LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball program has received signed commitments on the first day of the early signing period from Brooklyn Hicks and Rob Whaley Jr. to join the Runnin' Rebels for the 2023-24 season, head coach Kevin Kruger announced.
Hicks, a 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound guard, from Seattle, Washington, attends Timberline High School. Rated as the second-best player in the state of Washington, he is a four-star recruit by ESPN.com. 247 Sports lists him as the 87th overall player in his class.
As a junior last season, Hicks averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals per contest, earning All-Area Player of the Year honors by The Olympian and was a first-team selection to The News Tribune's All-Area Team. The back-to-back MVP of the 3A South Sound Conference led the Blazers to a state tournament appearance, leading the league in points per game, rebounds and was top three in steals.
"We are very excited to add Brooklyn to the Runnin' Rebel family," Kruger said. "He is a competitive guard who can score and gets his teammates involved. He is extremely quick, able to break down defenses, is a high IQ player on both ends of the court and is a great decision maker."
Playing for nationally renowned AAU program Seattle Rotary, he averaged 17.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.6 apg during the Nike Peach Jam this summer. Hicks chose UNLV over San Diego State, Cincinnati, Oregon State, Washington State, Saint Mary's and UNR. He will be a freshman for the Runnin' Rebels next fall.
Whaley Jr., a 6-foot-7-inch, 230-pound forward from Farmington, Utah, attends the College of Southern Idaho. As a freshman during the 2021-22 season, he earned second team All-Scenic West honors after averaging 10.9 ppg on 63 percent shooting, along with 4.9 rpg in 18.1 minutes played per contest.
Ranked as a top-10 junior college prospect nationally, he played at Bountiful High School in Utah where he averaged 19.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg in 24 appearances as a senior, also adding 52 assists. He scored 26 points or more seven times during that season.
"We are very excited that Rob is going to be a Runnin' Rebel," Kruger said. "He has had a very successful junior college career and is a winner. Coach (Jeff) Reinert at CSI does a tremendous job with that program. We love Rob's feel for the game and he has great vision. His UNLV teammates will love playing with him and he will provide us with a unique versatility and physicality that not many players possess."
CSI went 24-9 overall last season and after starting out this year 3-0 with two wins over ranked teams, earned National Team of the Week honors by JucoRecruiting.com. Whaley Jr. chose UNLV over Boise State, Utah State and Wichita State, and will be a junior for the Runnin' Rebels next fall. His father was the 51st overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.
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