The Rebel Room
TJO-cast
Ray Brewer, Mike Grimala and Case Keefer discuss UNLV's hire of T.J. Otzelberger. What are the expectations? What players can he realistically keep? Will he jump to another job at the first sign of success? All those topics and more are covered.
UNLV’s roster is in flux as new coach T.J. Otzelberger works to retain the current Rebels while also recruiting new additions for the 2019-20 season. Seven UNLV players have already put their names in the NCAA’s transfer portal, and depending on how many return, Otzelberger could have as many as eight open scholarships this offseason — or as few as one. It’s a work in progress.
While most of the nation’s top high-school prospects have committed, there are plenty of ways to fill the spots, either with grad transfers, college transfers, juco prospects or late prep signees. With Otzelberger’s reputation as an elite recruiter, the Rebels could be in the mix for just about anyone.
Less than a week into his tenure, let’s take a look at some players who could become recruiting targets for Otzelberger.
Likely targets
These are the players we know Otzelberger is interested in so far. They are players he has already offered, either when he was at South Dakota State or in the short time he has been at UNLV.
Jonah Antonio, G, South Plains College
The new coach is working fast, because on Saturday — barely 48 hours after Otzelberger’s introductory press conference — Antonio announced that he had been offered a scholarship by UNLV and that the Runnin’ Rebels are in his final three (along with SMU and Seton Hall). The native of Australia started 31 games as a freshman at Mount St. Mary’s and scored 11.3 points while making 33.8 percent from 3-point range. He then transferred to South Plains, where he scored 11.6 points and upped his 3-point accuracy to 40.9 percent (97-of-237) this season. He’s a lengthy (6-foot-5), high-volume shooter who would have two seasons of eligibility remaining, beginning immediately in 2019-20. He also called Otzelberger "one of the best guys I've ever met in America," so the Rebels should have a pretty good chance of landing him.
Caleb Grill, G, Maize (Kan.)
Grill was quite possibly the most heralded recruit in South Dakota State history when Otzelberger originally earned the 6-foot-3 guard’s commitment (beating out schools like Texas Tech, Nebraska and Colorado State). He scored 18.3 points as a senior in high school and finished his career as Maize’s all-time leader in scoring and 3-pointers. He asked for and received a release from his letter of intent on Friday and is open to following Otzelberger to UNLV. If the coach wants him, Grill seems likely to become a Rebel soon.
David Jenkins, G, South Dakota State
At his first UNLV press conference, Otzelberger said he told his former South Dakota State charges to honor their commitments and stay with the Jackrabbits. But Grill de-committed on Friday, and Jenkins followed suit on Monday. Jenkins is a perfect fit in Otzelberger’s offense as he hit 196 3-pointers in his first two years at SDSU, and he made 45.3 percent from deep as a sophomore. He’d have to sit out a year, but he’d have two seasons of eligibility remaining after that to terrorize the Mountain West from beyond the arc. Despite Otzelberger's noble statement at the press conference, no one would blame him for recruiting Jenkins now.
Grad transfer stars
These established college players would be immediately eligible for the 2019-20 season, but the competition for their services will be fierce. Can Otzelberger live up to his recruiting rep by beating out the blue bloods and landing one of these big names?
Daniel Utomi, F, Akron
A 6-foot-6 forward, Utomi can score inside and out. He has made 181 3-pointers over the last two seasons (38.7 percent) and also scored an efficient 0.889 points per possession on post-ups. He averaged 14.2 points and 5.5 rebounds last season and also graded out as a good defender, which is why he is already receiving interest from schools such as UNR, North Carolina and Virginia.
Haanif Cheatham, G, Florida Gulf Coast
A former 4-star recruit, Cheatham played his first three years at Marquette and appeared to be emerging last season at FGCU before a shoulder injury ended his campaign after just 10 games. In that limited time, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 13.2 points on 45.4-percent shooting (36.4 3FG%). When Florida Gulf Coast beat Otzelberger’s South Dakota State squad in November, Cheatham led the way with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting. He’s also a plus defender on the wing.
Rayjon Tucker, G, Little Rock
The super-athletic Tucker may be the single most coveted grad transfer on the market right now. After sitting out a year following his transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, the 6-foot-5 guard posted 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for Little Rock while making 41.1 percent of his 3’s on high volume (5.8 attempts per game). North Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan and a bunch of other high-majors are after him.
Small-school transfer prospects
These players showed enough potential at low-major and mid-major programs to warrant interest from Mountain West-caliber schools. You probably don’t want a roster full of these guys — Otzelberger should be able to recruit players with higher upside — but adding one or two could make UNLV a better team.
Bryce Moore, G, Western Michigan
Moore missed the 2018-19 season with a knee injury and will be eligible immediately as a senior grad transfer. As a junior in 2017-18, he started all 32 games for the Broncos (30.7 minutes) and averaged 9.8 points and 1.5 assists while making 39.0 percent of his 3-pointers (64-of-164). He was an All-MAC defensive selection, too.
Cameron Tyson, G, Idaho
Tyson was a freshman starter at Idaho last year and emerged as a terrific volume shooter in the backcourt, averaging 13.5 points per game. He shot a ton of 3’s (7.7 attempts per game) and made them at a high rate (42.9 percent), and he also made 87.5 percent of his free throws, so the stroke is pure. Tyson is pretty much a shooter only — more than 77 percent of his field-goal attempts were jumpers — but he is elite at it. He’d have to sit out the 2019-20 season, but he’ll have three full years of eligibility after that.
Donnell Gresham, G, Northeastern
In his four years at Northeastern, Gresham never shot lower than 37.9 percent from 3-point range, and he hits the grad-transfer pool as a career 41.3-percent marksman from deep. He’s also a dependable point guard, as he posted 3.1 assists per game last year against 1.3 turnovers. He started 33 games last season and averaged 9.7 points per game, and his solid defense at the point was key in helping Northeastern win the CAA.
Matt Weir, G, Purdue Ft. Wayne
If Otzelberger values familiarity, he may want to take a look at Weir, who graded out as one of the best shooters in the country last year. The 6-foot-1 guard played his first two seasons at Purdue Ft. Wayne, which is a Summit League rival of South Dakota State. Weir made 40.0 percent of his 3’s as a freshman and upped it to 47.3 percent last year; in one meeting against SDSU he scored nine points in 16 minutes, making 4-of-7 from the field and 1-of-3 from 3-point range. Weir made 52.4 percent of his spot-up jumpers last year, which ranked him No. 79 in the entire nation. He played just 20.5 minutes per game for Purdue Ft. Wayne, which may be why he has reportedly put his name in the transfer portal. He’d have to sit a year before playing his final two seasons.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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