Snapshot
Head coach: Lindy La Rocque (Year 6 at UNLV)
Roster status: Roster finalized for 2025–26 (per official roster)
Returners include: Jasmyn Lott, Teagan Colvin, Aaliyah Alexander
Identity: Fast-but-composed, guard-led spacing, elite ball security, and a stronger glass game
Editor’s note: Roles, lineup packages, and set actions below are analytical projections based on roster strengths and last season’s team profile. For official bios and measurements, use the UNLV links at the end.
Program standard and culture
Lindy La Rocque’s era has become synonymous with clarity: simple, repeatable winning habits. The Lady Rebels run, but with purpose. They prize decision speed (0.5-second choices), an unselfish passing ethos, and team rebounding that finishes defensive stands. The 2024–25 team went 26–8 by protecting the ball (10.5 TO/gm), taking quality threes (34.2%), and owning extra possessions on the margins (+4.5 reb margin, +4.0 TO margin). The 2025–26 roster doubles down with more perimeter gravity and a deeper frontcourt rotation.
Philosophy pillars
Possession advantage: Low turnovers plus higher offensive rebounds create “two-shot trips” and deny opponents easy runouts.
Pace with spacing: Transition lanes into drag/ghost actions; corners filled early; bigs rim-race to draw help.
Shot diet: Paint pressure and catch-and-shoot threes; happily swap long twos for corner threes.
Discipline on D: Shrink gaps, scram mismatches, finish possessions on the glass, stay out of foul trouble.
Roster overview and roles (by position group)
Guards
Destiny Leo (Gr., 5'10) - Headline shooter/closer
Profile: Four-time All-Horizon, 329+ career 3s. Movement sniper who sprints off staggers, flips screens, and punishes top-locking with backcuts. Draws the shortest defender to force tough help decisions.
Usage: First-touch in after-timeouts, last-shot creator via relocation threes; spacer who raises teammates’ paint touches.Sydni Summers (Jr., 5'5) - Primary handler/tempo
Profile: 69 made threes and 92% FT in 2024–25 (SJSU). Calm under pressure, sees weakside tags early, keeps the ball ahead.
Usage: Drag/Spain PNR operator; “two-for-one” clock manager; late-game FT closer; matchups dictate when she flips to scorer mode.Mariah Elohim (Sr., 5'10) - Second-side creator/scorer
Profile: Smooth pace, uses hesitations and body control; reliable as the “third action” attacker after initial PNR.
Usage: Empty-corner ball screens, ghost to force switches, baseline drives into hammer skips. Middle eight minutes (end 2Q/start 3Q) are her runway.Jasmyn Lott (R-Sr., 5'8) - Glue/stopper
Profile: Inbounder, press-breaker, and best matchup defender 1–3. Makes the possession-saving rotation and the extra-pass that becomes a corner 3.
Usage: First sub to settle pace; closes when game tilts physical or situational defense is needed.Depth/young guards
Hodaya Kabada (Fr., 5'10): Length, defensive activity, and cutting lanes; early minutes tied to catch-and-shoot readiness.
Teagan Colvin (So., 5'7): On-ball defense, simple reads; stabilizes bench units.
Aaliyah Alexander (Gr., 5'8): 3-and-D utility; matchup-based spacing minutes.
Forwards/Centers
Destiny Brown (Sr., 6'4) - Interior anchor
Profile: Strong screener/sealer with finishing touch. Gives vertical size for rim contests and a target for high-lows.
Usage: Primary screener in Spain/Angle PNR; post seals after switches; defensive rebounding hedge against stretch 4s.Ongolea “Lea” Afu (Jr., 5'10) - Motor/OREB engine
Profile: JUCO double-double with elite pursuit and balance. Turns 50/50s into 70/30s by beating boxes to the glass.
Usage: Crash rules: “two hard, one read.” Short-roll DHO hub; late closeouts become her attack windows. Crowd-igniter.Shelbee Brown (Gr., 6'0) - Veteran connective big
Profile: Strong base, smart angles, short-roll passing; boxes out early.
Usage: Best in spacing groups; screen-re-screen to free Leo; toggles between 4.5 and small-ball 5.Alexis Swillis (Fr., 6'3) - Size/rim deterrence track
Profile: Length and mobility; simple role acceptance equals minutes.
Usage: Drop coverage packages; verticality at the rim; set “nail” screens to free guards.Trystan James (Fr., 5'10) - Energy/defense
Profile: Straight-line speed and willingness to bang; change-of-pace forward for scrappy stretches.
Usage: Short bursts to raise possession count and juice the glass.
Style of play
Offense: the layers
Early offense:
Rebound outlet to Summers → double-drag with Brown/Afu; Leo sprints to the shake slot.
If flattened, ghost action to force a switch and slip; hit the pocket or kick to corner.
Half-court menu (projected):
Floppy → re-screen: Start Leo off a pair; if top-locked, flip the angle and slip.
Spain PNR: Summers/Brown core; Leo back-screens the roller and pops; Elohim slot lift is the third read.
Elbow DHO splits (Afu): If chased, backcut; if under, pivot to short-roll floater or corner kick.
Hammer: Empty-side drive from Summers with weakside pin for Leo’s corner 3.
Efficiency focus:
Raise 3PA and corner 3 volume while keeping TOs low.
Manufacture second-chance points by design (Afu crash rules, Brown seals).
Late-game: leverage FT strength with Summers/Leo.
Defense: the answers
Base: Contain at the point with Summers/Lott; shrink gaps with Elohim/Leo; Brown as the paint bouncer.
