Kantowski: UNLV’s hoops season in predictions

Fri, Nov 14, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Leila Navidi

UNLV Rebels point guard Tre’Von Willis, left, drives past Lekheythan Malone of the Washburn Ichabods during an exhibition game Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV Rebels Basketball

UNLV Rebels Basketball

Twenty-seven and eight predictions for the 2008-09 UNLV basketball season:

• I’m going to miss Curtis Terry, at least early in the season.

• So is Lon Kruger.

• It’s going to take Tre’Von Willis and Oscar Bellfield, the Rebels’ new point guards, a little time to become acclimated to their teammates and surroundings. But I still can’t believe the Washburn guards were talking smack about them after Tuesday night’s exhibition game.

• Willis will emerge as the starter — unless Kruger puts more value on instant offense coming off the bench. Then it might be Bellfield with Willis as the instant offense guy off the bench. But the first scenario is much more likely, according to guys I trust who go to practice every day.

• If Bill Grier, the University of San Diego coach, reinstates suspended starter Gyno Pomare before Saturday, thus reuniting the Torrero starting quintet that beat UConn in the Big Dance last year, the season opener could be very interesting.

• If he doesn’t, it probably won’t.

• That J-Mac kid will sink a jump shot from Gucci Row during halftime of the Northern Arizona game on Nov. 20.

• Game that should have been at the top of the marquee but won’t: Arizona on Dec. 20.

• Game that should be spent watching a lousy bowl game: North Carolina A&T on Nov. 22.

• By the time Christmas rolls around, I will be able to put the capitals and apostrophes in Tre’Von Willis’ name in their proper places without checking the media guide.

• By the time Christmas rolls around, the operator of the new end zone scoreboards at the Thomas & Mack Center will be able to get the numbers lined up correctly. But what happened to the players’ names? The old end zone scoreboards were better. These new ones look like they came from the old gym at Bishop Gorman.

• The next time Wink Adams gets a technical, he’ll get his money’s worth. But his mom won’t like it.

• The composite line of UNLV centers Darris Santee, Beas Hamga and Brice Massamba against Louisville: 5 points, 10 rebounds, 15 fouls.

• Of the three, Santee will be the most consistent.

• Of the three, Hamga will be most likely to swing for the fences, as one of my colleagues puts it, after blocking a shot.

• Of the three, Massamba will be most likely to squash Utah’s Luke Nevill like a grape.

• Joe Darger’s bruises from last year will finally heal because he won’t have to guard so many big guys.

• The Rebels’ big guys won’t evolve into the Triple Towers — or even Gaston Essengue and Joel Anthony — before the end of the season. But after last year, it’s sure going to be nice to have some wide bodies in the mix.

• Wink Adams is gonna be so good that The Mtn.’s Marty Fletcher will come up with three more silly nicknames to describe his game.

• Rene Rougeau, the former walk-on, will continue to impress and amaze with his work ethic — and his blogging skills.

• At the end of the day, Kendall Wallace will evolve into a valuable role player who can come off the bench and bust a zone. If the end of the day happens this year, so much the better.

• Kevin Kruger is going to become the Steve Nash of the Bulgarian pro league. They’ll probably bestow him with a cool nickname over there, like the Balkan Bomber.

• At some point, Kevin Kruger’s old man will put four guards and Rougeau on the floor and run circles around the opposition.

• At some point, the wife of BYU’s Lee Cummard will smack somebody upside the head.

• At some point, maybe in February at Wyoming, there’s going to be a snow storm or the wind’s going to blow real hard and The Mtn.’s going to get knocked off the air like Howard Beale in “Network.” And then Rebel fans will long for Big Monday on ESPN.

• I don’t know when it’s going to happen, only that it will happen: the Scandinavian-raised Massamba will shoot an air ball, and somebody in the media — probably Marty Fletcher — will call it a Swedish meatball.

• Must see TV: The Tim Miles Show. As they used to say on “Seinfeld,” the Colorado State coach is a funny ... uh, well, you’ll have to ask Kramer, because this is a family-owned newspaper.

• Those black security barriers that were used to keep fans from running onto the court after last year’s Mountain West championship game at the Thomas & Mack Center will be used to start a bonfire.

• Colorado State will upset somebody in the Mountain West tournament.

• Air Force won’t.

• TCU will be a little better, but nobody will notice.

• The Rebels will run the table at the Mountain West tournament — and New Mexico coach Steve Alford will complain about it until he’s red in the sports jacket.

• The NCAA will send the Rebels to Boise instead of Omaha this year, where the first- and second-round games will be played at Taco Bell Arena. And then somebody in the media — probably Marty Fletcher — will refer to a 10-0 UNLV surge as a “run for the border.”

• UNLV will beat an overrated Big Ten team in the first round — and lose to an underrated West Coast Conference team in the second round to finish — see above — 27-8. It will have been another outstanding season, setting the table for the ones to come.

• But I’m still gonna miss Curtis Terry.

Discussion: 12 comments so far…

By Lenny_V

11/14/08 at 5:05 a.m.

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What were the Washburn players saying about our point guards?
By Jeff

11/14/08 at 7:26 a.m.

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"Their coach was yelling at them," McNeill said. "Everything was discombobulated for them. They learned that even though we're Division II, they shouldn't have an opinion on us.

"They learned a lot. Oh yeah, we really shook 'em. They were kind of scared."

...

McNeill was asked about both of UNLV's point guards.

"Personally, they were kind of shaky," he said. "Whenever we ball-pressured them really well, they hurried to get the ball out of their hands. For Division I, they're OK."
By Jeff

11/14/08 at 7:27 a.m.

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Swedish meatball....... LOL.
By Jen3321

11/14/08 at 12:34 p.m.

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People give Curtis Terry too much credit. When he was having an "on" night, yes, he could score. But he was always so sloppy and out of control. I will not miss him for one second!
By Grayback4Life

11/14/08 at 12:57 p.m.

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I like the modest prediction -- under promise, and over deliver...
By williamtomany1

11/14/08 at 2:04 p.m.

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I wish the Rebels well this season except when they play The real University of Nevada in Reno at The Lawler Events Center
By Rebels1990

11/14/08 at 2:30 p.m.

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Hey insecure guy from up north williamtomany1:

Is that kind of like how Ohio University is the REAL Ohio State University because its older than THE Ohio State University?

UNLV is turning Nevada-Reno into an afterthought in higher education.

Deal with it.
By jkw2004

11/14/08 at 2:30 p.m.

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Hey Jen, UNLV doesn't get 2nd in the conference, win the MWC tourny or make it to the NCAA tourny without Terry. Like him or not the guy hit big shots, played good D, and dished out a lot of assists. Trust me, his wild passes and shots will seem like nothing compared to what Tre will go through learning to be a point guard in college ball. I do think that Tre could become a better point guard than Terry, just don't expect it at the beginning of the season.
By FastCamron

11/14/08 at 3:03 p.m.

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That's pretty cool talk from a guy (McNeill) that just got beat by 18.
By couev

11/15/08 at 1:08 a.m.

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Curtis Terry was a vocal leader who really became an important cog to both of our NCAA tournament teams. But he took some time to acclimate to his role at the point guard last year too.

But saying he played good defense is a bit of a stretch. He was serviceable but lacked lateral quickness and on-ball savvy...Curtis was a great offensive player his senior year, he hit huge shots over and over for us, however, nobody would confuse him with Marcus Lawrence, Wink Adams, or Corey Bailey in the on-ball defender department
By jkw2004

11/15/08 at 2:09 p.m.

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Ok...average to above average.
By jkw2004

11/15/08 at 5:32 p.m.

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If Oscar plays like that we won't miss Terry.