By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
It hasn’t been an easy season for the UNLV basketball team as the Running Rebels have tried the best they can to cope with the novel coronavirus, which even infected coach T.J. Otzelberger.
But the Rebels did sweep New Mexico two games Saturday and Monday, including last night’s ugly 53-46 win before zero fans at T-Mobile Arena because of the COVID-19 virus.
UNLV had to pause in-person basketball activities Dec. 15 after Otzelberger tested positive for COVID-19 and had to postpone two games with San Diego State in early January.
And the hoops team even had to deal with guard Marvin Coleman missing the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his right leg.
But the Rebels are grinding.
After a tough win over New Mexico Monday night, Otzelberger said, “It was probably one of the uglier college basketball games, if not the ugliest one I’ve ever been a part of, but we’re fortunate to have been on the right side of that game and at this point in the year in conference play wins are wins, so we will take it.”
UNLV’s Bryce Hamilton led all scorers with 14 points and center Mbacke Diong had a game-high 10 rebounds. With the score tied at 42-42 with under five minutes to go, the Runnin’ Rebels went on a 8-1 run over approximately three minutes to pull away for good. Hamilton scored all eight of those points and the closest the Lobos got the rest of the way was four points with just over a minute remaining.
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The UNLV hockey team said it will cancel its season because of COVID-19 hardships.
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Also, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said the Hey Reb! mascot is officially retired, though the nickname, “Rebels,” will stick around:
“I was drawn to lead this great university because I identified with its spirit, determination, and daring style. Rebels are not afraid to fail and create a new path when one doesn’t exist. For all these reasons and many more, we will continue to be known as “Rebels.”
“As it relates to the mascot itself — Hey Reb! — my predecessor, President Marta Meana, essentially addressed this issue late last spring when she had a statue of the mascot removed from the main campus. Since that time, and even before my arrival, the university stopped using the mascot in the traditional areas of student recruitment and athletics. For all intents and purposes, the Hey Reb! mascot has been retired since last spring and there are no plans to bring it back. We also have no current plans to create a new mascot.
“UNLV will join the likes of the universities of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Central Michigan that have no mascot — as well as the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and New York Jets. The university also didn’t have a mascot in the mid-1970s. As UNLV continues to rise as a top public research university, we must do so in a way that represents all of our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and supporters.”
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