 | | UNLV head coach Lon Kruger participated in a Live Chat session June 9 on UNLVRebels.com. |
UNLV men's basketball head coach Lon Kruger participated in a Live Chat session on Tuesday, June 9 on UNLVRebels.com. As the Runnin' Rebels focus on individual workouts and development in the offseason, Kruger - who will begin his sixth season at UNLV this fall - also continues to put time into a number of charitable efforts as well. The 2nd Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic wrapped up this past week, raising $150,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society. Several coaches from the Mountain West Conference and across the nation joined Kruger in his efforts to raise awareness and funds. The Runnin' Rebels will welcome a number of new players this coming year - including incoming freshmen Carlos Lopez (Findlay College Prep, Henderson, Nev.), Justin Hawkins (Taft HS, Woodland Hills, Calif.) and Anthony Marshall (Mojave HS, Las Vegas, Nev.). Derrick Jasper (Jr.), Steve Jones (Sr.), Chace Stanback (So.) and Todd Hanni (So.) will also join the lineup after redshirting the 2008-09 season mostly because of NCAA transfer rules. Matt Shaw (Jr.) - who played a key role in UNLV's 2007-08 run to the NCAA Tournament - will also return after sitting out last season with a knee injury. The full transcript of the chat is below. |
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 |  | UNLV Moderator: Hey Rebel fans... sitting here with Coach Kruger. We have had a great response so Coach will not be able to get to every question, but he will try to get to as many as possible. Let's get started... |
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| David (Las Vegas): Coach, With the recent article in the LVRJ about Robert Smith, is there a chance you will be nominating him to have his number retired? Thank you for your time and good luck next season. I will definitely be renewing my tickets as soon as I get the mailer. |
 | | Lon Kruger: First of all, congratulations to Robert on his induction into Southern Nevada Hall of Fame - he is obviously very deserving. In listening to Rebel fans, I would think discussion about retiring Robert's number would be very appropriate. I know he has been an outstanding ambassador for UNLV and the city of Las Vegas. |
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| mark las vegas: is jasper a true point guard or is bellfield going to run the point. |
| | Lon Kruger: With so many new players, it will be interesting to see how the various roles sort out on the court. Derrick's versatility will allow him to play many different positions, but he is very comfortable at point guard. We should have very good depth at the point position. |
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| Conor (Simi Valley CA.): Coach K, How is the teams chemistry mixing with all the new guys coming in? Also will there be new uniforms? Thanks, And Go Rebels! |
| | Lon Kruger: We expect the chemistry to be very good. Guys worked very well together during spring workouts and many will spend the summer together in Vegas. With regard to uniforms, I believe Nike has an interesting surprise in store - someone mentioned throwbacks? |
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| JeffSW(Las Vegas: Hey Coach, I have been hearing from a lot of people that in your recruiting you are just taking the transfers because it is easier to recruit those players and that you are not recruiting to the teams needs. Could you tell us what your goal for this program is and why you are recruiting the players that you are? |
| | Lon Kruger: The objective in recruiting is always to fill needs for your team. We've been fortunate to receive some transfers - all of which are players that we recruited out of high school. Most importantly, our current transfers will have at least two years, and most will have three years of eligibility as a Rebel. We are never interested in what is easiest - we are always interested in what is best for our program. |
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| Mark (St. Lake City, Utah): I saw online you have a few summer camps coming up. I'm sure these are things that help benefit the kids that come and the community - but how does it benefit your team? I know from experience they are a lot of time and hard work. What do your players get out of them? |
| | Lon Kruger: Summer camps provide opportunities for young players to participate and learn from our current coaches and Rebel players. This teaching opportunity provides our players with a unique perspective that really does benefit them as players. |
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| Steven (LV): Coach Kruger, thanks for all you have done for this program. So many of us longtime UNLV fans are proud of the program again. Just wondering - and hoping you finish your career here - how much longer do you see yourself coaching? A lot of us think you can do some special things here and hope you will be around for a while. Thank you. |
| | Lon Kruger: Barb and I love living in Las Vegas and I agree with you that there is tremendous potential for the UNLV basketball program. The support of the fans has been fantastic and with continued recruitment of quality players, very good years lie ahead. |
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| KEN (HENDERSON): HOW BIG OF A ROLE WILL NEXT YEARS FRESHMEN PLAY? THANKS. GO REBELS! |
| | Lon Kruger: Anthony, Carlos and Justin are really good players. It is always interesting to see how incoming freshman fit into roles - this year will be no exception. I am most intrigued by the healthy competition for time and positions that awaits this group of Rebels. As I have said many times, players performance and production always dictate starting positions and roles. |
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| Bryan (Las Vegas): Coach-Hope you and your family are enjoying the off season. I had the opportunity to see Rene, Chace, Derrick, Matt and a few others at a youth basketball tournament a few weeks ago. These guys did a great job speaking to the kids about school and the choices they make. I also noticed these kids are huge. How do you expect having big guards and forwards that can handle the ball to change the way we play offense next year? |
| | Lon Kruger: Thanks for your comments. Our players do a terrific job of work with young people in the community. We always attempt to adjust to our personnel - and having several big guards will give us a chance to explore several new options. |
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| TJ (Las Vegas): Thank you Coach Kruger for taking the time to answer some of the questions that some of us diehards have. My question for you is regarding Massamba and Santee. What are the individual goals of these two players for the upcoming year and what would you like to see them accomplish? Thanks. |