Mismatch management: Immediate scram switches from the weakside; ICE side PNR to avoid middle; selective hard shows vs hot handlers.
Coverage toggles: Drop with Swillis lineups; switch-more with Shelbee at the 5; zone pockets (2–3 for two trips) after foul clusters.
Emphasis: One-and-done possessions; disciplined closeouts to run off the arc without surrendering backdoors.
Special situations and endgame
BLOB/SLOB (projected installs):
“Pistol Hammer”: Guard DHO into baseline drive; weakside hammer screen springs a corner three.
“Elevator 5”: Leo through elevator doors; if chased, slip the screener for a layup.
“Diamond Dive”: Stacked look for a quick post touch to Destiny Brown after a decoy pop.
Two-for-one/end-of-quarter:
Summers initiates with pre-called timing packages; Leo’s sprint relocation is first read; Elohim gets the secondary iso versus a bent defense.
Foul/timeout management:
Second foul on Brown triggers two possessions of zone and a quick Shelbee/Swillis look to stabilize the rim without a momentum dip.
Projected rotation and minute bands
Starters (opening month)
G: Sydni Summers (28–32)
G: Destiny Leo (28–32)
G: Mariah Elohim (26–30)
F: Ongolea Afu (20–26)
C: Destiny Brown (22–28)
First wave
G/W: Jasmyn Lott (18–24; matchups can push 28)
F: Shelbee Brown (14–20; pair with Leo for spacing groups)
C: Alexis Swillis (10–14; game-state dependent)
Swing/minutes that flex
Kabada (8–12 early; grows if C&S holds)
Colvin (6–10; defensive assignments/pace control)
Alexander (6–10; opponent-specific shooting/length)
James (4–8; energy/glass games)
Lineup flavors and when to use them
Spacing/closing five: Summers – Leo – Elohim – Lott – Shelbee Brown
Use when you need clean looks without clogging the lane; switchable defensively.Board-crush five: Summers – Elohim – Lott – Afu – Destiny Brown
Use to slow momentum swings and rack free throws/put-backs; bully-ball minutes.Size-and-seal: Summers – Leo – Lott – Shelbee Brown – Destiny Brown/Swillis
Use to target undersized opponents; high-low entries, deep seals, foul pressure.Pressure/run: Summers – Lott – Kabada – Elohim – Afu
Use in second quarters or after timeouts to raise possession count and create runouts.“Three-handler” wrinkle: Summers – Elohim – Lott – Leo – Shelbee (small)
Use versus switch-heavy teams to keep an advantage alive and punish mismatches.
Scouting the schedule: nonconference levers (analytical)
Resume build: Seek 1–2 Q1 wins (road/neutral vs high-majors), keep a clean sheet vs Q3/Q4.
Holiday multi-team event: Depth and guard play favor back-to-backs; stagger Leo/Summers so one closer is always on the floor.
Travel management: Lean on Lott/Afu to stabilize the middle eight on the road; simplify sets to a 10-call core on quick turnarounds.
Mountain West fit and path (expanded)
Fit: Guard-first identity travels; added size addresses league’s bruising posts and glass battles.
Road map to the top tier:
Defensive rebounding travel rate: box out early, gang rebound guards.
Turnover floor: ≤ 12 every night to keep shot volume edge.
Clutch package: three go-to ATOs and one ghost counter everyone knows by heart.
Data context from last season (what carries over)
2024–25: 26–8 (16–2 MWC), +12.6 margin, 75.0 PPG, 43.7% FG, 34.2% 3PT (7.3 makes), 75.2% FT, +4.5 reb margin, +4.0 TO margin, A:TO 1.4.
Translation: The DNA, ball control and shot quality remains. The ceiling rises through added three-point gravity (Leo/Summers) and second-chance creation (Afu).
Role-informed stat bands (ranges, not predictions)
Destiny Leo: 14–18 PPG; 2.7–3.4 3PM; 38–41% 3PT; 85%+ FT
Sydni Summers: 8–11 PPG; 3.5–4.5 APG; 36–39% 3PT; 90% FT
Mariah Elohim: 10–13 PPG; 2–3 APG; 34–37% 3PT
Ongolea Afu: 7–9 PPG; 7–10 RPG; team OREB% leader
Destiny Brown: 7–10 PPG; 5–7 RPG; screen assists leader
Risk board and counters (coach-style)
Rim deterrence vs size: If Swillis’ learning curve is steep, paint touches rise.
Counter: More ICE coverage, early digs, scram post mismatches; bias to Afu + Brown pairings.New guard chemistry: Three creators means usage clarity matters, especially late.
Counter: Hard-coded hierarchy in crunch (Summers initiates; Leo first look; Elohim second-side).Foul clustering at the 5: Quick whistles can swing glass and spacing.
Counter: Fast Shelbee buffer; two trips of 2–3 after the second foul each half; flip to small-ball spacing groups to survive minutes.
Fan-facing meters (simple watch list)
More threes, same or better accuracy.
Low turnovers = more shots than the opponent.
Rebounds to points: track second-chance buckets.
Free throws late: Summers/Leo close games at the stripe.
What success looks like by February
A confident, close-game team with a polished end-of-game package.
At least one signature nonconference win and strong MWC positioning.
A profile that looks “March-ready”: secure with the ball, reliable from three, and tough on the glass.
Final word
The Lady Rebels bring back the habits that travel: ball control, shot quality, rebounding and add more stress for defenses with Leo’s gravity, Summers’ stewardship, and Afu’s motor. If the frontcourt stays out of foul trouble and the guard chemistry clicks on schedule, UNLV will look like a team built to win both the possession battle and the final four minutes.