2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team

The 2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Runnin' Rebels were led by first-year head coach Kevin Kruger and played their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 18–14, 10–8 in MWC play to finish in fifth place. They lost to Wyoming in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament. They failed to receive an invite to a postseason tournament.^[1]

2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
Conference	Mountain West Conference
Record	18–14 (10–8 MW)
Head coach	Kevin Kruger (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Carlin Hartman Tim Buckley Brandon Chappell
Home arena	Thomas & Mack Center
Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →

2021–22 Mountain West Conference
men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 23 Boise State †	15	–	3		.833			27	–	8		.771
No. 24 Colorado State	14	–	4		.778			25	–	6		.806
San Diego State	13	–	4		.765			23	–	9		.719
Wyoming	13	–	5		.722			25	–	9		.735
UNLV	10	–	8		.556			18	–	14		.563
Fresno State	8	–	9		.471			23	–	13		.639
Utah State	8	–	10		.444			18	–	16		.529
Nevada	6	–	12		.333			13	–	18		.419
New Mexico	5	–	12		.294			13	–	19		.406
Air Force	4	–	13		.235			11	–	18		.379
San Jose State	1	–	17		.056			8	–	23		.258
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Runnin' Rebels finished the 2020–21 season 12–15, 12–6 in Mountain West play to finish in seventh place. They defeated Air Force in the first round of the Mountain West tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Utah State.

On March 18, 2021, head coach T. J. Otzelberger left UNLV after two seasons for the Iowa State head coaching job.^[2] On March 21, the school announced that assistant coach Kevin Kruger would be promoted to the head coaching position.^[3]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Donovan Yap	0	G	6'3"	175	Freshman	Las Vegas, NV	Transferred to Fresno State
Moses Wood	1	F	6'8"	210	RS Sophomore	Reno, NV	Transferred to Portland
Caleb Grill	3	G	6'3"	195	Sophomore	Wichita, KS	Transferred to Iowa State
David Jenkins Jr.	5	G	6'2"	195	RS Junior	Tacoma, WA	Graduate transferred from Utah
Edoardo Del Cadia	10	F	6'7"	235	Junior	Senigallia, Italy	Transferred to Nicholls
Jhaylon Martinez	12	C	6'11"	260	Freshman	Vallejo, CA	Transferred to UC Riverside
Issac Lindsey	14	G	6'4"	190	Freshman	Mineral Point, WI	Walk-on; transferred to Wisconsin
Nick Blake	22	G	6'6"	220	Freshman	Las Vegas, NV	Transferred to Pacific
Kendrick Gilbert	24	F	6'5"	190	Freshman	Las Vegas, NV	Walk-on; no long on team roster
Devin Tillis	30	F	6'6"	215	Freshman	Los Angeles, CA	Transferred to UC Irvine
Cheikh Mbacke Diong	34	F	6'11"	220	Senior	Dakar, Senegal	Graduate transferred to UCF

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Victor Iwuakor	0	F	6'7"	223	Junior	Abuja, Nigeria	Transferred from Oklahoma. Under NCAA transfer rules, Iwuakor will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Mike Nuga	1	G	6'2"	180	GS Senior	Toronto, ON	Transferred from Kent State. Will be eligible to play immediately since Nuga graduated from Kent State.
Justin Webster	2	G	6'3"	180	Junior	Dallas, TX	Transferred from Hawaii. Under NCAA transfer rules, Webster will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Donovan Williams	3	G	6’6”	190	Junior	Houston, TX	Transferred from Texas. Under NCAA transfer rules, Williams will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Jordan McCabe	5	G	6'0"	188	Senior	Kaukauna, WI	Transferred from West Virginia. Will be eligible to play immediately since McCabe graduated from West Virginia.
David Muoka	12	C	6'10"	211	Junior	Hong Kong	Transferred from Lamar. Under NCAA transfer rules, Muoka will have to sit out for the 2021–22 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Royce Hamm Jr.	13	F	6'9"	225	GS Senior	Houston, TX	Transferred from Texas. Will be eligible to play immediately since Hamm Jr. graduated from Texas.
Josh Baker	22	G	6'2"	169	Junior	Tempe, AZ	Junior college transferred from Hutchinson CC.
James Hampshire	30	C	7'1"	242	GS Senior	Flagstaff, AZ	Transferred from Pacific. Will be eligible to play immediately since Hampshire graduated from Pacific.

