UNLV RUNNIN' REBEL BASKETBALL
Winning is the Only Option.
UNLV holds the fourth-best winning-percentage of all-time among Division-I college basketball programs. 
1. Kentucky
2. North Carolina
3. Kansas
4. UNLV
5. UCLA
In August 2008, ESPN.com ranked UNLV as the eighth most prestigious college basketball program in the nation during the modern era (1984 to present).
The Runnin’ Rebels have done it all.
- Conference Titles
- NCAA Tournament Success
- 30 win seasons
- Four Final Four appearances
- 1990 National Champions
The Rebelution has begun.
The Lon Kruger Era (2004-present)
UNLV has once again established
itself as one of the top college basketball programs in the West.
In fact, the Runnin' Rebels are one of only five teams in the West to have won 100-plus games since the beginning of the 2006-07 season - BYU (107 wins), UCLA (105), Utah State (104), UNLV (103) and Gonzaga (103). Of that group, only UCLA has more NCAA Tournament wins during that span than UNLV and Gonzaga - tied at three.
Over the past four seasons, UNLV has also gone 11-5 in NCAA Tournament and Mountain West Conference Tournament games - the most wins by any team in the conference in that time period.
And with eight players (who each averaged over 12 minutes a game during the 2009-10 season) returning from last season's 25-9 NCAA Tournament squad, the Runnin' Rebels are finding themselves ranked in various media preseason Top 25 rankings entering the 2010-11 season.
But UNLV is not just leading the way on the court. The Runnin' Rebels are No. 1 on the West Coast in attendance and No. 18 in the nation. In fact, UNLV averaged more fans at its home conference games last season (15,121) than any arena in the Pac-10 even holds.
Indeed, the REBELution has Begun.
At UNLV, tradition doesn’t graduate.
Kruger's hand-picked coaching staff has helped lead the revitalization of the UNLV program. The staff consists of assistant coaches Greg Grensing, Steve Henson and Lew Hill and director of basketball operations Mike Shepherd. Grensing also served on Kruger's staffs at Texas-Pan American and Kansas State while Henson starred for Kruger at Kansas State prior to playing in the NBA. Hill, a junior college All-American as a player, came to UNLV from Texas A&M's staff while Shepherd has served on Kruger's staffs at Kansas State, Florida, Illinois and with the Atlanta Hawks.
Also helping to lead the Rebelution: video coordinator Rich Hilliard; strength and conditioning coach Jason Kabo; academic advisor David Jackson; athletic trainer David Tomcheck and equipment manager Rocky Rutledge.
The Mendenhall Center
In March 2010, UNLV announced a plan by a group of donors to construct a new, state-of-the-art practice facility for the Runnin' Rebel basketball program - the Mendenhall Center.
The Mendenhall Center - which should be completed prior to the 2010-11 basketball season - will be attached to the south side of the Cox Pavilion (adjacent to the Thomas & Mack Center) and will have a total of 38,000 square feet of space on three levels. The center will hold two basketball courts, an academic area and film room, locker rooms, athletic training, strength and conditioning, and equipment areas.
The donor group, led by Bob Mendenhall, also includes Maury Gallagher, Bill Paulos, Bill Wortman and Hope Anstett. The facility will be built entirely through the private sector and, upon completion of constuction, will be gifted to the university.
Click here for plans and renderings of the Mendenhall Center on UNLVRebels.com.
No one does basketball like Vegas.
- From 2006-2008, Las Vegas was home to Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade and the rest of Team USA as they prepared to bring home the Olympic gold from Beijing.
- 2007 NBA All-Star Game
- NBA Summer League
- Home to Mountain West Conference and West Coast Conference basketball tournaments
- Various college tournaments
- Top AAU tournaments in the nation
The eyes of the world are watching when you play in Vegas!
Some Rebelicious facts:
- The Thomas and Mack Center – home of the Runnin’ Rebels – is a state-of-the-art facility that can hold up to 18,500 fans during a basketball game. The arena underwent technology enhancements in August 2008 to protect its status as one of the premier arenas in all of college basketball.
- UNLV is an astonishing 376-76 on its home court since the T&M opened in 1983 (entering the 2010-11 season). That’s a winning percentage of .832 making it one of the most difficult arenas in America for opponents to travel to.
- UNLV’s 103-73 victory over Duke in 1990 is the biggest blowout ever in a national title game.
- The Runnin’ Rebels hold the record for most consecutive games played having hit a three-pointer – and it is still going. (778 games dating back to the 1986-1987 season).
- In 2007, the Thomas & Mack Center hosted the NBA All-Star Game. Kobe Bryant was named MVP of the game as the West won, 152-132. Bryant racked up 31 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals while Amare Stoudemire added 29 points and nine boards and Carmelo Anthony had 20 and nine for the West. 2006 All-Star MVP LeBron James led the Eastern Conference with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists and Dwight Howard tallied 20 points and 12 boards. (The game marked the only time an arena which isn’t the home arena to an NBA team hosted the game.)
For more information on the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, visit the official athletic website of UNLV at UNLVRebels.com.
For more information on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, visit www.unlv.edu, the university’s official website.