| | Lon Kruger: I think we'll get very good play out of the low post position - with a combination of Brice, Darris, Matt and Carlos will give us size and depth. All have worked very hard in the spring and know that low post play is a critical area in which we need to make progress. |
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| TJ (Las Vegas): What can we expect from the "walk-ons"? I know Steve Jones transferred from Arizona State, which has a solid basketball program. Is there a good chance he will play some quality minutes, or will he still play the traditional role of most walk-ons? |
| | Lon Kruger: Steve "Chopper" Jones brings great experience and tremendous desire to do whatever he can to contribute to his basketball team. I except Chop to be on the floor early and contribute in each game. |
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| Carmen (NV): You just finished hosting a Coaches vs. Cancer event that raised some big bucks! Congrats! How do you find time for both basketball and reaching out to organizations like this? I think its great all that you do, but do you ever think it is too much? Thanks and Go Rebels! |
| | Lon Kruger: Most importantly, i coach basketball at UNLV. However, UNLV athletics and community activities go hand-in-hand. I have a tremendous staff and a lot of help with any of our outreach programs. Las Vegas is a very giving community and we are very pleased to be a small part of that. |
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| courtney (lasvegas): do you think we will have a better season this upcoming season or will it be like this past season? |
| | Lon Kruger: We were close this past season but did not have the finish that we wanted to and needed to. I do believe this year's group will benefit greatly from this past year's experience. In the end, we lacked that little extra spark that must be there to realize the goal of playing in the NCAA Tournament. We look forward to regaining that edge for this coming season. |
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| Tyler Las Vegas: Do you think Wink Adams will be drafted or will he have to settle for the D-Leagues? |
| | Lon Kruger: Wink had a terrific career and we are hopeful that he will get drafted. However, expectations are probably more in the line of playing in the summer league as a free agent and letting his performance determine whether he earns a veteran camp opportunity or plays in the D-League or overseas. |
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| Las Vegas: not commenting on the recent recruit that was in town, can you explain the difference between an official and a unofficial visit? |
| | Lon Kruger: Thanks for understanding that rules prevent us from talking about unsigned prospects. Official visits refer to those occasions where you can pay for a prospects travels to campus and his 48 hours on campus. For an unofficial visit, the school can pay for nothing but can visit with the prospect on campus and give him a tour of facilities. |
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| | UNLV Moderator: Thanks for the questions that are continuing to come in... Coach will have time to get to a few more... |
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| Tyler Las Vegas: Coach K, what do you think about Jim B and Utah scheduling a good non conference schedule again? |
| | Lon Kruger: I think it's great. As a league, we need more teams in our conference scheduling like Jim has at Utah. This helps exposure for our league as well as our strength of schedules. |
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| TJ (Las Vegas): What more can you tell us about the recent signing of 6'10 Buckley? |
| | Lon Kruger: Henry is an outstanding prospect. We are excited to follow his progress throughout the summer and he will attend Patterson Prep this fall. His strength right now is shot blocking and his ability to run the floor and he will continue to make progress on the offensive end. He is an outstanding young man who has a terrific work ethic and desire to excel. |
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| TJ (Las Vegas): Hi coach. What is the update on Matt Shaw? |
| | Lon Kruger: Matt Shaw has recovered successfully and is working very hard this summer. He is excited about the opportunity to get back on the floor with his teammates for game action this fall. |
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| Chris ( Las Vegas): Coach, how is Kevin doing and what are his plans for the future? |
| | Lon Kruger: Kevin finished his second year in the D-League in April and is preparing now to participate with the Utah Jazz in their summer league play in Orlando. He still has the desire to play and, as many are in the D-League, looking to be in the right place at the right time for that next opportunity. |
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| JR (Las Vegas): Can we expect a more up-tempo style this year? It seemed our offense bogged down last year at times. |
| | Lon Kruger: We hope to have better movement this year, especially away from the ball. Last year, we relied exclusively on dribble penetration and at times that resulted in less movement than we would have liked. I also think this group will get out and transition a bit more effectively and we need to continue to improve rebounding on both ends. |
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| Alex (TJ, Mex): Good morning, Coach. Thanks for the Live Chat Session. The 2009-2010 Out-Of-Conference Schedule looks very challenging. In particular, the rematches with Arizona and Louisville are very intriguing and look to be very exciting. Playing these types of teams is huge exposure and great for recruiting. Do you expect the trend to continue as far as scheduling Pac-10 and Big East opponents every year? Thank you and God Bless. |
| | Lon Kruger: Playing a tough non-conference schedule is important on several fronts. Number one, players and fans both enjoy the high level of competition. It also benefits in our preparation for conference play and puts us in position for at-large consideration should we not win the conference championship. |
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| courtney (lasvegas): do you have any high expectations for the upcoming seniors? |
| | Lon Kruger: Expectations for this season are very high. Even with the number of new faces and yet-to-be determined roles, I am confident this group will play very good basketball and be a team that is easy to follow and fun to cheer for. Our expectations are always to compete for a conference championship and the opportunity to play and advance in the NCAA Tournament. We came up a bit short last season but are energized to compete in an effort to realize those goals this coming year. |
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| | UNLV Moderator: That wraps up another chat with Coach Kruger. Thank you for all the questions. |
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