Adams fit, healthy for Australian tour

Instead of testing the waters and entering the NBA Draft, UNLV guard Wink Adams decided to lose weight, work out more and set himself up for a strong senior season.

Adams was a fringe NBA prospect anyway, and he said he has more to gain by spending another year in college.

When the Rebels’ season ended in March, the 6-foot Adams weighed in at 218 pounds. He checked in at 207 pounds before the team left Monday for a six-game exhibition tour in Australia.

UNLV coach Lon Kruger and assistant director of strength and conditioning Jason Kabo suggested to Adams that he go into next season lighter and quicker.

“They want me to get down to about 195, but I’m feeling good at the weight I’m at now,” said Adams, who averaged 16.9 points as a junior and had 25 points in the Rebels’ 75-56 loss to Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

With junior forward Matt Shaw recently declared out for the season because of a right knee injury, UNLV has eight healthy players for the games in Australia.

“With only eight guys, we’ll be constantly rotating and running up and down the court, and it’s going to be good for conditioning,” Adams said. “This trip is really going to benefit us. Everybody is getting better. We’ve really been going at each other and playing at a high level.”

Kruger has been busy recruiting, but he tied up one loose end before the team departed Monday.

The coaching staff stopped recruiting Connecticut transfer Curtis Kelly and awarded the final scholarship for 2008-09 to senior forward Rene Rougeau, a former walk-on who started 27 games last season.

“Obviously, Rene is very deserving,” said Kruger, who considered adding two transfers and not putting Rougeau on scholarship.

Derrick Jasper, a 6-6 point guard, announced last week he will transfer from Kentucky to UNLV. Jasper will redshirt this year and have two years of eligibility remaining.

The Rebels had 10 practice days before the foreign tour. They left Monday night for Sydney, Australia, where they open exhibition play against the Sutherland Sharks at 3 a.m. PDT Thursday.

“I know it will be decent competition, if not really good,” Kruger said. “There’s no way of really knowing until we get there.

“I think they have been a very productive two weeks of practice, an opportunity for our guys to mesh together. It will be the four seniors’ first experience in that senior leadership role.”

Adams, Rougeau, Joe Darger and Mareceo Rutledge are UNLV’s four seniors. Only Rutledge figures to be in a reserve role next season.

Two players who redshirted last year — sophomore point guard Tre’Von Willis and 7-foot freshman Beas Hamga — have been running with the Rebels’ first unit in practices.

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