All the tired cliches about a young team and growing pains can be tossed aside, according to UNLV guard Wink Adams. He said next season will be another positive one, not a rebuilding project that will test fans' patience.

It's realistic to expect the Rebels to take a step back, and that much is almost certain, with five seniors departing after a 30-7 season.

But Adams is not allowing his own expectations to slide.

"We're going to be a good team from the start," he said.

UNLV's best basketball season in 16 years ended Friday with a 76-72 loss to Oregon in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Adams immediately went back to work, shooting jumpers and looking ahead.

The Rebels must replace seniors Kevin Kruger, Wendell White, Joel Anthony, Gaston Essengue and Michael Umeh.

Adams, the team's No. 2 scorer at 13.9 points per game as a sophomore, will be the only returning starter.

"I know I'm going to have a big leadership role next year and I'm ready to take it on. It's going to be a big challenge," said Adams, the only player to start all 37 games. "I've still got great guys around me, and they're going to take a lot of pressure off me."

UNLV coach Lon Kruger is not about to make wild predictions, but he said the potential is there on next season's roster.

"It's hard to say we're going to do better," the coach said. "It's kind of the challenge of it all, and kind of exciting, to try to follow it up with another good year. I think it's going to be a fun group."

Kevin Kruger, who averaged 13.5 points and made a team-high 80 pointers, leaves a gaping hole at point guard. His duties probably get passed down to Marcus Lawrence, who started seven games as a freshman and helped the Rebels go 6-1 while Kruger was injured.

Lawrence, a Bishop Gorman High School product, proved he could defend and lead the team, but he shot 30 percent from the field.

White, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, was UNLV's leading scorer (14.4 ppg) and rebounder (6.1 rpg). He was a first-team all-Mountain West Conference selection.

Stepping into White's shoes should be 6-8 Lamar Roberson, a transfer from Houston who practiced with the team and will be a sophomore.

"Roberson is going to surprise people just like Wendell did this year," Kevin Kruger said.

Troy Cage, a 6-5 swingman from Baton Rouge, La., will be a redshirt freshman with the ability to contribute.

"Troy is going to be our X-factor," Adams said. "He can shoot, defend and really jump out of the gym."

The Rebels' postseason run, which included a Mountain West tournament title and two NCAA Tournament wins, could prove beneficial to several young players, especially Cage and Roberson.

"Troy and Lamar made tons of progress, especially in the last six weeks," Lon Kruger said. "They figured some things out in terms of how hard they have to work."

The senior class will be led by forward Corey Bailey and guard Curtis Terry, and both have experience as starters. Forward Joe Darger and guard Rene Rougeau could play bigger roles as juniors.

The biggest question marks stick out in the middle. It won't be easy to replace Essengue, who started the last 31 games, and Anthony, the conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Lon Kruger likes the skills of 6-8, 240-pound Matt Shaw, who played sparingly as a freshman. Jerome Johnson, a 6-8 center who redshirted as a sophomore, must develop to be a factor.

"If I were to project a starting lineup now, it could be totally different in November," Lon Kruger said.

The incoming recruiting class consists of 6-10 Emmanuel Adeife of Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Fla., 6-3 shooting guard Mareceo Rutledge of Yuba College in Marysville, Calif., and 6-4 guard Kendall Wallace from Mountain View High in Mesa, Ariz.

"I like all three of them," Adams said. "They're going to play right away."

Kruger and his coaching staff have one more scholarship to offer.

"It's not about just one team or one season. You want to build a program," Lon Kruger said. "I think the success of this season gives us the foundation on which to build.

"We may not win 30 games, and we may not go to the Sweet 16. But the players know what's required to get those results. Plus, they see what it means to people, and I think that's motivation."