Monday marked the first day that UNLV basketball players were able to return to campus, but it’s going to be a gradual process.
Incoming freshman Devin Tillis, for instance, won’t arrive in Las Vegas until Friday, at which point he and his family will self-quarantine in a hotel for two weeks (as mandated by university health guidelines) before he’ll be able to begin working on the court.
In the meantime, Tillis will continue to do what he can to get ready for his first college season. That includes daily weightlifting, sessions with a basketball trainer and some old-fashioned, Rocky-style cardio.
“My apartment complex is five stories, so I try to do stairs workouts, sprints, hops on the steps, stuff like that,” Tillis said. “I’m where I want to be. I’m working out two to three times a day, trying to get as much in as I can. Some of the stuff I do have is a little limited and there’s more stuff I’d be able to do if this quarantine didn’t happen, but I feel I’m still doing a great job staying in shape.”
Tillis, a 6-foot-6 swingman, is expected to bring some outside shooting and intelligent passing to the Rebels, but before he does that he’ll have to clear UNLV’s health and safety protocols. In addition to the self-quarantine, Tillis will have to undergo a COVID-19 test and adhere to social distancing guidelines at all times. No contact is allowed during voluntary workouts, so the players will mostly do individual skill work.
Junior guards Marvin Coleman and David Jenkins and senior center Mbacke Diong have already gone through the protocol and have begun working out on campus.
After months of team meetings conducted via video conference, Tillis is anticipating meeting his fellow Rebels in real life.
“I’m looking forward to getting to pick their brains on the basketball court,” Tillis said. “I’ve really been talking to Marvin. He talks to us all the time, and I talk to him on the side on Snapchat and FaceTime. I’ve gotten to know him really well, and I’m excited to be out there and meet him in person.”
While the Los Angeles native may not be known as an elite physical specimen (he was unranked by most recruiting sites), Tillis believes the combination of his mental approach to the game and his offseason workouts will allow him to make an impact in 2020-21.
“As a player I feel like my IQ is very strong. I’m good at reading screens, playing that positionless basketball that coach T.J. has implemented in his offense. I can shoot the 3 well, and I’m getting better at being in the paint.
“People usually say on defense I struggle, but honestly I feel like I’ve become way better at that,” Tillis continued. “Reading angles, knowing how to stop the ball-handler. When I come up there you guys will be surprised with how defensively sound I am.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy