Runnin’ Rebels continue with carefree frame of mind in postseason tournament
Basketball, like all sports, is supposed to be fun. And it’s even more fun when you’re winning.
The UNLV basketball team is learning that lesson, as a pressure-free National Invitation Tournament run has unlocked a joyful style of play and led the Scarlet and Gray to a quarterfinal matchup today against Seton Hall (4 p.m., ESPN2).
The players were all smiles coming off the court after Sunday’s home win against Boston College, and those vibes carried over to Monday’s practice, a brief 45-minute session that saw the team fine-tune its game plan and get some shots up before departing for New Jersey.
UNLV coach Kevin Kruger couldn’t help but notice the mood of his team, which has now won 12 of its past 15 contests.
“They’re playing hard, and they’re having fun with it,” Kruger said. “They know each day is a great opportunity to get a little more work in, another day with everybody and another day to play basketball.”
The Scarlet and Gray played the second half of the season with their backs against the wall, knowing they needed to be near perfect to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. They ultimately fell short of that goal, losing to San Diego State in the Mountain West tournament, but disappointment gave way to merriment when they were selected for the lower-stakes NIT.
Given a chance to exhale, UNLV has rediscovered the joy of ball in NIT victories against Princeton and Boston College.
“The main thing with us in the locker room was just telling everyone to have fun,” freshman guard D.J. Thomas said. “Don’t put any pressure on yourself. If we have fun and just keep playing basketball how we’re playing, everything is going to take care of itself.”
The easygoing attitude was evident in the second half against Boston College. When the game got tight, UNLV responded with a series of big plays to put it away, including a highlight alley-oop dunk by Kalib Boone on a beautiful pass from Thomas.
But it was the team’s only turnover that had the players in stitches on Monday.
After practice, Thomas and junior forward Rob Whaley shared a laugh about an errant pass by senior forward Keylan Boone — the lone giveaway that spoiled a potentially historic zero-turnover effort.
“It was upsetting,” Whaley chuckled, “but from how it happened, I can’t say anything about it because it was hilarious. I was standing right there, and I just watched him throw it right to the guy, and I was like, ‘Good pass, Key.’ ”
True to their newfound sunny disposition, UNLV shrugged off the miscue and Boone came back with a big shot moments later.
“Things like that happen,” Whaley said. “You get back on defense and just get it back. Luckily he got it back for us, he hit the three from the logo.”
Whaley believes that lighthearted-but-serious approach is doing wonders for UNLV as the team continues to extend its first postseason appearance since 2013.
“That’s just how we are,” Whaley said. “We have fun with everything we do. From practice to stretching to film to weights, everything we do is us having fun. But (we’re) locked in. It’s like, we’re locked in first, have fun second.”
Next up for this happy-golucky squad is Seton Hall, the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament and a team that is playing with a chip on its shoulder. After traveling to face Princeton on March 20, UNLV is heading right back to New Jersey for the second time in seven days. Kruger said they’re even booked on the same commercial flight as last week.
Cross-country flights on short notice are generally understood to be a nightmare, but Whaley and his teammates see the bright side.
“There’s nothing better than traveling with your brothers and going on. This is a great group of guys, an interesting group of guys, the most interesting group of guys I’ve ever met, personally. It’s just fun. We’ve had fun with it, even if it’s five hours, 10 hours across the country, we try to have fun with it.”
The winner of today’s game will advance to the NIT Final Four, which is set for next week at a neutral site in Indianapolis. It would be a nice cap to the season, but the Scarlet and Gray aren’t sweating the results.
Play hard, have fun, enjoy the moment. That’s the mantra, and it’s working.
“There’s a lot of teams that wish they could be playing right now,” Thomas said. “So we’re just taking it all in and making the best of it.”