Rebels basketball focusing on key recruits for 2018 and beyond

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Clark guard Trey Woodbury (22) splits Bishop Gorman guard Chuck O’Bannon, left, and Bishop Gorman guard Noah Taitz during their state 4A high school championship game at the Cox Pavilion on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017.

Tue, Jul 25, 2017 (2 a.m.)

The Rebel Room

Setting the expectations for UNLV football

Ray Brewer, Mike Grimala and Case Keefer start thinking about football season with the Mountain West Conference coming to town for media days this week. Where does UNLV fit within the conference? Will Armani Rogers prove the Rebels' savior? Is it bowl game or bust in coach Tony Sanchez's third season?

UNLV basketball coach Marvin Menzies far exceeded all expectations with his 2017 recruiting class, bringing in enough talent to set the stage for a complete and immediate program turnaround. The fact that Menzies was able to score so big on the recruiting trail just one year into the job — at least a year or two sooner than anyone expected — has the fan base wondering how he’ll follow it up.

The Rebels are set to have at least two open scholarships in 2018, as senior guards Jovan Mooring and Jordan Johnson will graduate. If freshman center Brandon McCoy declares for the NBA draft, that will open up another spot, and transfers could leave even more holes to fill (UNLV has seen players transfer away in each of the last five seasons). So the 2018 class figures to be an important long-term key to rebuilding the program.

Those circumstances make this a vital moment for the UNLV. July represents the pinnacle of the recruiting cycle, and it all culminates in Las Vegas this week as the Adidas Summer National Championships, the Fab 48, the Bigfoot Hoops Classic and other tournaments embark on the city. The UNLV coaching staff has been on the road for the past three weeks, bouncing across the nation to scout various AAU events, but now all the top prospects will come to their doorstep for the final live recruiting period of the summer.

Who are the key recruits for UNLV? A quick look at some of the Rebels' targets for 2017, 2018 and beyond (and where you can find them this week):

Class of 2017

Matt Mitchell

Menzies said the Rebels were done recruiting for 2017 after they landed McCoy, Amauri Hardy and Shakur Juiston on the same day in April, and the team's crowded roster situation seems to back him up (UNLV already has 14 players for 13 scholarship spots for the 2017-18 season). But Mitchell is an intriguing option who could cause the coaching staff to reconsider. A 6-foot-6 wing player, Mitchell was lightly recruited as a junior and signed a letter of intent to Cal State Fullerton, but after a monster senior year that saw him lead his San Diego high school team to a state championship, he asked for and was granted his release from Fullerton. Now he’s one of the few quality seniors left uncommitted, and though UNLV would have to make scholarship space in order to take him, Mitchell deserves a long look. The Rebels have offered, so this is a situation that bears monitoring.

AAU team: Dream Vision

Schedule: Wednesday, 6:20 p.m. at Cashman Center; Thursday, 12 p.m. at Cashman Center; Thursday, 6:40 p.m. at Cashman Center.

Class of 2018

Bryce Hamilton

The Rebels have made Hamilton a recruiting priority, as the 6-foot-5 shooting guard projects to be a super scorer at the college level. UNLV was one of the first schools to offer him, and Marvin Menzies has myriad connections with the Hamilton family. This situation looks like it's on the front burner.

AAU team: Belmont Shore

Schedule: Thursday, 2:20 p.m. at Bishop Gorman; Friday, 9:40 a.m. at Bishop Gorman; Friday, 7 p.m. at Bishop Gorman.

Trey Woodbury

Woodbury operated just under the radar during his junior season at Clark, but the word is out on the local kid now. He keeps getting better and now looks like he can be an elite all-around guard at the next level, which has drawn scholarship offers from UNLV, USC, Utah State, TCU and others. He took an unofficial visit to UNLV in the winter and is now a top local priority for the Rebels’ staff. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 99 recruit in the nation.

