Nov. 11, 2003

Photographs adorning the halls of the world famous Thomas & Mack Center tell it all. History. Prestige. Tradition. Celluloid glimpses of All-Americans, hard court legends and national champions.

There's no doubt that expectations run high for UNLV basketball and this year's Runnin' Rebel team will face lofty objectives -- as always.

"Our goals are the same at the start of every season," says head coach Charlie Spoonhour, who in 2002-03 led the school to its sixth postseason appearance in the last seven years. "Compete for a league championship, get to the NCAA Tournament and have an impact when we get there."

A year ago, UNLV recorded its second straight 21-11 mark (for an eye-popping 29th 20-win season in its 45-year history), finished tied for third in the Mountain West Conference, advanced to the league's tourney final and was invited to the National Invitation Tournament.

"I thought we did some things well," says Spoonhour, who has compiled a 42-22 record in Las Vegas. "However, I thought our injuries, particularly Demetrius Hunter's foot problem, along with a lack of depth, limited our abilities. That said, we were still just one possession away (from an NCAA berth) at the end of the year."

Now, with the departure of two 1,000-point career scorers (NBA lottery pick Marcus Banks and four-year starter Dalron Johnson) combined with the infusion of eight players who didn't compete for the Runnin' Rebels a year ago, the squad will look to answer several question marks heading into 2003-04.

Helping form solid answers will be three returning starters in J.K. Edwards, Demetrius Hunter and James Peters, and a fourth letterwinner in Louis Amundson, who didn't play last season because of a medical redshirt. Plus, Odartey Blankson, who practiced with the team after transferring from Marquette, is now eligible.

FRONTCOURT

The return of Edwards and Peters along with Amundson figures to give the Runnin' Rebels a strong frontcourt presence this season. The addition of newcomers Romel Beck and Andy Hannan along with Blankson should make the forward position a strength.

"We have a chance to be very solid up front," Spoonhour says. "What we may lack in size, we can make up for in quality of play. J.K. and James had some very positive moments for us last year. Louis redshirting hurt our depth last year, but it will end up helping us in upcoming seasons. Odartey is a guy that can be productive both inside and outside and we look for him to be a capable player this year."

Edwards, a 6-8 senior forward, started all 32 games last year and averaged 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in only 24.5 minutes per game. He was second in the MWC in field goal percentage at 56.4 percent.

"J.K. had to fight it out with bigger players all season last year and did a tremendous job on both ends of the floor," says Spoonhour. "We will have the luxury to move him around a little this year in terms of who he guards and where he plays on the offensive end. His effort and tenacity, especially on the boards will be a big positive for us. His experience gives him a chance to be one of the top interior players in the league this year."

Peters, a 6-8 senior forward, was one of three Runnin' Rebels to be named to the MWC All-Tournament team last year. He appeared in all 32 games and started the last 14, replacing the injured Hunter in the lineup. Peters averaged 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field.

"James was forced to play out of position for most of the year last season, but he did a solid job. Last year's experience of playing out on the floor and guarding smaller players should benefit him this year. He will play a big part in allowing us to pick up the tempo of the game with his ability to rebound and finish in transition."

Amundson, a 6-9 sophomore forward, used 2002-03 as a medical redshirt year after developing a staph infection. The two-time member of the Academic All-MWC Team is healthy and ready to contribute this season. In his freshman year (2001-02), he appeared in 30 games, averaging 10.5 minutes, 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

"Louis gained so much from his redshirt year," says Spoonhour. "He continues to work extremely hard in the weight room and has actually grown taller over the last year. He's still very bouncy and will make the hustling plays that we need. He has also improved his ball-handling skills out on the floor and we are very happy to have him back at 100 percent."

Blankson, a 6-7 junior forward, is looking forward to getting back out on the floor after watching from the sideline last season. During his sophomore season at Marquette (2001-02), he started 27 of his 29 appearances, was second on the team in rebounding and third in scoring with 6.2 rpg and 8.4 ppg and helped his team make an NCAA Tournament appearance.

"Odartey is ready to put on a uniform again," Spoonhour says. "Even though he sat out last year, he still added to our team by competing as hard as he could in every drill during practice. His ability to play all over the floor may be his greatest strength. He can handle and shoot the ball on the perimeter and then go inside and fight it out with the best of them. His winning mentality will be a great asset to our ball club."

