REBELS KNEW GOING IN MCCOY WAS A ONE-AND-DONE

Anthony Smith (suspended/ dismissed). With three of those scholarships earmarked for incoming high-school recruits Bryce Hamilton, Trey Woodbury and Joel Ntambwe, that leaves one opening still unaccounted for.

The obvious candidate for the final scholarship is senior point guard Noah Robotham. The Akron transfer practiced with UNLV as a redshirt in 201718, but he paid his own way and didn’t take up a scholarship spot. Robotham, a Bishop Gorman product, is projected to play a big role for the Rebels in 2018-19, so it would make sense to put him on scholarship, but that’s not a given.

If Menzies and his staff want to add another player over the offseason — say, another shooter or a big body to help up front — they would either have to convince Robotham to pay his own way again, or nudge another current player to transfer.

The good news is that Mccoy was a one-and-done from the start, so Menzies has had plenty of time to prepare for his departure and plan the next recruiting class accordingly.

Legacy

How will Mccoy be remembered at UNLV? He put up big offensive numbers, struggled defensively, and led the team to modest success on the court. When compared to the history of the UNLV program, his accomplishments are only moderately noteworthy.

But with proper context, Mccoy’s importance becomes more evident. Not too long ago, UNLV was on the verge of irrelevancy, coming off an 11-21 season and with no real prospects for turning the program around. Then Mccoy committed — along with touted prospects like Juiston and Amauri Hardy — and suddenly the Rebels were back in the conversation. After fininshing 2016-17 with an 11-21 record, the Rebels went 20-13 this season.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of college sports, and as Menzies said in a statement, Mccoy’s decision to go to UNLV — even for just one season — made it OK for other talented kids to consider the Rebels as a viable destination.

Menzies can now court elite prospects with a straight face, and that is the single most important factor in UNLV’S rebuilding process.

STEVE MARCUS Noah Robotham (5) drives to the basket against Jordan Johnson (24) during the UNLV basketball Scarlet & Gray Showcase in October. Robotham may be in line to pick up the scholarship left behind with the departure of Brandon Mccoy from the Rebels.