Sept. 29, 2008
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball team is planning to get ready for the 2008-09 season in an entertaining way. FirstLook 2008, presented by US Army Healthcare, is the Runnin' Rebels' event that centers around the first official practice of the season and will take place at 9 p.m. on Friday, October 17, at the Thomas & Mack Center.
ESPN personality Kenny Mayne - a former UNLV Rebel quarterback - is scheduled to emcee the event via video screen, in a way only Mayne can.
Fans are encouraged to attend the free event, which will be hosted by the UNLV Cheerleaders and Rebel Girls. Doors open at 8:15 p.m. and concessions will be available. The first 800 people to the event will receive a free FirstLook 2008 t-shirt, courtesy of US Army Healthcare.
The event is part of UNLV's Homecoming Week and will be held on "Rebel Red Day," the night prior to the homecoming football game vs. Air Force. All fans are encouraged to wear red throughout the day and to the event. October 17 marks the first day college basketball teams can begin official practice for the upcoming season.
"We hope fans will treat this event as they would a game," said UNLV men's basketball head coach Lon Kruger. "This is about setting a tone for the season. We need to continue making the Thomas & Mack Center one of the toughest environments in the nation for opponents to come to. This is our fans' first practice of the season as well."
Prior to the team hitting the floor for practice, there will be a ring ceremony for returning players and coaches to receive their 2008 Mountain West Conference Tournament championship rings. Special video segments have been produced and will debut at the event and interactive elements with the cheerleaders and Rebel Girls will be featured. Also, one UNLV student will get the opportunity to shoot baskets to have a year of college tuition covered, courtesy of U.S. Army Healthcare Services.
"Our goal is to continue building a program," Kruger said. "As we improve on the court, we want to challenge our fans to up their game in the crowd as well. This is going to be a fun night and we want Rebel fans to create and share in the excitement. Our players genuinely appreciate and feed off the fans' enthusiasm."
Kruger said being a part of the homecoming celebration is special.
"The hope is to carry the excitement level in the arena that evening to the football game the following night," Kruger said. "That will be a fun weekend to be a Rebel fan."
FirstLook 2008 was scheduled to coincide with the UNLV Alumni Association 2008 Homecoming Dinner, which begins earlier in the evening. Reserved seating will be held for attendees of the dinner who will make their way to the arena following the event.
That night is also a chance for UNLV to feature the new equipment installed recently at the Thomas & Mack Center, including the new center-hung scoreboard and video display, partial ring beam displays and scorer's table display.
"The new equipment allows us to do so much more with the in-game experience," Kruger said.
All season tickets, in both donor and non-donor seating areas, are now available for purchase for the 2008-09 Runnin' Rebel season. Limited seating is available in the plaza level in both donor and non-donor areas. Balcony season tickets for 18 home games at the Thomas & Mack Center are available for $175 and $90 - with the $90 endzone balcony season ticket being introduced this season.
For more information on purchasing season tickets, call 702-739-FANS (3267). Those interested in purchasing donor season tickets in the plaza level should call 702-895-1533. Remaining tickets are expected to go on sale on a single-game basis at the end of October.
UNLV finished the 2007-08 season with an overall record of 27-8 and lost to eventual national champion Kansas in the NCAA Tournament's second round. The appearance in the NCAA Tournament was the second straight for UNLV, which advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2007, and the first time that the Runnin' Rebels won games in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments since 1990 and 1991.
UNLV finished second in the Mountain West Conference this past season with a 12-4 mark for the second consecutive year and won the MWC Tournament championship, also for the second straight time.
Kruger, who was named the 2007-08 MWC and USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year, will enter his fifth season at UNLV in 2008-09 after compiling a four-year mark of 91-42 (.684), including a record of 57-15 (.792) over the last two seasons. UNLV's 57 wins over the past two years ranks ninth in the country among teams that have played in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments and is the second-most victories over the last two years among teams in the West, only behind UCLA.
UNLV has a 15-game home win streak, which is the 11th-longest active streak in the country, has compiled a record of 38-3 at home over the last two seasons and has won 24 straight games against MWC opponents at the Thomas & Mack Center.
UNLV loses only two seniors from last season's team and has four seniors on the 2008-09 roster in Wink Adams, Joe Darger, René Rougeau and Mareceo Rutledge. Several publications have listed UNLV in their 2008-09 preseason Top 25 polls. UNLV completed its summer foreign exhibition tour of Australia in July and compiled a 4-2 mark.
