Disappointing finish can’t diminish Rebels basketball achievements

We are disappointed we didn't finish our season stronger, but there are many positives to build upon. Among those are winning 26 games, being ranked in the Top 25 for 13 straight weeks, winning a number of high-profile nonconference games and going undefeated at home during the regular season. It was a good first season for us and provides a great foundation for the future.

We know there is still a lot of work to be done, and our staff will work relentlessly in the offseason to make our program better. The best way to improve is through development of the current players, on and off the court, and through recruiting. The tradition of UNLV, the excitement around our style of play and the hard work of our staff, teamed with a great fan base, already have greatly enhanced our recruiting.

We were fortunate to take over a program from coach Lon Kruger that returned 11 guys. It gave us the opportunity when we got the job to look to future recruiting classes. We were able to add Bryce Jones and Khem Birch during the year, both of whom will be key members of our team next season.

We are thankful to our four seniors -- Oscar Bellfield, Brice Massamba, Chace Stanback and Kendall Wallace -- and for their part in the success of the program during their time here. We have talked about the future success that we will have, and we will always appreciate the role that the seniors will have had in that. We are pleased that they are on pace to graduate. We understand the importance of winning games, and that always will be critical, but providing our players the support that they need to graduate is equally important.

Our returning players are committed to having an even better season next year, and we will challenge our guys to work harder than they have ever worked.

One of the things that will be a definite positive for our program is an international tour in August. We will be able to practice for 10 days before going to Canada, where we will play four or five games. This will be a great opportunity for our returning players as well as our new guys who will be able to take part in the trip. It has the potential to springboard our program into next season. We have a lot of new faces to add to our current roster, and we are excited and confident about the future of the program.

It always is difficult when the season is over because it is so long before we get to play again, but we are going to utilize these months to work extremely hard in all aspects of our program.

Finally, we again would like to thank our fans for their incredible support this season. As always, the Thomas & Mack Center was an exciting place to play, and with the way the fans turned out, with our student section, the Rebellion, and the energy that they brought, it was a memorable home season for us -- the first undefeated home regular season since 1992.

UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice writes a weekly column for Rebels Report.