As losses mount for Rebels, Menzies continues to hold players accountable

SAN DIEGO — In a basketball season that has now reached a historic level of ineptness for UNLV, perhaps one of the positive rays of light in this sea of perpetual darkness sat on the Rebels bench Sunday in the form of sophomore guard Jalen Poyser.

Not for anything he has done on the court this season or in a positive manner for why he was relegated to a spectator’s role, but rather as a symbol for how best the Rebels might create a winning culture.

Poyser broke a team rule and was benched for UNLV’s game at San Diego State, one in which the Aztecs prevailed 77-64 before an announced gathering of 11,896 at Viejas Arena.

It was the 17th defeat for UNLV, the first time the Rebels have dropped this many games in a season.

It was also the team’s seventh straight loss, two shy of the school record set in 1958.

It was also the 10th straight setback to San Diego State, making it tougher and tougher now to define the matchup as the intense rivalry that at one time helped build a national foothold for Mountain West basketball.

But as the losses mount and UNLV begins to notice what will be a merciless conclusion to a forgotten season, one significant theme has remained consistent under the guidance of first-year head coach Marvin Menzies: He has in no way lowered those standards — on and off the court — expected of players.

He has in no manner relaxed his expectations of them as student-athletes and, more importantly, people.

Being undisciplined on the court is one thing. Sometimes, as with the case of UNLV, you’re just not talented enough to make up for lapses in focus. Your skill set simply won’t allow you to overcome mental errors.

But when things are bad on the scoreboard and you’re tied for last place in an 11-team conference and it seems like you might never win again, one thing that can absolutely destroy a program is an unruly locker room.

One thing that can seriously damage a rebuilding process is compromising on those core values needed to generate success.

“We are teachers, we are coaches, we are mentors,” Menzies said. “This is why I got into the profession. It’s not just to win games, even though that’s a critical component that has to happen. But it’s not the sole purpose of why I do what I do. I need to get these kids those life lessons as well, and those can be painful lessons.

“I’m sure (Poyser) hurt sitting on the bench and watching his teammates battle back, feeling like he could have helped out. It’s one of those tough decisions as an adult and as a father I have to make for a young kid who is here to get his degree and play ball. I had to take one of those away from him (Sunday). He broke a rule, so I sat him. He was great about it. He knew he made a mistake, so that was that.”

Menzies has preached this way of doing things since being hired in April, even at his introductory news conference making it a point to explain his beliefs about things like responsibility and accountability and answering for one’s decisions and mistakes in life.

He said many head coaches that he worked under — Steve Fisher at San Diego State, Lon Kruger at UNLV, Rick Pitino at Louisville — held the same standards when it came to disciplining players. That while each owned his own unique voice and manner by which they dealt with such issues, the central point remained unchanging: Never, ever settle on those ideals that most define a successful program.

“It’s critical, because at this stage of the building process, this is your foundation, and if there are cracks in the foundation, it doesn’t matter how tall or big your building is or how shiny it is from the outside, it’s eventually going to crumble,” Menzies said. “We need to make sure the foundation is strong and built with the right principles and built the right way.

“There is more than one way to skin a cat and I’m probably somewhere between Coach Pitino and Coach Kruger and my own philosophy on how to handle things. But at the end of the day, there is no question you have to have accountability and ownership of what the program is supposed to stand for.”

Jalen Poyser averages 11.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and nearly 28 minutes for the Rebels.

On Sunday, the game at San Diego State tipped off and he took a seat.

In a sea of perpetual darkness and a historic level of losing for UNLV, his suspension was a symbol of how you build a winning program.

On this matter, thankfully, rightly, Marvin Menzies hasn’t relented one inch.

Once you do, the house is sure to come tumbling down.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on “Seat and Ed” on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.