Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Takeaways: Menzies needs to pump up recruits
With season lost, attention turns to who Menzies plans to bring in
Three takeaways from the UNLV basketball team’s 7674 loss to San Jose State on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center:
1. MENZIES NEEDS TO CHANGE NARRATIVE
Rebels coach Marvin Menzies did his weekly TV show after his postgame news conference rather than wait until Sunday, as is the custom, because he had to leave on a recruiting trip.
That’s the kind of news fans want to hear, what with this disaster of a season unfolding before their eyes. UNLV has tied the program record for most losses in a season (16), and the conversation has got to be about the future because the present is too depressing for UNLV supporters.
And if Menzies can start making recruiting news, that will begin to get fans excited again. His approach is to be as quiet as possible regarding recruiting news so that opponents don’t get an advantage into what UNLV is doing, but it also has the effect of not creating a buzz around the program.
Right now, fans don’t have a tangible reason to be excited about the future. Recruiting news not only would change that but also might lead to top prospects giving UNLV a serious look.
2. NO PERFECT DECISION ON CALLING TIMEOUT
Coaches have different opinions on whether to call a timeout to set up a final play, and both approaches work.
Menzies didn’t call a timeout to set up the final play against San Jose State because he thought his team could catch the Spartans on their heels and create an advantageous situation.
“We knew we had time to get out and go, but we didn’t go at the pace I wanted to,” Menzies said. “It was kind of a slow game instead of a speed game. We got over half(court), and it was like they were dumbfounded.”
Jovan Mooring missed a rushed runner at the buzzer.
3. GOOD MOORING/BAD MOORING
Mooring is UNLV’s most dynamic player, and he can be exciting and maddening to watch — in the same game.
That played out against the Spartans, with Mooring driving for three successive layups late in the game to bring UNLV within a point. But two minutes later, he aggressively chased down a loose ball on the other side of the court and committed a foul with one second left on the shot clock.
“Even if the kid catches the ball, he’s got to heave a shot with one second from three-quarters court,” Menzies said. “(Mooring) is just playing hard. That’s where it starts, and he did a good job of giving us a lot of minutes (38).”
Then in the final minute, Mooring delivered a terrific pass to Tyrell Green, who made a 3-pointer to tie the score at 74. At the end, though, Mooring didn’t handle the final possession and was forced to take a quick shot. Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.