Menzies sees positives in practice-like scrimmage

Coach likes players’ zeal, believes Rebels have gym-rat mentality

There was an opponent on the other side, but in many ways Saturday’s scrimmage at California was just like another UNLV basketball practice.

“I think the biggest thing that you can gain from playing scrimmages over exhibitions is the ability to work with the other coach and work in an environment that’s a little more conducive to teaching while the play is unfolding,” UNLV coach Marvin Menzies said. “So being able to identify blemishes and stop almost like in a practice format and yet still have a gamelike feeling with the officials and going against other competition, I think it’s good and I’d like to do one of those a year along with a regular exhibition game, which we have next week.”

The Rebels will play Alaska Fairbanks in an exhibition Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center and open their season Nov. 11 at home against Florida A&M.

NCAA rules prohibit Menzies from delving into specifics of the scrimmage. As for the preseason in general, he said minor injuries have prevented all the players from practicing together, but nothing was serious.

“But that hasn’t deterred us from learning our team,” Menzies said. “I think we got what I thought we recruited, which is a lot of talent. I’m excited about the prospects of having a better product on the floor. However, there will be a learning curve with all the new faces and the youth on the team, but the (high tempo) style of play will be more conducive with this personnel.

“In any beginning of any year, it seems like the blemishes are a lot more dominant, so we’re going to have to work through those and hopefully get ourselves to be a well-oiled machine by the time we get to conference. We’ve got to get better every single day in practice. I like this team’s zeal for the game, and I feel like the character of our kids is one they have the gym-rat mentality. When you’ve got guys like that, you’ve got a chance.”