Wallace ready to help out

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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A leg injury has delayed UNLV freshman Kendall Wallace’s debut by a month. If he finally gets to unveil his game today, he might look familiar.

The way Wallace runs the point guard position is similar in style to last season’s team leader.

"I play a lot like Kevin Kruger actually," Wallace said. "I want to kind of follow in his footsteps here."

Wallace has been slow to get started after suffering a stress fracture to his right fibula Oct. 19. He returned to practice at full speed last week and hopes to come off the bench when the Rebels (5-2) play Northern Arizona (4-3) at 5:30 p.m. today.

UNLV coach Lon Kruger said he’s ready to work Wallace into the backcourt rotation with senior Curtis Terry, junior Wink Adams and sophomore Marcus Lawrence.

"I’m pretty optimistic about my chances of playing," said Wallace, who injured the area above his right ankle in the first week of practice. "I was trying to get rid of that limp I had for a long time.

"It’s just a matter of getting it out of my head mentally. It’s feeling a lot better. I can really move on it."

Kruger said "there are some similarities" between his son, Kevin, and the 6-foot-4-inch Wallace, who led Mountain View High School in Mesa, Ariz., to three consecutive Class 5A state titles.

Kevin Kruger guided the Rebels to a 30-7 season as a senior and was one of the final cuts by the Orlando Magic. He is playing for the Utah Flash in the NBA Development League.

Kruger was a smooth operator at the point, but he also was a shooting guard, launching a team-high 231 3-point attempts last season.

"He’s kind of a combo guard, and the versatility of being able to play either spot helps," Lon Kruger said of Wallace. "He shoots it well, sees the floor well and competes really hard."

Wallace was being recruited by Northern Arizona, St. Mary’s, Colorado State and Wyoming when UNLV stepped in with a scholarship offer. He said the comparisons to Kevin Kruger started last fall.

"I talked to Coach Kruger about it last year when he was recruiting me," Wallace said. "I feel more comfortable at the (point). I like having the ball in my hands and running the team. That’s what I did in high school for two years.

"I can definitely shoot the ball, too. I’m confident when it comes to that. I definitely think Coach will give me a chance to show what I can do."

Wallace is also the son of a coach. His father, Jeffery, coached high school basketball in Illinois for 17 years. His great uncle, Riley Wallace, was Hawaii’s coach for 20 years before retiring after last season, and he lives in Summerlin and has attended several of the Rebels’ practices.

Lon Kruger has been using a nine-man rotation, but he’ll soon have to find minutes for 11 players.

Wallace will be followed by the return of redshirt freshman guard Troy Cage, who was cleared to practice Monday. Cage had surgery Oct. 12 on a partially torn patellar tendon in his left knee, and he could be ready for game action in two weeks.

Wallace, who set his high school’s career records in scoring and assists, said he plans to earn minutes in UNLV’s crowded rotation.

"If I keep working hard in practice and show what I can do in my opportunities in the game, then I think I can get some decent playing time," he said.

• NOTES — Adams scored 16 points as the Rebels routed Northern Arizona 93-53 last season in St. George, Utah. … The Lumberjacks, coached by former Bishop Gorman player and coach Mike Adras, are coming off a 64-61 home victory over Western Kentucky. They lost road games to Arizona (76-69) and Kansas (87-46).