UNLV Men’s Basketball 2025-26 Full Team Preview

Head coach: Josh Pastner (Year 1 at UNLV)

Scholarships: 13/13 filled

Returning players: 1 (Jacob Bannarbie)

Identity: Competitive excellence; defense, pace with purpose, and relentless urgency

Defense first: Versatile man base with changeups (zones, rhythm disruptors), heavy emphasis on finishing possessions on the glass.

Pace with purpose: “Runnin’” means sprinting the lanes and cutting hard without playing wild; 0.5 decisions to keep the ball moving.

Shot profile: Paint pressure, free throws, and catch-and-shoot threes; reduce long twos.

Evaluation over hype: Moneyball approach in the portal; shooting, toughness, maturity.

Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn: Dynamic pace-setter and creator. Pressure at the point of attack, puts the rim and paint under stress.

Myles Che: Downhill scoring guard with bounce and confidence; projects as a secondary initiator and spacer.

Howie Fleming Jr.: Big-guard defender and connector; secondary playmaker who can guard up a spot.

Al Green: Steady two-way guard; stabilizes lineups, high-IQ decisions late clock.

Depth/young guards: Jalen Cunningham (toughness, defense), Issac Williamson (speed), Mason Abittan (size shooter).

Kimani Hamilton: Two-way wing and breakout candidate; corner 3s, slashes, guards multiple positions.

Walter Brown: Cutter/defender who thrives in movement and physical games; glue factor.

Ladji Dembele: Physical 4 who screens, seals, rebounds; brings an edge to frontcourt play.

Naas Cunningham: Length and upside wing; if the shot/strength pop, raises the ceiling.

Tyrin Jones (Fr.): Energy, length, and tools; early situational minutes likely tied to defense and rebounding.

Emmanuel Stephen (7’0): Rim protector and vertical spacer; anchors coverage and creates lob gravity.

Jacob Bannarbie: Lone returner; connective 4/5 with feel, screening angles, and defensive versatility.

Only one returner means roles are wide open; a tight playbook early with planned expansion as chemistry builds.

Staff prioritized shooters around drivers and a true rim protector to sharpen identity on both ends.

Early offense: Rebound and run into drag screens, slot cuts, and ghost actions. Wings sprint to corners; bigs rim-run to collapse the paint.

Half-court: Pace via passing - 0.5 decisions, touch-the-paint, drive-and-kick. Use Hamilton/Brown/Abittan as corner spacers; Gibbs-Lawhorn/Che to bend the defense.

Actions you’ll see: Zoom and Chicago handoffs to attack edges; Spain pick-and-roll for lob/corner 3 reads; empty-side ball screens for paint touches.

Efficiency focus: High rim rate, FTR (free-throw rate), and catch-and-shoot volume.

Point-of-attack pressure with bigger guards; wings shrink gaps and peel on drives.

Stephen’s rim protection enables more aggressive on-ball schemes; Dembele/Bannarbie handle switches and scram help.

Multiple looks to break rhythm; expect tracked “kills” to be a published internal metric.

Emphasis on finishing possessions. Defensive rebounding is the ignition for the break.

Baseline/sideline out-of-bounds: Quick-hitter 3s for Hamilton/Abittan; dive options for Stephen.

End-game: Green/Fleming stabilize; two-handler sets with Gibbs-Lawhorn/Che; Stephen for rim deterrence or Bannarbie for switch/spacing versatility depending on matchups.

G: Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn

G: Howie Fleming Jr. or Myles Che

W: Kimani Hamilton

F: Ladji Dembele

C: Emmanuel Stephen

G: Al Green (stabilizer)

G: Howie Fleming Jr. or Myles Che

W: Walter Brown (defense/cutting)

F/C: Jacob Bannarbie (connective 4/5)

W: Naas Cunningham (ceiling play if shot/strength come quickly)

Depth guards/wings: Cunningham, Williamson, Abittan, Jones - situational roles, matchups, and health will dictate minutes

Big/defensive: Green, Fleming, Hamilton, Dembele, Stephen

Pace/pressure: Gibbs-Lawhorn, Che, Hamilton, Dembele, Stephen

Spacing: Gibbs-Lawhorn, Che, Abittan, Hamilton, Bannarbie

Switchy: Green, Fleming, Brown, Hamilton, Dembele

Headliners: Players Era event (Maryland, Alabama, TBA), road at Memphis.

Home start: Three straight at Thomas & Mack; opportunity to build crowd momentum and on-court chemistry.

Trap awareness: Experienced mids (e.g., UT Martin, Chattanooga, Montana) demand mature shot selection and rebounding discipline.

Balance Q1/Q2 opportunities with confidence-building reps for a new group.

Use November/December to harden late-game execution and substitution patterns before Mountain West play.

A matchup league with elite homecourts (New Mexico, Utah State, Colorado State, etc.). UNLV’s size/length can travel if the defensive glass holds.

Path to contention:

Camp intensity led to some bumps (foot, shoulder, concussions). Depth is better than typical Year 1 rebuilds, but early-season continuity could swing outcomes. November minutes may be fluid.

Defensive rebounding rate: 74%+ DRB to unlock transition consistently

Turnover margin: ≥ 0.0 with a new backcourt is a win

Catch-and-shoot 3PT%: League-average+ for Hamilton/Che/Fleming/Abittan/Brown

Free-throw rate: Paint touches must translate to FTs; aim for top-third in MWC

“Kills”: 6–7 streaks of three-stops-in-a-row correlating to wins

Bench net rating: Energy lineups win third quarters (post-halftime surges)

November volatility, December cohesion, January identity. By league play, a top-4 defense with efficient transition scoring.

Thomas & Mack advantage returns: attendance and noise tilt close games.

Realistic targets:

Naas Cunningham’s shot/strength curve - adds length/scoring at the wing if it clicks

Stephen’s foul discipline - staying on the floor keeps the defense elite

Gibbs-Lawhorn/Che decision speed - 0.5 choices turn pace into points, not turnovers

Hamilton’s two-way leap -could be the nightly two-way bellwether