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Keshon Gilbert PG	Las Vegas, NV	Durango High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sep 7, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 UNLV Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.

Roster

2021–22 UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Victor Iwuakor   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Oklahoma Abuja, Nigeria G 1 Michael Nuga 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Kent State Toronto ON G 2 Justin Webster   6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Hawaii Dallas, TX G 3 Donovan Williams   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Texas Houston, TX G 5 Jordan McCabe 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr West Virginia Kaukauna, WI G 10 Keshon Gilbert 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Vashon HS Las Vegas, NV C 12 David Muoka   6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Lamar Hong Kong G 13 Bryce Hamilton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Pasadena HS Pasadena, CA F 14 Royce Hamm Jr. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS Texas Houston, TX F 15 Reece Brown 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Loomis Chaffee School Albany, NY G 22 Josh Baker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Hutchinson CC Tempe, AZ G 24 Trey Hurlburt (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Cal State San Marcos Las Vegas, NV C 30 James Hampshire 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 240 lb (109 kg) GS Pacific Flagstaff, AZ G 31 Marvin Coleman (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Foothill HS Las Vegas, NV	Head coach Kevin Kruger (UNLV) Assistant coach(es) Tim Buckley (Bemidji State) Carlin Hartman (Tulane) Brandon Chappell (Lamar) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2021* 7:00 p.m.		Gardner–Webb	W 64–58	1–0	22 – Hamilton	17 – Hamm Jr.	3 – Baker	Thomas & Mack Center (4,962) Paradise, NV
November 13, 2021* 5:00 p.m., Stadium		California	W 55–52	2–0	12 – Hamilton	7 – Hamm Jr.	3 – Tied	Thomas & Mack Center (4,937) Paradise, NV
November 15, 2021* 7:00 p.m., YurView		North Dakota State Roman Main Event Campus-Site Game	W 64–62	3–0	17 – Hamilton	17 – Hamm Jr.	4 – Coleman	Thomas & Mack Center (4,381) Paradise, NV
November 19, 2021* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2		vs. No. 4 Michigan Roman Main Event Semifinals	L 61–74	3–1	21 – Hamilton	10 – Hamm Jr.	5 – McCabe	T-Mobile Arena  Paradise, NV
November 21, 2021* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2		vs. Wichita State Roman Main Event Consolation – 3rd Place	L 73–74	3–2	18 – Hamilton	11 – Hamm Jr.	8 – McCabe	T-Mobile Arena (8,624) Paradise, NV
November 24, 2021* 6:30 p.m.		Whittier	W 101–45	4–2	17 – Webster	9 – Coleman	5 – Webster	Thomas & Mack Center (4,288) Paradise, NV
November 27, 2021* 2:00 p.m., Stadium		No. 2 UCLA	L 51–73	4–3	18 – Hamilton	4 – Tied	5 – McCabe	Thomas & Mack Center (6,392) Paradise, NV
December 1, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+		at SMU	L 64–83	4–4	13 – Hamm Jr.	10 – Hamm Jr.	5 – McCabe	Moody Coliseum (3,399) Dallas, TX
December 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m.		at San Francisco	L 62–83	4–5	23 – Hamilton	5 – Hamilton	4 – Gilbert	War Memorial Gymnasium (1,327) San Francisco, CA
December 8, 2021* 7:00 p.m.		vs. Seattle UNLV at the Mandalay Bay	W 76–56	5–5	21 – Nuga	14 – Hamm Jr.	8 – Nuga	Michelob Ultra Arena (637) Paradise, NV
December 11, 2021* 7:00 p.m.		vs. Hartford UNLV at the Mandalay Bay	W 95–78	6–5	33 – Hamilton	7 – Hamm Jr.	11 – McCabe	Michelob Ultra Arena (3,257) Paradise, NV
December 15, 2021* 7:00 p.m., YurView		Omaha	W 84–71	7–5	26 – Hamilton	12 – Hamm Jr.	5 – Tied	Thomas & Mack Center (4,345) Paradise, NV
December 22, 2021* 7:00 p.m., YurView		San Diego	W 80–57	8–5	20 – Tied	10 – Hamm Jr.	7 – McCabe	Thomas & Mack Center (4,377) Paradise, NV
Mountain West regular season
