WI Transferred from West Virginia. Will be eligible to play immediately since McCabe graduated from West Virginia.
David Muoka 12 C 6'10" 211 Junior Hong Kong Transferred from Lamar. Under NCAA transfer rules, Muoka will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Royce Hamm Jr. 13 F 6'9" 225 GS Senior Houston, TX Transferred from Texas. Will be eligible to play immediately since Hamm Jr. graduated from Texas.
Josh Baker 22 G 6'2" 169 Junior Tempe, AZ Junior college transferred from Hutchinson CC.
James Hampshire 30 C 7'1" 242 GS Senior Flagstaff, AZ Transferred from Pacific. Will be eligible to play immediately since Hampshire graduated from Pacific.

2021 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keshon Gilbert
PG
Las Vegas, NV Durango High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 7, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 UNLV Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.

Roster

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2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Victor Iwuakor   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Oklahoma Abuja, Nigeria
G 1 Michael Nuga 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Kent State Toronto ON
G 2 Justin Webster   6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Hawaii Dallas, TX
G 3 Donovan Williams   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Texas Houston, TX
G 5 Jordan McCabe 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr West Virginia Kaukauna, WI
G 10 Keshon Gilbert 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Vashon HS Las Vegas, NV
C 12 David Muoka   6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Lamar Hong Kong
G 13 Bryce Hamilton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Pasadena HS Pasadena, CA
F 14 Royce Hamm Jr. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS Texas Houston, TX
F 15 Reece Brown 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Loomis Chaffee School Albany, NY
G 22 Josh Baker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Hutchinson CC Tempe, AZ
G 24 Trey Hurlburt (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Cal State San Marcos Las Vegas, NV
C 30 James Hampshire 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 240 lb (109 kg) GS Pacific Flagstaff, AZ
G 31 Marvin Coleman (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Foothill HS Las Vegas, NV
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2021*
7:00 p.m.
Gardner–Webb W 64–58  1–0
 22  Hamilton   17  Hamm Jr.   3  Baker  Thomas & Mack Center (4,962)
Paradise, NV
November 13, 2021*
5:00 p.m., Stadium
California W 55–52  2–0
 12  Hamilton   7  Hamm Jr.   3  Tied  Thomas & Mack Center (4,937)
Paradise, NV
November 15, 2021*
7:00 p.m., YurView
North Dakota State
Roman Main Event Campus-Site Game
W 64–62  3–0
 17  Hamilton   17  Hamm Jr.   4  Coleman  Thomas & Mack Center (4,381)
Paradise, NV
November 19, 2021*
9:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. No. 4 Michigan
Roman Main Event Semifinals
L 61–74  3–1
 21  Hamilton   10  Hamm Jr.   5  McCabe  T-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 21, 2021*
9:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Wichita State
Roman Main Event Consolation – 3rd Place
L 73–74  3–2
 18  Hamilton   11  Hamm Jr.   8  McCabe  T-Mobile Arena (8,624)
Paradise, NV
November 24, 2021*
6:30 p.m.
Whittier W 101–45  4–2
 17  Webster   9  Coleman   5  Webster  Thomas & Mack Center (4,288)
Paradise, NV
November 27, 2021*
2:00 p.m., Stadium
No. 2 UCLA L 51–73  4–3
 18  Hamilton   4  Tied   5  McCabe  Thomas & Mack Center (6,392)
Paradise, NV
December 1, 2021*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
at SMU L 64–83  4–4
 13  Hamm Jr.   10  Hamm Jr.   5  McCabe  Moody Coliseum (3,399)
Dallas, TX
December 4, 2021*
7:00 p.m.
at San Francisco L 62–83  4–5
 23  Hamilton   5  Hamilton   4  Gilbert  War Memorial Gymnasium (1,327)
San Francisco, CA
December 8, 2021*
7:00 p.m.
vs. Seattle
UNLV at the Mandalay Bay
W 76–56  5–5
 21  Nuga   14  Hamm Jr.   8  Nuga  Michelob Ultra Arena (637)
Paradise, NV
December 11, 2021*
7:00 p.m.
vs. Hartford
UNLV at the Mandalay Bay
W 95–78  6–5
 33  Hamilton   7  Hamm Jr.   11  McCabe  Michelob Ultra Arena (3,257)
