Future in front of Rebels as they prepare to end regular season

FRESNO, Calif. — As UNLV is about to put its regular season in the past, its present is intersecting with its future.

That couldn’t be clearer this week, as the Rebels picked up two commitments, including one Friday, the news of the players to come nearly outshining those already in the basketball program.

But when a coach is undertaking such a massive rebuilding job, such as the one Marvin Menzies has embarked upon, the reality is he is in the business to recruit over players on the current roster.

As the Rebels (11-19, 4-13 Mountain West) prepared to play Fresno State (18-11, 10-7) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Save Mart Center, they did so knowing reinforcements were on the way for next season and not in time to help with this matchup. Fresno State is an 11½-point favorite in the game that will be streamed online by ESPN3.

“Recruiting is 24 hours, 365 (days),” Menzies said, not speaking specifically of any commitments. “So we’ve been on that recruiting mode, regardless of our record. It doesn’t really change anything on what you’re doing with your guys here right now because we want to finish strong with them.”

UNLV will be the No. 10 or 11 seed at next week’s Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Rebels, tied for last with Air Force (11-19, 4-13), will be 10th if they win and the Falcons lose Saturday to Boise State. If both teams win, Air Force holds the tiebreaker. A UNLV loss ensures the 11th seed.

Should UNLV claim the 10th seed, the Rebels would play at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday against the No. 7 seed, either San Jose State (14-14, 7-10) or Wyoming (17-13, 7-10). If they Rebels are No. 11, they would play at 4 p.m. against the No. 6 seed, which would be New Mexico (16-13, 9-8) or San Diego State (17-12, 9-8).

UNLV hopes being stuck near the bottom is a one-time deal.

“Coach Menzies and his staff, you can tell they’re a great group of guys,” Rebels senior forward Tyrell Green said. “They know the game of basketball, so the future’s bright for this program. They’re bringing in a lot of good players for years to come.”

One of those includes Chiekh Mbacke Diong, a 6-foot 11-inch forward from Melbourne’s Florida Air Academy. He tweeted Friday he had committed to play for the Rebels.

“Thank god to my parents, flying star and #Flaprephoops,” Diong tweeted. “Thanks to all the schools that have recruited me. Commit to #UNLV.”

TWEET EMBED

Florida Air Academy athletic director Joe Burley said Louisville and Connecticut recruited Diong, but Cardinals coach Rick Pitino wanted him for the 2018 class. The final decision came down to UNLV, Pittsburgh and Purdue.

“He’s a terrific athlete,” Burley said. “His rebounding and shot blocking are elite and transfer right away to Division I. His offensive game is developing, but he has a high basketball IQ. He’s capable of shooting the 3, but around the rim, he is outstanding.”

Burley said Diong turned 17 on Dec. 11 because he began school in Senegal at age 4 and has been an excellent student.

“That attests to his good character, as it does as a prospect on the basketball floor,” Burley said. “He’s growing. He’s probably just shy of 7 feet.”

Diong is the fourth member of the Rebels’ class. They have three scholarships to give, but player turnover is expected as Menzies continues to rework the roster. The Rebels also gained a commitment from 6-6 forward Tervell Beck on Wednesday.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.