UNLV has fielded a Division-I basketball team for 51 years, and there's no question the 2010s have represented the worst decade in program history. The Runnin' Rebels have gone 196-133 since the calendar flipped 10 years ago, with only four appearances in the NCAA tournament (none since 2013) and zero tourney wins to show for it. That's not the level of success UNLV fans expect.
But there have been positives as well, as some pretty special players have come through the program during that time. They might not have achieved as much as previous all-timers, but their performances are worth celebrating with the Las Vegas Sun's All-Decade team.
One thing this All-Decade exercise spotlights is the amount of turnover the program has been through over the last 10 years, with coaches and players churning through at breakneck pace. Only three players stayed all four years (guards Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins and center Carlos Lopez-Sosa), and Dave Rice was the longest-tenured coach despite being dismissed midway through his fifth year. That has resulted in an All-Decade squad that features a couple of two-year players and a one-and-done Rebel.
For the purposes of this list, the decade begins midway through the 2009-10 season and runs through this season. Anyone who played for the Rebels during that time was considered.
PLAYER OF THE DECADE
Guard — Patrick McCaw — 2014-16
McCaw came to UNLV as an unheralded recruit at a time when it seemed like every UNLV recruit was very heralded. The lanky, soft-spoken St. Louis native was a zero-star prospect, according to most recruiting sites, but it became apparent very quickly that the Rebels had a diamond in the rough as he flashed impressive shooting touch and defensive instincts during preseason practices.
By the end of his freshman year he had earned a starting role, and he finished the 2014-15 campaign with 12 double-digit scoring performances and three 20-point games. As a sophomore McCaw shifted between point guard and shooting guard and averaged 14.7 points and 3.9 assists while playing some of the best perimeter defense the Mountain West has seen this decade (2.5 steals per game).
Turmoil in the program may have played a part in cutting short his time at UNLV. Rice was fired midway through McCaw's sophomore campaign, and with some draft buzz building, McCaw turned pro after the season. The Golden State Warriors acquired his rights in the second round of the NBA draft and McCaw has gone on to win NBA championships in each of his first three years in the league (two with Golden State and last year with Toronto).
It speaks to the downturn UNLV basketball has taken this decade that a two-year player who did not make an NCAA tournament could be the program's best of the decade, but that's not a slight on McCaw. With his versatility at both ends of the floor, he would have been a valued performer on some of the Runnin' Rebels' greatest teams.
THE REST OF THE STARTING FIVE
UNLV guard Anthony Marshall pounds the court during their Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game against New Mexico Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Thomas & Mack Center. New Mexico won 63-56.
Guard — Anthony Marshall — 2009-13
If the All-Decade team was to have a captain, it would be Marshall, a Las Vegas native who stayed home to become a four-year Runnin' Rebel. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore under Lon Kruger and enjoyed his best seasons in 2011-12 and 2012-13 under Dave Rice. As a senior he scored 10.4 points per game and led the Mountain West with 5.8 assists while playing strong defense at point guard. Marshall helped UNLV make the NCAA tournament in all four of his seasons as a Rebel.
Chace Stanback goes up for a shot during UNLV's game against Morgan State at the Thomas and Mack Center Sunday, November 20, 2011.
Guard — Chace Stanback — 2009-12
Kruger recruited Stanback to UNLV for the 2009-10 season as a transfer from UCLA and the 6-foot-8 swingman became a 3-point sniper in Las Vegas, as he made 41.5 percent from beyond the arc during his last two years with the Rebels. As a senior, he averaged 12.5 points and shot a blistering 45.5 percent from long distance. Without a doubt Stanback was the Rebels' shooter of the decade.
UNLV forward Anthony Bennett reacts after a dunk against New Mexico Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV won 64-55.
Forward — Anthony Bennett — 2012-13
Bennett only played one year at UNLV, but he made it count. The 6-foot-8 behemoth powered his way to 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds as a freshman and made the kinds of plays that hadn't been seen at the Thomas & Mack Center since the days of Larry Johnson. A shoulder injury slowed him down toward the latter part of the season, but he was one of the few Rebels to show up in the 2013 NCAA tournament, as he posted 15 points and 11 rebounds in a first-round loss to Cal. Bennet went on to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
UNLV forward Khem Birch blocks a shot by Fresno St. guard Tyler Johnsonduring their game Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014 at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV won 75-73 in overtime.
Center — Khem Birch — 2012-14
Defense matters, and no big man did it better at UNLV over the last decade. Birch sat out the first month of the 2012-13 season after transferring from Pitt, but he still managed to block 192 shots in his 59 games with the Rebels, a number which ranks him second all-time in program history. As a junior in 2013-14 he posted 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game.
UNLV Rebels guard Amauri Hardy (3) takes the ball upcourt against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.
Sixth man — Amauri Hardy — 2017-19
Hardy has consistently improved during each of his three seasons at UNLV, and though he hasn't played in the NCAA tournament he is inarguably one of the purest scorers to come through the program in the last 10 years. Hardy's herky-jerky driving style and assortment of creative left-handed finishes around the basket have helped him average 10.1 points for his career so far, including a mark of 16.9 points per game this season.
UNLV head coach Dave Rice shouts orders to his players as San Diego State takes the lead during their Mountain West Conference tournament game Thursday, March, 12, 2015.
Coach — Dave Rice — 2011-16
Rice took over for Lon Kruger and led the Rebels to the NCAA tournament in each of his first two seasons, running up a 51-19 record in the process. The program backslid from there, as Rice went 47-35 over the next two-plus seasons before being fired in January 2016. Still, compared to what came after him, Rice distinguished himself as UNLV's best coach of the last 10 years. His lasting legacy in Las Vegas is one of an excellent recruiter who could never quite seem to get the most out of his teams on the court, but Rebels fans would now gladly take two NCAA appearances over the next five years.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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