Bennett arrives with flourish

On a night when several of UNLV's best basketball players from the past reappeared, Anthony Bennett introduced himself by showing a glimpse of the future.

The Scarlet/Gray Showcase brought former coach Jerry Tarkanian and many other familiar faces to the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday. A crowd of about 5,000 turned out to celebrate the start of another season and to get a look at the Rebels' newcomers.

"I tried to put on a show for these guys," Bennett said.

The 6-foot-8-inch freshman forward accomplished his goal. Bennett won the dunk contest and was the team's leading scorer in the scrimmage. He did almost everything but sell hot dogs and emcee the event.

"It was pretty cool," he said. "A lot of fans came out, and I was happy to have them here. I'm happy to be a Rebel."

Bennett hit two 3-pointers and scored 15 points to help the Gray team defeat the Scarlet 39-37 in a 20-minute scrimmage with a running clock. The scoreboard showed the Scarlet team as the winner, but those mistakes can happen in the preseason.

Bennett, who grew up in Canada and played at Findlay Prep, displayed what made him one of the nation's top 10-ranked recruits.

"He was terrific, but it's not surprising," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "Anthony is a freshman, but he's not really a freshman, and he will be a big part of what we do this year."

Bennett earned scores of "10" from all four judges - former Rebels Freddie Banks and Moses Scurry, Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke and ESPN Radio host Steve Cofield - for his final dunk. He ran from midcourt and jumped over Mozilla, the larger-than-life cutout of junior forward Mike Moser's head and arms, for a strong slam.

"That was definitely a surprise to me," Moser said, laughing. "He cleared it pretty well."

Bennett edged Demetris Morant, a 6-9 freshman from Bishop Gorman High School, and 6-9 sophomore Khem Birch, a Pittsburgh transfer, for the contest title.

Tarkanian received a loud ovation when Rice honored him before the Legends game, which featured around 20 former players and included a rare appearance by former NBA star JR Rider.

The scrimmage concluded the event, and Bennett was a standout from start to finish. He led the Gray team along with senior guard Justin Hawkins (seven points) and Connecticut transfer Roscoe Smith (six points).

Junior forward Carlos Lopez-Sosa not only changed his last name, he showed off an improved game. Lopez-Sosa hit a 3 and scored 11 points for the Scarlet team, which also got 10 from senior forward Quintrell Thomas.

Freshman guard Savon Goodman tried to produce the highlight of the scrimmage. Goodman flew high to try to dunk over Moser, who blocked the attempt. But Goodman left a positive impression with his attacking attitude.

"He's real aggressive and a hustle guy. He's tenacious. He's going to play hard every day, that's his personality," Moser said of Goodman. "Bennett being able to step out and shoot the perimeter jumper, that's going to help so much. These young guys bring a lot of different strengths to the team.

"We've got a lot of talent. I'm very excited."

Goodman, from Philadelphia, said the event was a valuable experience.

"It's a good tradition here, and it's good to see the old guys come back and see the new youngsters coming up who are going to lead this program," he said.

Senior guard Anthony Marshall (sprained wrist) and sophomore guard Bryce Dejean-Jones (broken hand) sat out of the scrimmage.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.