January 1, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS		San Diego State	L 55–62	8–6 (0–1)	16 – Williams	14 – Hamm Jr.	5 – McCabe	Thomas & Mack Center (5,082) Paradise, NV
January 11, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		New Mexico	W 85–56	9–6 (1–1)	29 – Williams	13 – Hamm Jr.	5 – McCabe	Thomas & Mack Center (3,860) Paradise, NV
January 14, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1		Fresno State	L 68–73	9–7 (1–2)	24 – Hamilton	8 – Hamm Jr.	3 – McCabe	Thomas & Mack Center (4,976) Paradise, NV
January 17, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at San José State Rescheduled from January 5	W 81–56	10–7 (2–2)	20 – Williams	9 – Muoka	5 – McCabe	Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,182) San Jose, CA
January 20, 2022 6:00 p.m., Mountain West Network		at Air Force Rescheduled from January 8	L 62–69	10–8 (2–3)	32 – Hamilton	9 – Hamm Jr.	2 – Tied	Clune Arena (934) Colorado Springs, CO
January 22, 2022 12:00 p.m., Stadium		San José State	W 70–62	11–8 (3–3)	30 – Hamilton	14 – Hamm Jr.	4 – Gilbert	Thomas & Mack Center (4,466) Paradise, NV
January 24, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at San Diego State Originally scheduled for Jan. 18	L 55–80	11–9 (3–4)	23 – Hamilton	8 – Muoka	5 – McCabe	Viejas Arena (10,528) San Diego, CA
January 28, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1		at Colorado State	W 88–74	12–9 (4–4)	45 – Hamilton	7 – Hamilton	5 – Tied	Moby Arena (8,083) Fort Collins, CO
February 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1		Nevada Battle for Nevada	W 69–58	13–9 (5–4)	17 – Tied	8 – Hamm Jr.	5 – Nuga	Thomas & Mack Center (6,670) Paradise, NV
February 5, 2022 4:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Utah State	L 75–90	13–10 (5–5)	33 – Hamilton	5 – Tied	8 – McCabe	Smith Spectrum (9,029) Logan, UT
February 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., MW Network		Air Force	W 78–44	14–10 (6–5)	24 – Hamilton	16 – Hamm, Jr.	10 – McCabe	Thomas & Mack Center (5,312) Paradise, NV
February 11, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1		at Boise State	L 63–69	14–11 (6–6)	32 – Hamilton	7 – Hamm, Jr.	6 – McCabe	ExtraMile Arena (7,660) Boise, ID
February 16, 2022 7:30 p.m., CBSSN		at Fresno State	W 60–57	15–11 (7–6)	17 – Hamilton	8 – Muoka	4 – Hamilton	Save Mart Center (4,723) Fresno, CA
February 19, 2022 5:00 p.m., CBSSN		Colorado State	W 72–51	16–11 (8–6)	20 – Hamilton	12 – Hamm Jr.	4 – Hamilton	Thomas & Mack Center (6,153) Paradise, NV
February 22, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Nevada Battle for Nevada	W 62–54	17–11 (9–6)	27 – Hamilton	12 – Hamm Jr.	7 – McCabe	Lawlor Events Center (9,148) Reno, NV
February 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Boise State	L 76–86	17–12 (9–7)	25 – Hamilton	7 – Muoka	5 – McCabe	Thomas & Mack Center (7,176) Paradise, NV
March 2, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1		Wyoming	W 64–57	18–12 (10–7)	17 – Hamm Jr.	10 – Hamm Jr.	4 – Hamilton	Thomas & Mack Center (6,204) Paradise, NV
March 5, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1		at New Mexico	L 67–76	18–13 (10–8)	28 – Hamilton	10 – Hamm, Jr.	7 – McCabe	The Pit (9,404) Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West tournament
March 10, 2022 2:30 p.m., CBSSN	(5)	(4) Wyoming Quarterfinals	L 56–59	18–14	22 – Hamilton	7 – Tied	3 – Hamilton	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time.

Source^[4]

References

1. "UNLV ends season with promise despite missing out on NIT". Las Vegas Review-Journal. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
2. Hines, Travis (March 18, 2021). "Iowa State hires UNLV's T.J. Otzelberger to replace Steve Prohm as Cyclones basketball coach". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
3. "Kevin Kruger Named New Men's Basketball Head Coach". UNLV Athletics. March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
4. "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule". unlvrebels.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.