Callous tweet plays part in UNLV loss to New Mexico

As the final buzzer sounded signaling the conclusion of New Mexico’s 71-69 road win over UNLV on Wednesday night, Lobos guard Hugh Greenwood let out a scream.

He then appeared to blow a kiss in the direction of the UNLV student section.

It was an emotional release after what was a stressful day for the senior.

A tweet sent out by an account called “TheRebelAssHole,” made reference to Greenwood driving his mother to the game in a hearse. Greenwood’s mother is dealing with a recurrence of breast cancer.

He said during a post-game interview on CBS Sports Network that the insensitive social media posting was a driving force as he finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

“There’s a line and (it was) crossed. I was motivated tonight. I got my first dunk since freshman year,” Greenwood said. “Credit to him for getting us a win because that’s what motivated me.”

Outside the New Mexico locker room, Greenwood expanded on what had transpired.

He said the Twitter account had been making reference to his mother’s illness for several months, but the references had slowed a bit recently.

That was until today when whoever runs the account decided to again reference Greenwood’s mother.

“Without getting too much into it because it makes me pretty mad that he’s hiding behind a Twitter account, I’d love to see him face-to-face,” Greenwood said. “It definitely motivated me and it was one of those things where I wasn’t going to let my emotions get the best of me. I was going to turn it into a positive and that’s what we did tonight.”

New Mexico coach Craig Neal was made aware of the situation earlier in the day.

He endured a somewhat similar issue last year when the Twitter account for San Diego State’s student section, “The Show,” posted a Tweet essentially wishing death on Neal’s son Cullen, who was undergoing an appendectomy.

“We’ve been dealing with it all afternoon and it’s not a pleasant thing. That’s why I’m not a big believer in social media. I don’t have Twitter. I don’t have Facebook. Some things get out of hand and it gets hurtful,” he said. “I had to deal with it on a personal level last year with San Diego State’s student body with my son’s appendectomy. It’s just part of it, but it’s become that and it’s sad. But I thought he was locked in and focused on what he had to do.”

Greenwood entered the game shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range, but hit 6 of 9 from beyond the arc on Wednesday night.

“I’ve been forcing a lot of shots this year but we did a good job early of getting it inside and I was able to get some open shots off that. When I’m open and I’ve got my feet set, I’m pretty confident,” Greenwood said. “I’m not too concerned about percentages because I know I can do things like this on a regular basis.”

Neal said he spoke with Greenwood about channeling the emotion in a positive direction.

“I talked to him a lot about just staying in the present, really think about what’s going on with your life, what you’ve done for this program, what you’ve meant to us, how much your family means to us and just be yourself,” Neal said. “I was just basically trying to calm him down a bit.”

As for the Twitter user who started the controversy, whoever runs the account appears to be soaking up the momentary fame with great delight.

The account made several more comments late Wednesday referencing Greenwood and his mother’s cancer.

Not all of Greenwood’s dealings with UNLV fans have been negative.

Members of the student section, The Rebellion, left a letter for Greenwood on his seat on the bench before the game.

“Mr. Greenwood, We wanted to extend our condolences and offer our support as you and your family deal with your mother’s diagnosis,” the letter read.

“As a group, The Rebellion considered options on fundraising for your cause. Due to budget restrictions, marketing/fundraising compliance, and other time-consuming responsibilities, we were unable to organize any kind of respectable fundraising effort. Despite our inability to contribute financially, we wish your mother a successful recovery.

“For years, we have watched from The Rebellion as you have played with passion, poise and sportsmanship. If your efforts consist of the same traits, we believe you will be successful in whatever goals you set for your organization’s fundraising. We wish you, and your family, the best moving forward.” 

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.