Dwayne Morgan will stay with UNLV basketball team

The indications were there all week, and on Wednesday, Dwayne Morgan made it official.

He will remain at UNLV.

Morgan, who will be a junior next basketball season, had considered leaving. But he began to change his mind after Marvin Menzies agreed Saturday to a five-year contract to coach the team. That deal needs approval Friday by the University of Nevada Board of Regents.

“The Coach really seems enthused about the program, the Runnin’ Rebel community, and making me better as a person and a player,” Morgan tweeted. “I have friends who have had nothing but positive things to say about their experience with Coach Menzies and I am humbled for this opportunity to get the program back on track, and I am fully committed to staying.”

#LetsRun #RebBlooded pic.twitter.com/rRqIJ40qtI

— Dwayne Morgan (@_theREALdeal15) April 20, 2016

Menzies did not comment because he is not being made available to the media until after the regents meet. They will vote on his contract at 9 a.m. Friday.

With the return of Morgan, a 6-foot 8-inch forward, the Rebels have at least four players on their roster. Jalen Poyser, a 6-4 guard who will be a sophomore, is one of them. Though he removed UNLV from his Twitter profile, Poyser never announced he was leaving and is still considered by the Rebels as part of the team.

Morgan averaged 5.5 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, starting 22 of 27 games. His season ended when he dislocated his right shoulder Feb. 20.

Poyser played in all 33 games and started one, averaging 5.4 points.

Another player, 6-9 forward Ben Carter, is a graduate transfer who tweeted Wednesday he visited with Arizona and Arizona State. He has three visits remaining. Carter continues to consider remaining at UNLV, but if he goes, he would not affect the Academic Progress Rate because he would have his degree.

Just finished a great home visit with @UACoachMiller and the Arizona staff

— Ben Carter (@Ben_Carter13) April 20, 2016

Had a good time talking hoops with Arizona State coaches @BobbyHurley11 and @Burno23 during another home visit

— Ben Carter (@Ben_Carter13) April 20, 2016

The more players who stay and remain in good academic standing, the better it is for UNLV’s APR.

UNLV posted a 958 APR for its men’s basketball team (1,000 for the 2014-15 academic year), a number well above the required 930 for postseason eligibility, the NCAA announced Wednesday.

There are exceptions to players who transfer or declare early for the NBA Draft and wouldn’t cost UNLV APR points. For example, a player who finishes his last term, was at the school for at least a year and maintains at least a 2.6 cumulative GPA does not cost APR points as long as he enrolls immediately in another four-year university.

“We’ve been talking to our players the entire time through this process,” athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy said. “I will tell you when I feel good about it is at the end of the year and the grades are coming out and we’ve shown improvement in our grades across the board, not just in men’s basketball but top to bottom and that we’re progressing toward their degrees.

“I’m hoping pending Board of Regents approval on Friday that our coach (Menzies) gets settled in and is able to go to work. Our academic people have been working hard with all our student-athletes.”

The APR is a four-year average that measures eligibility, progress toward graduation and retention of scholarship players. A perfect score is 1,000, and scores are through the 2014-15 academic year because they are calculated on a one-year lag.

Every UNLV sport met the required number, and five sports had scores of 1,000 for the most recently calculated single year. Women’s golf and women’s tennis each had perfect four-year marks.

“That’s very, very difficult to do,” Kunzer-Murphy said.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65