Beck and Hannan will contribute at both the guard and forward spots.

Beck, a 6-7 junior, who transferred to UNLV from Los Angeles City College, helped his team to a 36-2 overall record last season as LACC won the California state championship title. He averaged 15 points, five rebounds and four assists per game in 2002-03.

"Romel was on an outstanding team last season. He is a great shooter and a very good athlete. He is truly an unselfish player, which is a great asset for such a capable scorer."

Hannan, a 6-6 junior, transferred to UNLV from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. He led his team in scoring (20.5 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg), steals (2.4 spg) and was second in assists (4.3 apg) last season en route to being named NJCAA First Team All-America for Division III.

"Andy can contribute in a variety of ways," Spoonhour said. "He can get his own shot when he has the ball in his hands and he knows how to free himself when he doesn't. His size will allow him to rebound and score around the goal, plus defend at more than one position."

BACKCOURT

With Hunter being the only player in the backcourt to have seen considerable time for the Rebels last season, UNLV hopes that its newcomers can come in and contribute right away. Jonathan Osborne was also in the program last year, while the newcomers include Jerel Blassingame, Michael Umeh, John Winston and Darrell Jenkins. Beck and Hannan will see some time at guard as well.

"There is a lot of 'new' there," Spoonhour says about the guard spots. "We relied on Marcus a great deal last year. It may take a while to get everyone on the same page, but the opportunity for us to be very good in the backcourt is there. I really like our talent level and depth at the guard position, but the 'newness' is a concern."

Hunter, a 6-2 senior guard, went down with an Achilles injury after the Runnin' Rebels were off to an 11-2 start last season. He played sparingly after surrendering his starting spot, appeared in 28 games and averaged 7.2 points per game.

"Demetrius' leadership and work ethic have been invaluable the last two years. He gives us everything he has when he's on the floor. He takes pride in his ability to stop people on the defensive end and that mentality will be a good example for our incoming players. Keeping him healthy and on the floor is our number one goal."

Osborne, a 6-2 freshman guard, was a medical redshirt last season. "Jonathan picked up on things very quickly," says the head coach. "He plays with a lot of poise and doesn't back down from anyone. He is an extremely bright young man and has a chance to be a good player for us."

Blassingame, a 5-10 junior guard, transferred to UNLV from L.A. City College and was a teammate of fellow rookie Runnin' Rebel Beck. Blassingame was named most valuable player at the California state tournament and averaged 12 points and six assists per game last season.

"Jerel can push the ball from end to end and has the capability to either score or distribute. Jerel and Romel made up two-fifths of what may have been the best junior college team in the nation last year."

Umeh, a 6-2 freshman guard from Houston, Texas, averaged 15.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 steals per game last year at Hightower High School. He earned first team all-region honors and was third team Greater Houston Area as awarded by the Houston Chronicle after leading his team to the semifinals of the state playoffs.

"Michael is a smart, prototypical combo guard," Spoonhour says. "His shooting ability and strength make him even more versatile. He will have the normal adjustment period that all freshmen go through, but I would expect his adjustment period to be short."

Winston, a 6-3 freshman guard from San Francisco, Calif., averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists per game last year at Hercules High School. He was selected first team all-state for division four and was named first team all-league after leading his team to the championship game of the state playoffs.

"John is a strong point guard who is very unselfish and takes pride in getting his teammates involved. He had a tremendous senior season and was the leader for a squad that won 20 straight games at one point last year. He is a tenacious defender and has the ability to develop into one of the top perimeter defenders in our league."

Jenkins, a 6-foot freshman guard from Orange, Calif., averaged 20 points, five assists and three rebounds his junior season at Orange Lutheran High School. He made first team all-league that season.

"Darrell was recruited by a number of fine institutions," Spoonhour says. "We are very fortunate to have him at UNLV. He will add a lot of quickness to our backcourt for the next four seasons."

SCHEDULE

With a schedule filled with 11 teams that played in the postseason last year, including three teams from the Pac-10 for the second straight season, the Runnin' Rebels no doubt will be challenged.

The non-conference home schedule is highlighted by visits from Western Athletic Conference preseason favorite Nevada, Reno, California and Auburn in the Las Vegas Showdown. Also, tough non-league road games at USC, Stanford and Missouri will be sprinkled among the always-grueling MWC slate.

"We have some tough teams to play," says Spoonhour, "but in the long run it will be very good for us."