2015–16 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team
The 2015–16 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Runnin' Rebels were led by fifth year head coach Dave Rice until he was fired on January 10, 2016.[1] They were then led by interim head coach Todd Simon for the remainder of the season.[2] They played their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 18–15, 8–10 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They defeated Air Force to advance to the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament where they lost to Fresno State.
2015–16 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball | |
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Conference | Mountain West Conference |
2015–16 record | 18–15 (8–10 Mountain West) |
Head coach | Dave Rice (fired 1/10/16) Todd Simon (from 1/11/16) |
Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | Thomas & Mack Center |
2015–16 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Diego State | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 28 | – | 10 | .737 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fresno State † | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 25 | – | 10 | .714 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boise State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nevada | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 24 | – | 14 | .632 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Mexico | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colorado State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 18 | – | 16 | .529 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNLV | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Utah State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 16 | – | 15 | .516 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wyoming | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 14 | – | 18 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Air Force | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 14 | – | 18 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Jose State | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 9 | – | 22 | .290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2016 MWC Tournament winner |
On March 28, the school announced that Chris Beard had been hired as head coach.[3] However, less than three weeks later, Beard left UNLV to accept the head coaching position at Texas Tech.[4] On April 16, the school hired Marvin Menzies as head coach.[5]
Previous season
The 2014–15 Runnin' Rebels finished the season with an overall record of 18–15, and 8–10 in conference play. The Runnin' Rebels defeated Nevada in the First round of the Mountain West Tournament, before losing to San Diego State in the Quarterfinals.[6]
Departures
Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rashad Vaughn | 1 | G | 6'6" | 210 | Freshman | Golden Valley, MN | Declared for 2015 NBA draft[7] |
Christian Wood | 5 | F | 6'11" | 220 | Sophomore | Long Beach, CA | Declared for 2015 NBA draft[8] |
Barry Cheaney | 12 | G | 6'1" | 165 | RS Junior | Corona, CA | Walk-on; didn't return |
Jelan Kendrick | 22 | G | 6'6" | 210 | RS Senior | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |
Dantley Walker | 30 | G | 5'11" | 170 | RS Freshman | Panaca, NV | Transferred to Chaminade |
Charles Rushman | 33 | G | 6'3" | 185 | RS Junior | Oconomowoc, WI | Transferred to Lindenwood |
Cody Doolin | 45 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Senior | Austin, TX | Graduated |
Incoming transfers
Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ike Nwamu | 0 | G | 6'5" | 205 | RS Senior | Greensboro, NC | Graduate transfer from Mercer University. Will be eligible to play immediately since Nwamu graduated from Mercer. |
Tyrell Bellot–Green | 12 | F | 6'7" | Junior | Toronto, ON | Junior college transfer from Hill College. | |
Chris Obekpa | 34 | F/C | 6'10" | 236 | Senior | Makurdi, Nigeria | Transferred from St. John's. Under NCAA transfer rules, Obekpa will have to sit out in the 2015–16 season. Will have one year of eligibility left. |
2015 Recruiting class
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Jaylen Poyser #64 SG |
Malton, Ontario | Athlete Institute Basketball Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 2, 2014 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: | ||||||
Derrick Jones #3 SF |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Archbishop John Carroll High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 13, 2014 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: | ||||||
Stephen Zimmerman #5 C |
Las Vegas, Nevada | Bishop Gorman High School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Apr 16, 2015 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
2015–16 UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
- Nov. 27, 2015 – Sophomore Goodluck Okonoboh asked for his release and will transfer.[9]
- Feb. 8, 2016 – Freshman Stephen Zimmerman Jr. out indefinitely due to a left knee injury.[10] Returned Feb. 27 game against Wyoming.
* Ike Nwamu wore #0 until February 6 when he changed to #34 to honor former Mercer teammate Jibri Bryan who was murdered on February 2.
Schedule
Date time, TV |
Opponent | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | |||||||
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Exhibition | |||||||||||
11/06/2015* 7:00 PM |
Whittier | W 94–57 | Thomas & Mack Center (10,232) Paradise, NV | ||||||||
Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
11/13/2015* 7:00 PM |
Cal Poly Maui Invitational Opening Round |
W 74–72 | 1–0 |
Thomas & Mack Center (12,201) Paradise, NV | |||||||
11/16/2015* 7:00 PM |
New Mexico Highlands | W 107–45 | 2–0 |
Thomas & Mack Center (9,961) Paradise, NV | |||||||
11/18/2015* 7:30 PM |
Southern Utah | W 84–64 | 3–0 |
Thomas & Mack Center (10,824) Paradise, NV | |||||||
11/23/2015* 8:30 PM, ESPN2 |
vs. UCLA Maui Invitational Quarterfinals |
L 75–77 | 3–1 |
Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI | |||||||
11/24/2015* 1:30 PM, ESPN2 |
vs. Chaminade Maui Invitational 2nd Round Consolation |
W 93–73 | 4–1 |
Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI | |||||||
11/25/2015* 2:00 PM, ESPN2 |
vs. No. 13 Indiana Maui Invitational 5th Place Game |
W 72–69 | 5–1 |
Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI | |||||||
11/28/2015* 7:00 PM |
Prairie View A&M | W 80–62 | 6–1 |
Thomas & Mack Center (10,858) Paradise, NV | |||||||
12/04/2015* 8:00 PM, ESPN2 |
vs. No. 15 Oregon MGM Grand Showcase |
W 80–69 | 7–1 |
MGM Grand Garden Arena (12,117) Paradise, NV | |||||||
12/09/2015* 6:00 PM, ESPN2 |
at Wichita State MW–MVC Challenge |
L 50–56 | 7–2 |
Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS | |||||||
12/12/2015* 7:00 PM |
at UC Riverside | W 73–62 | 8–2 |
Student Recreation Center (1,772) Riverside, CA | |||||||
12/16/2015* 7:00 PM, CBSSN |
Arizona State | L 56–66 | 8–3 |
Thomas & Mack Center (13,014) Paradise, NV | |||||||
12/19/2015* 5:30 PM, ESPN2 |
at No. 13 Arizona | L 70–82 | 8–4 |
McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||||||
12/22/2015* 7:00 PM |
South Dakota | W 103–68 | 9–4 |
Thomas & Mack Center (11,990) Paradise, NV | |||||||
Mountain West regular season | |||||||||||
12/30/2015 7:00 PM, ESPN3 |
Fresno State | L 66–69 | 9–5 (0–1) |
Thomas & Mack Center (12,220) Paradise, NV | |||||||
01/06/2016 7:00 PM, CBSSN |
at Colorado State | L 65–66 | 9–6 (0–2) |
Moby Arena (3,431) Fort Collins, CO | |||||||
01/09/2016 3:00 PM, CBSSN |
at Wyoming | L 57–59 | 9–7 (0–3) |
Arena-Auditorium (5,485) Laramie, WY | |||||||
01/13/2016 7:00 PM, CBSSN |
New Mexico | W 86–74 | 10–7 (1–3) |
Thomas & Mack Center (11,377) Paradise, NV | |||||||
01/16/2016 7:00 PM, ESPN3 |
Air Force | W 100–64 | 11–7 (2–3) |
Thomas & Mack Center (13,198) Paradise, NV | |||||||
01/19/2016 8:00 PM, ESPN3 |
at Utah State | W 80–68 | 12–7 (3–3) |
Smith Spectrum (9,394) Logan, UT | |||||||
01/23/2016 7:00 PM, ESPNU |
at Nevada | L 63–65 | 12–8 (3–4) |
Lawlor Events Center (11,341) Reno, NV | |||||||
01/27/2016 8:00 PM, CBSSN |
Boise State | W 87–77 | 13–8 (4–4) |
Thomas & Mack Center (12,586) Paradise, NV | |||||||
01/30/2016 5:00 PM, CBSSN |
San Diego State | L 52–67 | 13–9 (4–5) |
Thomas & Mack Center (15,243) Paradise, NV | |||||||
02/02/2016 5:00 PM, CBSSN |
at New Mexico | L 83–87 | 13–10 (4–6) |
WisePies Arena (13,359) Albuquerque, NM | |||||||
02/06/2016 4:00 PM, ESPN3 |
at Fresno State | L 104–111 2OT | 13–11 (4–7) |
Save Mart Center (7,754) Fresno, CA | |||||||
02/10/2016 7:00 PM, ESPN3 |
San Jose State | W 64–61 | 14–11 (5–7) |
Thomas & Mack Center (11,647) Paradise, NV | |||||||
02/13/2016 7:00 PM, ESPNU |
Colorado State | W 87–80 | 15–11 (6–7) |
Thomas & Mack Center (11,753) Paradise, NV | |||||||
02/17/2016 6:30 PM, CBSSN |
at Air Force | L 74–79 | 15–12 (6–8) |
Clune Arena (1,445) Colorado Springs, CO | |||||||
02/20/2016 7:00 PM, CBSSN |
Nevada | W 101–92 OT | 16–12 (7–8) |
Thomas & Mack Center (14,640) Paradise, NV | |||||||
02/23/2016 8:00 PM, ESPNU |
at Boise State | L 69–81 | 16–13 (7–9) |
Taco Bell Arena (4,605) Boise, ID | |||||||
02/27/2016 5:00 PM, ESPN3 |
Wyoming | W 79–74 | 17–13 (8–9) |
Thomas & Mack Center (12,412) Paradise, NV | |||||||
03/05/2016 7:00 PM, CBSSN |
at San Diego State | L 56–92 | 17–14 (8–10) |
Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA | |||||||
Mountain West Tournament | |||||||||||
03/09/2016 1:30 PM, MWN |
Air Force First round |
W 108–102 3OT | 18–14 |
Thomas & Mack Center (5,970) Paradise, NV | |||||||
03/10/2016 6:00 PM, CBSSN |
Fresno State Quarterfinals |
L 82–95 | 18–15 |
Thomas & Mack Center (6,325) Paradise, NV | |||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |
References
- Review-Journal, Matt Youmans Las Vegas (2016-01-10). "UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice fired". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14545007/dave-rice-fired-coach-unlv-rebels
- REVIEW-JOURNAL, MARK ANDERSON LAS VEGAS (2016-03-28). "UNLV announces Chris Beard as basketball coach, but his introduction will have to wait". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- "Job hopper: Beard leaves UNLV for Texas Tech". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- "UNLV hires Marvin Menzies as basketball coach after Chris Beard bolts". Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- Ramirez, W.G. "UNLV Falls To San Diego State in MW Quarterfinals, 67-64". UNLVRebels.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- Vecenie, Sam. "UNLV's Rashad Vaughn officially enters draft by signing with agent". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- Youmans, Matt. "UNLV's Wood headed to the NBA". ReviewJournal.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- Manzano, Gilbert. "Goodluck Okonoboh is leaving UNLV". ReviewJournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- Anderson, Mark. "UNLV's Zimmerman Jr. out indefinitely". ReviewJournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc. Retrieved 9 February 2016.