Sorry I haven’t updated in a minute but look for some new stuff on Monday….
Sounds from practice
It’s a little late but here is the audio from the open practice of the UNLV basketball team. There is quotes from various players and the coach about the upcoming season.
A fallen sports hero
I wanted to once again steer away from my normal “locker room” talk and discuss Bary Bonds, our fallen baseball hero. Bonds has at times been vilified in the press. His recent indictment on counts of perjury and obstruction of justice there is even more reason to call him a villain. Bonds has always had a shaky relationship with the press and even his fans so some might not classify him as a fallen hero but as a villain who simply got caught.
This is the second time in months that a African American athlete has been indicted charges of perjury and placed under the suspicion of using steroids. Bonds will always remain in the history books, such as Marion Jones is but now there will be an asterisk next to their names. Bonds may or may not have used steroids but Marion Jones has admitted to usgage and because of their dishonesty a cloud of suspicion is now under all our African American athletes.
There has been good news and bad news
The good news is that the rebels are 2-0 to start the season. The first game for the team was a little rough team after they blew a 14 point lead. They looked sloppy at time and they made bad decisions. The positive from that game was it was the first game and they won 76-65 over Montana State.
Then over the weekend we got news that Emmanuel Adeife was dismissed from the team due to conflict over playing time. I’m trying to follow up on this story as we speak but without a doubt this event left a big hole in the middle. Now the team is left without a true center and Matt Shaw normally a power forward, will have to fill the role. On another note the rebels won against Dixie State on Tuesday.
Aww the memories
Its funny how the most random thoughts will trigger certain memories. I was watching Sports Center one night and it was a highlight from the Laker’s game. The ball had bounced off the backboard and into the basket inadvertently. This reminded me of the good old times from the FIBA tournament and how my life flashed before my eyes thanks to LeBron James. Team USA was playing and it was about almost half time. My co-worker and I were hurrying to the scorers table to retrieve the half-time stats. I was following behind him as we walked quickly down the row. Then LeBron launched about a 50 ft shot to end the quarter. The ball sailed through the air hit the backboard and headed our direction. We both weren’t paying too much attention to the play but I heard the buzzing of the clock and saw the ball coming our direction I pulled my co-work towards me to block the ball and it hit him dead in the head. The whole arena gasped. It was both sad and funny all at once. I called that moment him getting some sense knocked into him.
Unfortunately for myself he was the lucky one to end up in the trainers room after the game. Next to him getting taped up was the man himself , LeBron James. My co-worker jokingly turned to the trainer and said, “Can I be mad at LeBron for hitting me in the head?” LeBron then said, “I didn’t hit you in the head the ball did.”
UNLV and the NBA
So now we are up to four current NBA players that were former running rebels. As i had mentioned in a previous post , Joel Anthony was trying out for the Miami Heat. Well I have good news to announce. He has offically made the team. He had a strong coming out in pre-season and got some playing time. We should all expect big things from him. So Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks, Lou Amundson, and Joel Anthony make the list of current rebels active in the NBA.
Sight and sound
Early Saturday morning about a 600 loyal runnin rebel fans piled into the Thomas and Mack Center to get a chance to see the team practice and meet the players. I am not typically a morning person but I managed to leave the comforts of my warm bed to spend a morning with the players and rebel basketball fans. As I walked into the arena it was like a semi-game as one side was filled with fans. The band even made a partial appearance along with the rebel girls and the cheerleaders. People were wearing red or decked out in the UNLV gear. The chanting of “Rebels” could be heard, getting everyone pumped for the season. There was a lot of potential little rebels, eager and excited to meet the team. It was especially a great experience to see these young ones get a chance to interact with the players. One young girl looked like she was on the verge of tears as she got a chance to hug player Corey Bailey, who is in his senior year.
The team looked confident and chemistry seemed to be there as all the players were interacting with each other. There was a lot of laughter and joking going on. One thing I learned briefly from my observation during the scrimmage, they are lacking in a consistent outside shooter. It is still early on and plenty of time for someone to step up. One thing for sure, the team is a confident bunch and ready to go this season.
Meet the rebels?
This Saturday October 27, the public will get a chance to meet this years runnin rebels. There is an event at the Thomas and Mack Center that is free and open to the public. Doors open at 9:30 am and the team will scrimmage from 10:15 till 10:45. There is free pizza and drinks. I have been mentioning in my previous post how we know little about the team and this is the opportunity to come out and get a semi- preview on how the team will perform.
Not quite at the top
In pre-season polls for the Mountain West Conference the UNLV basketball team is ranked number two. The number one team is BYU who received 15 first place votes in comparison to UNLV’s two first place votes. This ranking raises some interest, as UNLV was the team that ending up making it the furthest in the tournament out of all the team in the conference. But then again you have to take into consideration that UNLV is looking at a virtually new team because of a majority of player their core players have gone on to graduate.
There is a lot to be seen as far as performance. There is just so many new faces and there is a lot left to be seen. The number two ranking should be seen as a sign of respect considering the fact that there is really no way of knowing how this new team will perform. Some more positive news is that UNLV guard Wink Adams was named to the All Mountain West Pre-season team which consist of the top players in the conference. That’s definitely a sign of respect and well deserved on his part as the second leading scorer on the team last year.
Good news for the Rebels
We can all let out a sigh of relief as news has spread that Beas Hamga has been re-en stated by the NCAA on the condition that he sits out this season. He will be allowed to practice with the team and will be able to keep his scholarship. He will be allowed to play next season on the condition that he proves that he can meet academic requirements. So we might have to wait till next year to get a look at his potential but its good to know there is something for the future to look forward. Especially as we take those necessary steps as a team to improve.
