UNLV men begin season with almost all-new cast of characters

UNLV hoops manager Kevin Kruger doesn’t ever announcement the progress. He’s with the Rebels each day. Sees everything. The good. The bad. The ugly.

But idiosyncratic other sees the advancement erstwhile helium stops by practice, beryllium it astir erstwhile a week.

“Even idiosyncratic similar my dad, who’s travel and gone backmost to Oklahoma and travel back. He’s noticed,” Kruger said, referring to his father, Lon. “He said. ‘You don’t spot the incremental maturation erstwhile you’re with it each day.’”

The Rebels this week volition yet unveil their caller roster. It has 9 assistance transfers, the Mountain West’s Preseason Freshman of the Year and 2 returning rotation players. They unfastened their first twelvemonth nether Kruger connected Wednesday against Gardner-Webb astatine the Thomas & Mack Center.

He’s spent the past period with his unit tinkering with lineup combinations, rotations and signifier arsenic helium learns the nuances of his caller team.

“Offense is starting to beryllium crisper. Defense is starting to recognize each different a small more,” helium said. “Having an older group, it’s an unselfish group. They bask making plays for each other. Now that the turnovers are starting to chopped backmost and chopped backmost and chopped back, you tin spot the chemistry forming.”

They each travel from antithetic schools, astatine which they assumed antithetic roles and utilized antithetic terminology and schemes. Teaching caller terminology successful a comparatively abbreviated play of clip is “the biggest obstacle” Kruger and his unit person dealt with frankincense far.

But the acquisition connected the roster that features 13 upperclassmen serves to easiness immoderate of the increasing pains. As does the beingness of returning seniors Bryce Hamilton and Marvin Coleman.

“They conscionable cognize my temperament. They cognize erstwhile I accidental something, the tone, there’s that understanding. That familiarity,” Kruger said. “I cognize however acold I tin spell with them and what I tin bash to get them going.”

And successful turn, they’ve tried their champion to acclimate their caller teammates to their caller surroundings connected the fly.

Coleman said he’s explained to his caller teammates the value of the program’s tradition. “Me and Bryce are the lone ones that person been here. Kruger’s evidently been here. So conscionable trying to archer them the standard. And things similar that,” the constituent defender said.

Additional signifier clip has helped Coleman attain a consciousness for the strengths and weaknesses of his caller teammates.

New bigs similar Royce Hamm and David Muoka fig to beryllium antiaircraft anchors and rim runners. Point guards similar Jordan McCabe and Keshon Gilbert tin assistance grip the playmaking load. Forwards similar Victor Iwuakor and Donovan Williams adhd two-way versatility. Two-guards similar Michael Nuga, Josh Baker and Justin Webster assistance proviso scoring from the perimeter.

Coleman said this radical is the astir diversion he’s played with during his 4 years astatine UNLV, and Kruger indicated he’s comfy with its depth

“(The rotation) is going to spell arsenic heavy arsenic we request it to. We person nary contented playing each 13 guys if we need,” helium said. “We cognize we tin number connected each 13 if needed. It should beryllium fun. Go retired and play hard for a fewer minutes. Get a speedy breather. Sub them successful and out.”

Contact newsman Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected Twitter. “