Meet the newcomers: UNLV basketball roster projection 2.0 (2024)

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, June 4, 2024 | 2 a.m.

The transfer portal has closed and incoming recruits have signed their letters of intent, which means the UNLV basketball roster is set for the 2024-25 season.

The final tally has six returners forming the core of next year’s team, with seven newcomers filling in the gaps. The incoming group is made up two high-school recruits, a juco signee and four Division-I transfers, and with all 13 players accounted for, head coach Kevin Kruger believes there’s enough talent on hand to compete at the top of the Mountain West.

Now that the roster is locked in, this is a good time to check in with the second of four UNLV roster projections. (Version 3.0 will come after I’ve had a chance to do video breakdowns of all the newcomers, and 4.0 will come after watching preseason practice; you can read version 1.0 here.)

STARTING LINEUP

Guard: D.J. Thomas, sophom*ore

Does Thomas enter the season as the favorite for Mountain West Player of the Year? If not, he’s right up there with the top contenders after averaging 13.6 points and 5.1 assists per game as a freshman. He was also one of the best clutch performers in the conference, leading UNLV to several victories via late heroics. Retaining Thomas was the No. 1 offseason priority for the coaching staff, and keeping him in Scarlet and Gray was a huge win for the program.

Guard: Jailen Bedford, senior

UNLV needed to come out of portal season with immediate wing production, and Bedford should provide that. The 6-foot-4 guard spent his first two years at the junior college level, then played last season at Oral Roberts, where he started all 31 games and posted 14.6 points per game while shooting 37.3% from 3-point range. The jump from the Summit League to the Mountain West is significant (see David Jenkins), but Bedford appears to be a starter-caliber player.

Wing: Jaden Henley, junior

Henley has the measurables to make him the frontrunner for this position. The 6-foot-7 swingman started at DePaul as a sophom*ore last year and averaged 8.6 points and 2.7 rebounds, and though the team went 3-29, dropping down a level from the Big East to the MWC should make his life easier. When it comes to the transfer portal, Kruger and his staff have done well scouting underused wings from power conferences; Henley could be next in line.

Forward: Jalen Hill, senior

Hill was officially granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA, but his spot in the starting lineup is health-dependent. He tore his ACL in January and is still working his way back, so it’s too early to tell if he’ll be full speed in time for opening night or if he’ll need some runway during the season. If he’s recovered and ready to play, it’s difficult to imagine him not starting.

Center: Rob Whaley, senior

Is Kruger willing to go into 2024-25 with a 6-foot-7 starting center? When Kalib Boone suffered an ankle injury late in the season, Whaley shifted from power forward to center and played well down the stretch, and he’s got a good post-scoring arsenal. The question is whether UNLV loses rebounding or rim protection by going small here on a full-time basis. Whaley is a good, tough player, though, and more of a known quantity than the other options at this position.

SIXTH MAN

Guard: Brooklyn Hicks, sophom*ore

Hicks had a nice 10-game run spanning the midway point of the Mountain West season, when he averaged 19.1 minutes and 4.3 points off the bench while helping UNLV go 8-2 to get back in the conference race. The rest of his freshman campaign was more of a learning experience. Hicks should be ready for a bigger role next season.

BENCH (rotation)

Guard: Jace Whiting, junior

UNLV is parched for outside shooting, and Whiting is a proven 3-point specialist with Mountain West experience after making 39.7% of his 3’s over the past two years at Boise State. If he can handle the ball reliably enough to serve as the backup point guard, he could be a significant backcourt piece.

Forward: Jacob Bannarbie, freshman

Kruger is high on Bannarbie. A 6-foot-9 forward, Bannarbie redshirted last year but seemed to hold his own against UNLV’s big bodies on the practice court.

Center: Jeremiah Cherry, junior

If Kruger wants to play a true center, Cherry is probably the logical option. He averaged 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds at the juco level last year, and at 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, he has the size to make his presence felt around the basket. It took Whaley some time to adjust to Division I basketball after making the leap from junior college; Cherry might require a similar acclimation period.

BENCH (depth)

Guard: James Evans, freshman

By all accounts, Evans is an intriguing prospect. He was a top 20 player in California for the Class of 2024 and appears to have a body that is physically ready for the college level at a well-defined 6-foot-6, but there are a lot of veterans at the wing position on the depth chart. If Evans plays his way into a bigger role as the season goes on, that will be a good thing for UNLV.

Wing: Julian Rishwain, senior

Rishwain is a career 35.7% 3-point shooter across five college seasons at three different schools. He’s coming to UNLV after injuries limited him to eight games at Florida last year. His playing time could very well be directly tied to his 3-point accuracy this season.

Center: Pape N’Diaye, freshman

It’s hard to imagine a true freshman logging serious minutes at center for a Mountain West contender, so although N’Diaye is a 7-footer who was rated No. 21 at his position in the Class of 2024, as of now this looks like a developmental year for him.

Center: Isaiah Cottrell, senior

Cottrell has yet to carve out a regular rotation spot in two years since arriving at UNLV, but it’s nice to have a player with his size and experience as a depth option.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [emailprotected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.