Paradise, NV
December 15, 2021*
7:00 p.m., YurView
Omaha W 84–71  7–5
 26  Hamilton   12  Hamm Jr.   5  Tied  Thomas & Mack Center (4,345)
Paradise, NV
December 22, 2021*
7:00 p.m., YurView
San Diego W 80–57  8–5
 20  Tied   10  Hamm Jr.   7  McCabe  Thomas & Mack Center (4,377)
Paradise, NV
Mountain West regular season
January 1, 2022
1:00 p.m., CBS
San Diego State L 55–62  8–6
(0–1)
 16  Williams   14  Hamm Jr.   5  McCabe  Thomas & Mack Center (5,082)
Paradise, NV
January 11, 2022
8:00 p.m., CBSSN
New Mexico W 85–56  9–6
(1–1)
 29  Williams   13  Hamm Jr.   5  McCabe  Thomas & Mack Center (3,860)
Paradise, NV
January 14, 2022
8:00 p.m., FS1
Fresno State L 68–73  9–7
(1–2)
 24  Hamilton   8  Hamm Jr.   3  McCabe  Thomas & Mack Center (4,976)
Paradise, NV
January 17, 2022
6:00 p.m., CBSSN
at San José State
Rescheduled from January 5
W 81–56  10–7
(2–2)
 20  Williams   9  Muoka   5  McCabe  Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,182)
San Jose, CA
January 20, 2022
6:00 p.m., Mountain West Network
at Air Force
Rescheduled from January 8
L 62–69  10–8
(2–3)
 32  Hamilton   9  Hamm Jr.   2  Tied  Clune Arena (934)
Colorado Springs, CO
January 22, 2022
12:00 p.m., Stadium
San José State W 70–62  11–8
(3–3)
 30  Hamilton   14  Hamm Jr.   4  Gilbert  Thomas & Mack Center (4,466)
Paradise, NV
January 24, 2022
6:00 p.m., CBSSN
at San Diego State
Originally scheduled for Jan. 18
L 55–80  11–9
(3–4)
 23  Hamilton   8  Muoka   5  McCabe  Viejas Arena (10,528)
San Diego, CA
January 28, 2022
6:00 p.m., FS1
at Colorado State W 88–74  12–9
(4–4)
 45  Hamilton   7  Hamilton   5  Tied  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
February 1, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1
Nevada
Battle for Nevada
W 69–58  13–9
(5–4)
 17  Tied   8  Hamm Jr.   5  Nuga  Thomas & Mack Center (6,670)
Paradise, NV
February 5, 2022
4:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Utah State L 75–90  13–10
(5–5)
 33  Hamilton   5  Tied   8  McCabe  Smith Spectrum (9,029)
Logan, UT
February 8, 2022
8:00 p.m., MW Network
Air Force W 78–44  14–10
(6–5)
 24  Hamilton   16  Hamm, Jr.   10  McCabe  Thomas & Mack Center (5,312)
Paradise, NV
February 11, 2022
8:00 p.m., FS1
at Boise State L 63–69  14–11
(6–6)
 32  Hamilton   7  Hamm, Jr.   6  McCabe  ExtraMile Arena (7,660)
Boise, ID
February 16, 2022
7:30 p.m., CBSSN
at Fresno State W 60–57  15–11
(7–6)
 17  Hamilton   8  Muoka   4  Hamilton  Save Mart Center (4,723)
Fresno, CA
February 19, 2022
5:00 p.m., CBSSN
Colorado State W 72–51  16–11
(8–6)
 20  Hamilton   12  Hamm Jr.   4  Hamilton  Thomas & Mack Center (6,153)
Paradise, NV
February 22, 2022
8:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Nevada
Battle for Nevada
W 62–54  17–11
(9–6)
 27  Hamilton   12  Hamm Jr.   7  McCabe  Lawlor Events Center (9,148)
Reno, NV
February 26, 2022
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
Boise State L 76–86  17–12
(9–7)
 25  Hamilton   7  Muoka   5  McCabe  Thomas & Mack Center (7,176)
Paradise, NV
March 2, 2022
7:30 p.m., FS1
Wyoming W 64–57  18–12
(10–7)
 17  Hamm Jr.   10  Hamm Jr.   4  Hamilton  Thomas & Mack Center (6,204)
Paradise, NV
March 5, 2022
8:00 p.m., FS1
at New Mexico L 67–76  18–13
(10–8)
 28  Hamilton   10  Hamm, Jr.   7  McCabe  The Pit (9,404)
Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West tournament
March 10, 2022
2:30 p.m., CBSSN
(5) (4) Wyoming
Quarterfinals
L 56–59  18–14
 22  Hamilton   7  Tied   3  Hamilton  Thomas & Mack Center 
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Source[4]

References

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  1. ^ "UNLV ends season with promise despite missing out on NIT". Las Vegas Review-Journal. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  2. ^ Hines, Travis (March 18, 2021). "Iowa State hires UNLV's T.J. Otzelberger to replace Steve Prohm as Cyclones basketball coach". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "Kevin Kruger Named New Men's Basketball Head Coach". UNLV Athletics. March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  4. ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule". unlvrebels.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.