AAU team: Vegas Elite

Schedule: Thursday, 9:40 a.m. at Coronado; Thursday, 7 p.m. at Coronado; Friday, 2:20 p.m. at Coronado.

Noah Locke

Shooting has been an issue for UNLV for most of the past decade, and Locke is the type of player who would help turn that weakness into a strength. The 6-foot-2 combo guard from Maryland made 40 percent of his 3-point shots as a junior last season, and in 16 EYBL games with his AAU team this summer he has upped that to 49.5 percent. Locke is rated as the No. 73 player in 2018 by Rivals.com, and schools such as Kansas, Virginia, Michigan and Notre Dame have offered.

AAU team: Team Melo

Schedule: Wednesday, 5 p.m. at Spring Valley.

Talen Horton-Tucker

After averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds to lead his high school team to a state championship, Horton-Tucker has been even better on the summer circuit, posting 18.2 points and 7.0 rebounds at the Adidas Uprising Gauntlet. The 6-foot-6 small forward would give UNLV size and scoring in the frontcourt. The Rebels have had recent success recruiting from his powerful high school program, Simon Academy in Chicago, as they pulled in Ben Coupet last summer.

AAU team: Mac Irvin Fire

Schedule: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. at Spring Valley

Class of 2019

Josh Green

UNLV may have an intriguing inside track on Green, the No. 28 player in his class, because his older brother, Jay Green, is already on campus and will play for the Rebels as a freshman this season. The younger Green is a 6-foot-6 guard who averaged 18 points per game as a sophomore, and he currently has offers from UNLV, Washington, Utah State and Cal. He is ranked as the No. 28 player in his class by Rivals.com.

AAU team: Earl Watson Elite

Schedule: Thursday, 10:50 a.m. at Desert Oasis; Thursday, 9:20 p.m. at Desert Oasis; Friday, 3:30 p.m. at Desert Oasis.

Rocket Watts

A 6-foot-2 point guard from Michigan, Watts received an offer from UNLV a few weeks ago. He averaged 26.4 points, 5.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game as a high school sophomore, and Rivals.com ranks him as the nation’s No. 65 player in 2019. It will be difficult to pull him out of his home state — Michigan and Michigan State have already offered — but the Rebels recently landed another guard from the Detroit area in freshman Amauri Hardy, so maybe there’s a chance Watts follows in his footsteps.

AAU team: The Family

Schedule: AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, Fla.

Onyeka Okongwu

Okongwu doesn’t get as much attention as his high school teammate at Chino Hills (Calif.), UCLA-bound LaMelo Ball, but basketball insiders understand Okongwu may be the better prospect. At 6-foot-8, he is proving himself to be one of the strongest interior defenders in his class, and schools such as Kansas, Stanford and UCLA have offered.

AAU team: Compton Magic

Schedule: Wednesday, 6:20 p.m. at Cashman Center

Class of 2020

Julian Strawther

Some within the UNLV program believe Strawther is the best prep prospect in Las Vegas, regardless of class. The 6-foot-6 swingman has already collected offers from USC, Washington and Florida State, but the Rebels should be positioned well in his recruitment. In addition to being the hometown team, they’ve already got his big sister on campus — Paris Strawther is a junior forward for the Lady Rebels.

AAU team: Cal United

Schedule: Thursday, 9 p.m. at Liberty; Friday, 2:30 p.m. at Liberty.

Che Evans

Another 6-foot-6 wing, Evans is considered by many to be the top recruit in the Class of 2020. The Baltimore native has already been offered by UNLV, and he seems open to the idea of coming west.

AAU team: Team Melo

Isaiah Cottrell

Cottrell may be the next heralded big man to come out of Bishop Gorman. The 6-foot-7 forward excels on the interior and already has offers from UNLV, Washington, Fresno State and New Mexico.

AAU team: Vegas Elite

Schedule: Thursday, 5:50 p.m. at Palo Verde; Friday, 9:40 a.m. at Palo Verde; Friday, 5:50 p.m. at Palo Verde.

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

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