Vegas doesn't fake energy. You either move the city, or the city moves on.
And for the past 15 years, UNLV basketball has slowly, painfully slipped into the background of a town it once owned.
One NCAA Tournament win since 2008. One appearance since 2013. Five coaches in 12 years.A legacy program that once made national headlines now struggles to fill a third of its own building.And yet, through it all, the fans are still here—watching, waiting, begging for something real.
This city never left. UNLV did.And the time to come home is now.
Fifteen Years of Fading
This isn’t about a down year or a rebuild. This is about erosion.Of standards. Of swagger. Of identity.
UNLV once defined college basketball’s edge. Now it’s defined by its absence in March.
Fans aren’t just frustrated—they’re heartbroken.Because they remember when the Thomas & Mack shook, when the Rebels were national villains and local heroes. When it meant something to wear scarlet and gray.
But over the last decade? It's been all slogans, no soul.Transfers in, transfers out. Quick fixes. Broken trust.And a program that went from must-see to barely seen at all.
The Mack: From Fortress to Ghost Town
The Thomas & Mack holds 18,776. Here's how it looked under Kevin Kruger:
2021–22: 5,224 (27.8%)
2022–23: 5,349 (28.5%)
2023–24: 5,859 (31.2%)
2024–25: 4,969 (26.4%)
UNLV finished 8th in the Mountain West in attendance—behind Reno, Fresno, Utah State, and others.Even during a ranked upset of Utah State, just 4,659 fans were in the building.
That’s not apathy. That’s emotional exhaustion.
The Mack used to roar. Now it echoes.
Football Showed the Blueprint
While basketball drifted, football reconnected.
Barry Odom didn’t sell hype—he built something real.
32,203 average attendance in 2024
42,228 fans vs. Boise State
36.1% increase from the previous year
Top 5 in MW attendance
#1 in MW TV viewership (1.46M avg.)
Vegas showed up—because the team showed them.
Effort. Identity. Toughness. Presence.
Basketball needs that same formula.
Josh Pastner’s Real Job: Rebuild the Relationship
Josh Pastner called UNLV a “sleeping giant.” And he’s right.But it’s not just sleeping—it’s isolated.
He’s already taking the right steps:
Community presence
Culture-first hires
Bringing former players back in
“Getting tickets. Coming back to the games. Those things are just as important as donating to NIL.”
— Josh Pastner
But this isn’t just about buzz. It’s about restoring belief.
Bring the Family Home
Here’s the truth: you can’t rebuild a culture without the ones who lived it.
It’s time to bring the Rebel family back.
The Tark guys. The Lon Kruger guys. The Rice guys.All the players who built the standard—who still rep the brand—they need to be part of the present.
For too long, they’ve been shut out.No invites. No presence. No connection.
“We used to walk into the Mack and feel it in our chest. Now it’s like a library.”
— Former player, anonymously, 2024
You want pride? Put them on the wall. Let them speak in the locker room. Put them courtside.Let today’s Rebels learn what it used to mean to be one.
You don’t rebuild UNLV by forgetting who built it.
What Needs to Happen
This can’t be about marketing. It has to be mission-driven:
Reclaim the Mack — Win or lose, make it tough, make it loud.
Reconnect the eras — Honor the past actively. Build a bridge from Tark to now.
Create visible buy-in — Let the fans in. Be transparent. Show the work.
Play with pride — Vegas isn’t impressed by hype. It responds to fight.
Make it personal — For the fans, for the alums, for the city.
This Is Still a Rebel Town
It’s not about trying to outshine the Raiders, Knights, or A’s.It’s about being UNLV again.
Vegas doesn’t need another product.It needs a program that punches with pride.
And if the Rebels give the city a reason to believe again?
The Mack will shake. The fans will rise. The lights will come back on.
Vegas never left.It’s just been waiting.
Let’s bring it home.
Let’s bring everyone home.
Let’s make it mean something again.