Chilly shooting puzzles Adams

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An ice pack was wrapped around UNLV guard Wink Adams’ left knee Friday. It seems as if one also has been attached to his shooting hand for the first month of the season.

Adams is the Rebels’ scoring leader after six games despite a cold streak that has him confused.

“This is one of my most serious shooting slumps. Usually when I get a shooting slump, I come out of it in one or two games. But this one has kind of lasted six games,” he said.

“I’ve got to keep shooting until I shoot myself out of it.”

Adams did some shooting — but not much jumping — and was limited during Friday’s practice because of a sprained knee.

UNLV coach Lon Kruger said Adams definitely will play at 7 p.m. today, when the Rebels (4-2) meet Texas-El Paso (4-1) at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Adams said he injured the knee during warm-ups before Tuesday’s game at UC Santa Barbara. He played 35 minutes and scored 11 points in a 63-60 loss.

The junior shot 4-for-14, including 2-for-8 from 3-point range, against UCSB to continue his frustrating funk. He is shooting 34.6 percent from the field, and is 9-for-36 (25 percent) on 3-pointers, but leads UNLV in scoring at 12.7 points per game.

“We need Wink to be aggressive shooting it, yet we don’t need him to take real tough shots,” Kruger said. “And there’s a fine line. You want your scorer to have some freedom, a little more than what would be normal perhaps.

“We’re going to put Wink in position to make a play, and that position may be to shoot it and that may be to make a play for someone else.”

In the past three games, against UCSB, UNR and Louisville, Adams has shot 3-for-20 on 3-pointers. Still, he insists losing confidence in himself is not an issue.

“Wink is one of the most confident people you’ll see,” said senior point guard Curtis Terry, second on the Rebels in field-goal percentage (.521) and points per game (12.2).

“He’s just having a hard time putting it in the hoop, so hopefully we can get him going to the hoop to build his confidence up, and then he’ll step back out and make some shots from the outside.”

Adams has not been at the free-throw line often — 12 times in six games — and that’s because 36 of his 81 field-goal attempts have been 3s.

Kruger said he would like his players to drive to the basket more frequently and get better shots. UNLV has attempted 147 3-pointers (24.5 per game) and made 29.3 percent.

“We need to be a little more selective offensively so we can shoot for a better percentage,” Kruger said. “I think when you don’t shoot for a very good percentage, it’s a combination of not competing hard enough to get good shots and shot selection.

“We want to be aggressive and we want to push it and attack, and sometimes we cross the line and are a little impatient in shooting the ball. I wouldn’t care if we’re shooting 36 or 38 percent from 3, but we’re not. We’ve got to get better looks from 3.”

Of the nine Mountain West Conference teams, the Rebels rank seventh in scoring offense (71.0 points per game) and eighth in field-goal percentage (.417).

“I’m not trying to do too much or force many shots,” Terry said. “Early in the season, I took a couple bad shots that I could have lived without. I think everybody is finding their rhythm and spots where they’re going to get shots through the offense. As we move along, I think guys will figure it out and shots will come easier.”

Adams, who has started 61 consecutive games, said he’s not feeling the pressure to carry a young team on the offensive end.

“The first two or three games I kind of had that mentality that I’ve got to do this for my team and make this play,” Adams said. “I’ve got to believe in my teammates, and I’ve got to keep creating shots for teammates.”

• NOTES — UTEP is led by 6-foot-5-inch junior guard Stefon Jackson, who is averaging 24.6 points. Jackson scored 27 points in an 81-76 loss at Texas A&M on Nov. 14. … The Rebels will play the Miners in El Paso next season, and also have home-and-away series arrangements with Louisville and Fresno State.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2907.