UNLV men projected 6th in MW preseason basketball poll

UNLV fifth-year guard EJ Harkless thinks he might have the path to the NCAA Tournament figured out. A new arrival in Las Vegas this season, he spent the previous two seasons at Oklahoma.

During his first year as a Sooner, Harkless played for Lon Kruger, the former UNLV coach and father of current Rebel coach Kevin Kruger, during the coach’s final season. Oklahoma made the NCAA Tournament, and Harkless is looking to maintain that streak.

“I’m 100 percent with Coach Krugers and the tournament,” he said. “If it worked one time, it’s going to work again.”

Harkless, senior Luis Rodriguez — another UNLV newcomer — and Kevin Kruger all spoke at Mountain West men’s basketball media day Wednesday. The Rebels were picked to finish sixth in the conference’s preseason poll and didn’t have any players picked for the preseason all-conference team or the individual awards, but Kruger is happy with the state of his program.

“I do feel good about where we’re at,” Kruger said. “At this point in October, I think the guys are working hard. I think they’ve gotten better.”

The Rebels have lots of new faces, but have several questions surrounding the team — particularly on offense. UNLV’s 2021-22 leading scorer Bryce Hamilton departed, along with offensive contributors like Donovan Williams and Royce Hamm Jr. The Rebels also have several new faces on the team’s coaching staff, as each of Kruger’s top three assistants from last season were poached by Power Five schools.

Kruger and his new staff have already had a chance to preview this year’s team. The Rebels took a three-game preseason tour to Canada. The trip included a surprise loss to the University of British Columbia, but Kruger believes the team has made major improvements during training camp.

“Taking that information that we got (in Canada), blending it into the fall workouts and now the official practices … This is a group that’s gotten a lot better, consistently, since they’ve been together,” Kruger said.

Harkless, for example, wasn’t available in Canada as he was recovering from knee surgery. Kruger also mentioned late additions Shane Nowell, a guard,, and Karl Jones, a forward, hadn’t been fully incorporated and were still finding their roles in the system during the preseason tour.

The tour also gave the Rebels a chance to spend time together and continue building their chemistry. Besides the new staff, UNLV added seven scholarship players this season. It’s not quite the massive turnover from Kruger’s first year with the Rebels, but has still created a steep learning curve for this team both on and off the court.

Rodriguez said the team tries to spend as much time together as possible. The Rebels bond over extra shots after practice. They hang out at each other’s apartments and go to the movies. The former Ole Miss wing said even getting lunch with a teammate can go a long way toward building camaraderie.

“I think our bonding is going pretty well,” he said. “I think we mesh together.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.