Selfless Hawkins raises value to UNLV

It was his first start as a Division I basketball player. Justin Hawkins, who hadn't scored more than 13 points or played more than 29 minutes in a game over his first two seasons, went for 25 points in 38 minutes Nov. 11 against Grand Canyon.

He made 9 of 15 shots. He took six 3-pointers and made four.

He was The Man.

His team's next game was three days later.

Hawkins was on the bench to start.

"Maybe the only guy in history who gets 25 points and benched," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "He said, 'Coach, I just want to win.' When you have guys like that, you have a chance to have a good team."

The Rebels tonight will play the nation's best team because they were able to survive an average one in Southern California on Friday, winning a Las Vegas Invitational game 66-55 at Orleans Arena.

UNLV will need to play better to compete with top-ranked North Carolina and much better to have a chance at winning. It probably can't count on the same advantageous whistle it got against the Trojans, because how officials fouled out USC's best inside player (Dewayne Dedmon) in just five minutes of playing time was as ridiculous as it was disappointing.

Memos to the guys in stripes: Don't be afraid to let games be decided on the floor.

What the Rebels can count on is Hawkins. His effort. His tenacity. His determination to improve.

Through six games the junior has averaged 12.3 points and nearly nine shots after two seasons of combining to average 4.8 points and only 3.8 shots. He has taken a deserved reputation as a defensive specialist and made himself into a player opponents must at least realize exists when UNLV has the ball.

He was never going to start that next game after scoring 25 because starters who missed the season opener because of suspension returned. He was also never going to fret about it.

I believe it's more about hard work than any change in head coach or system, more about Hawkins spending the entire summer in a gym putting up shots than Rice running the program instead of Lon Kruger, more about a kid who desperately wants to be known as an all-around player than any change in opinion about him.

"I just want to be the player every coach wants on his team," said Hawkins, who scored 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting Friday. "I know my role.

"Coach Kruger also told me to shoot when I was open, but I needed to be more efficient. I knew that. We can't have liabilities on offense. My shot needed to improve. I'm more confident now, and Coach Rice just tells me to play to my strengths."

His greatest one remains on the defensive end, where Hawkins was again solid Friday in helping to slow Trojans point guard Maurice Jones when the latter scored seven early points.

The best defenders are all about instinct, and Hawkins owns a ton. He has a feel for what he can and can't get away with, for where a play might develop before the next pass.

He's now also making big shots.

His 3-pointer with 5:23 left stretched UNLV's lead to six, and it might as well have been 16. The Trojans never got closer because they were never going to score enough, especially with Dedmon and Aaron Fuller (16 points in 17 minutes) having fouled out.

The Rebels were the better team and yet fortunate to win, fortunate the officials twice viewed getting tangled up when fighting for positioning as fouls on Dedmon (they weren't), fortunate an opponent that shot 52 percent didn't have enough firepower to overcome the loss of two key players.

It was what you might expect of a team playing its first game outside its own building. It was rough for the Rebels in many spots. They didn't guard the dribble very well and shot even worse (41.2 percent from the field, 30.4 percent on 3s).

Credit the Trojans. They made things hard on UNLV. They made the Rebels appear vulnerable in all sorts of key areas, ones North Carolina will have a much easier time exploiting if UNLV doesn't play better.

"It was a battle of tempo, and USC had the upper hand most of the game," Rice said. "But we got a great deal of production off our bench. (Hawkins) was terrific ... He was really key. As a coach, I substitute on feel, and so often, I want Justin out there because of what he brings."

Which is more than he did those first two seasons.

His effort hasn't changed, but his game has, for the better.

Tonight, he tests it against the best.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.