UNLV’s new ‘Bear’ ready to prove himself against Memphis’ big men

Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry isn’t shy about sharing his goals for his first season of Division I basketball.

“I want to be newcomer of the year,” Cherry said. “I want to let people know. I’m not here to hide. I’m here to show what I can do, so there’s no point in not letting people know my goals.”

The UNLV big man is off to a good start. He shot 10-for-11 from the floor in his debut and finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds in the Rebels’ 93-79 win over Alabama State on Monday.

“It meant a lot because in high school nobody wanted me,” Cherry said. “I kept my head down and played (in junior college) and stayed with it. I came here and was able to prove to everyone I could do it.

“It was a great time. I had family here and all my friends back home watching. It really made my heart warm for sure. I’m sure people are thinking now they should have taken their chance on me.”

Cherry will look to build off that performance when UNLV (1-0) plays Memphis (1-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Thomas & Mack Center.

The Tigers have a pair of dominant big men that should challenge Cherry in the post. Moussa Cisse had 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in Memphis’ season-opening 83-75 win over Missouri. Dain Dainja, an Illinois transfer and former top-100 recruit, added six points, eight rebounds and two assists.

“I’m excited to play (the Tigers’) two big men,” Cherry said. “Phenomenal players. Probably my first big test. I’m ready for sure.”

Cherry admits he plays with a chip on his shoulder. He wasn’t highly recruited and needed to prove himself at New Mexico Junior College.

Cherry, listed at 6-foot-11, 280 pounds, admits he wasn’t in the best shape coming out of high school. But he laments the fact that there wasn’t a college program that saw enough potential in him to help him work on his body.

He got far more Division I offers after two impressive junior college seasons. UNLV was able to land him in part because New Mexico Junior College coach Luke Mackay cut his teeth working for former Rebels coach Lon Kruger at Oklahoma.

Coach Kevin Kruger, Lon’s son, is glad to have Cherry on his roster. He praised the junior for handling the pressures of his debut well.

“For a transfer or freshman, that first game carries a lot of buildup,” Kevin Kruger said. “There’s a lot of people that love them or hate them for no reason, so there’s so much anticipation. To get out and play a very competitive and athletic and driven Alabama State team on that first night was really, really good. But at the same time, he understands that Cisse and Dainja are a different animal because they’re bigger and more experienced. He has to take that same approach and carry it over into (Saturday).”

Cherry’s teammates were impressed by his debut as well. They know what it would mean to have a big man that can consistently dominate down low this season.

“He was great,” senior forward Jalen Hill said. “He made it easy for all of the guards in the way he was able to draw a double and then kick it out. And when they didn’t double, to be able to go up for a layup or dunk. I think what he did out there was amazing and if he produces like that every game, I think we can be a great team.”

Saturday’s game will be an early test to see just how good the Rebels can be.

Memphis coach Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway is an elite recruiter and restocked his program’s shelves after it lost its top five scorers this offseason.

Tulsa transfer PJ Haggerty is a star and Tyrese Hunter is a former McDonald’s All-American.

“(The Tigers are) a household name,” Kruger said. “We’re familiar with their roster. We know who they are and we know it’s going to be a fight if we want to get out of here with a win.”

Kruger has always admired Hardaway. Kruger, when his father coached at Florida, used to attend Hardaway’s games with the Orlando Magic back when the team also had Shaquille O’Neal.

“It’s amazing to meet guys like Penny in the business,” Kruger said. “In my opinion, he would have gone down as one of the best players ever or would have been in the discussion as one of the best players of all-time had he had a healthy NBA career. But always smiling, always nice.

“Penny and Shaq were just so fun to watch. Everyone in Florida was a Magic fan at that point, but in large part because of Penny.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.