UNLV forward Donnie Tillman likely out for season with knee injury

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Steve Marcus

UNLV Rebels forward Donnie Tillman (2) gets control of the ball after making a steal in the second half of a game against San Jose State at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday, Jan. !5, 2020.

Fri, Feb 14, 2020 (5:16 p.m.)

The Rebel Room

Can the Rebels make a run?

Las Vegas Sun reporters Mike Grimala and Ray Brewer discuss the UNLV basketball team's chances the rest of the season. Can the Rebels make a Mountain West tournament run? We also talk about first-year UNLV football coach Marcus Arroyo's initial recruiting class.

UNLV’s already thin frontcourt has taken a big hit, as Donnie Tillman is likely to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Tillman, a 6-foot-7 forward, suffered a knee sprain in the first half of the Rebels’ home game against UNR on Wednesday and did not play in the second half. On Friday, head coach T.J. Otzelberger said Tillman was disappointed to hear the news.

“He’s certainly let down,” Otzelberger said. “He’s been a good teammate for his guys out there, and he wants to do whatever he can to help his guys be at their best. Of course it’s not something anyone wants to hear.”

The loss of Tillman a big blow for UNLV. The Rebels only play three forwards any significant minutes — four if you include senior big man Vitaliy Shibel — and Tillman’s ability to play power forward has been crucial to the team’s small-ball lineups. Tillman has played in 25 of 26 games and started 11; he is averaging 10.1 points per game (fourth-most on the team) and 4.7 rebounds in 26.2 minutes.

Though Tillman is shooting just 29.2 percent from 3-point range, his ability to step outside and shoot while also being a driving threat has given the Rebels an offensive boost, especially against zone defenses.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of zone defenses and a lot of switching defenses,” Otzelberger said, “and Donnie at that 4 position gives you a guy who is effective in the middle of a zone. And he’s physical, so it’s hard to switch a point guard on to him defensively. On our team, those attributes are unique to Donnie.”

Tillman transferred to UNLV from Utah and was one of the Rebels’ most prized recruits after winning Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2018-19. He started the first eight games of the season until he was late for a team event and pulled from the starting five against Cincinnati on Nov. 30. He has mostly been utilized as a reserve since then, settling in as an offensive-minded mismatch option.

Tillman tested the NBA Draft process last offseason before ultimately pulling his name out and returning to college. It remains to be seen how this injury will impact his decision-making process this time around.

Senior forward Nick Blair and junior center Mbacke Diong are now the only two forwards left in the regular rotation. Shibel plays situational minutes, and junior guard Jonah Antonio played 29 minutes at power forward in a super-small lineup after Tillman went down against UNR. Otzelberger could opt to go small more often over the final five games of the season.

The Rebels will next play on Saturday at New Mexico.

“We’ll look to different options,” Otzelberger said. “We’ll play smaller like we’ve done at times with four guards, and at times we’ll play more traditional with two bigs. It could mean there’s more opportunity for a guy like Jay Green, who has stayed ready and gives us energy. We’ll have to evaluate game to game and see what gives us the best option.”

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

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