UNLV basketball fan favorite unlikely to return to court this season
Rob Whaley Jr. might not take the court for the UNLV basketball team again this season, coach Kevin Kruger said Friday.
Whaley’s explosive style of play made him a fan favorite last season, as he started nearly half of the Rebels’ games and averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds.
But the senior forward played limited minutes off the bench during the first two games of this season and has been out since then with a lower back injury.
Kruger has been vague about Whaley’s status and seemed set to continue that trend Friday, saying that a return was “TBD.”
When directed a follow-up question about whether utilizing a medical redshirt season had been discussed, the coach said yes, adding that there’s still time to decide.
“That’s always in the discussion,” he said. “… I think he’s still somebody that would love to get out there with the guys and play and help. But if you had a gun to my head right now, we’d probably be leaning in that direction.”
Listed at 6 feet, 7 inches, and 260 pounds, Whaley would likely need time to get in game shape after recovering.
He was seen participating in some shooting and movement activities earlier this season but has only sat on the sidelines in the practices that media members have been able to attend the past two weeks.
Kruger cited Whaley being “off his feet that long” and “not in the basketball flow of things” as two reasons he’s begun to brace for the reality that Whaley might not see the court again this season.
He didn’t travel with the team to Air Force this week because air travel previously agitated the injury, Kruger said.
“We just figured it would better to for him to stay back, get some rest and be around the rehab,” he said. “So the next time he has a doctor’s appointment, hopefully we’ll get some better news.”
Whaley will be granted a medical redshirt excluding this season from his standard four years of eligibility if he doesn’t participate in more than 30 percent of UNLV’s games and doesn’t appear after the midway point of the season.
With the Rebels entering their 14th contest in a 31-game regular-season slate against San Jose State on Saturday, Whaley’s window to decide might not be as wide as Kruger implied.
Whaley joined UNLV ranked as a top-10 junior college prospect nationally from the College of Southern Idaho.
An NCAA ruling recently granted an extra year of eligibility for former junior college football players and could soon be expanded to all sports, which “opens another chapter of options” for Whaley, Kruger said.
“We’re still going to prepare as nothing’s really changed,” he added. “Hopefully it’s a situation that changes for the better for us here soon. But if not, he’s still going to be big cheerleader and root on the guys.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
