UNLV’s 10-0 start fueled by 3 veteran transfers

To fuel UNLV’s surprising 10-0 start, coach Kevin Kruger has been relying on the veteran leadership of three new faces: fifth-year guard EJ Harkless, fifth-year wing Elijah Parquet and senior wing Luis Rodriguez.

Between them, they’ve combined for 15 years of college basketball experience at four different schools not counting UNLV. Parquet, Harkless and Rodriguez had played a total of 294 games before they’d ever pulled on a Rebels jersey. Parquet and Harkless also have NCAA tournament experience.

“Those three guys, first and foremost of the transfers, have really taken the opportunity and have far surpassed even what we expected, just in terms of how hard they play,” Kruger said.

Led on and off the court by those veterans, the Rebels are off to their best start since Jerry Tarkanian’s 1990-91 UNLV squad won 34 consecutive games before losing to Duke in the Final Four.

UNLV will put its unbeaten record on the line at 2 p.m. Saturday when it takes on San Francisco at the Thomas &Mack Center. The Dons (8-3) have already beaten Mountain West foe Fresno State, though they fell to New Mexico and Utah State, two of the remaining undefeated teams and UNLV’s conference rivals.

“It’s fun,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t have to do as much leadership as I would’ve done if the group was younger. Everybody’s implementing what they know from where they came from. … just meshing it together has been beneficial for all of us.”

The leadership core of the Rebels (10-0) took a hit during their most recent outing. Parquet, who’d started all 10 games this season, departed early in the first half after injuring his left knee and never returned. He was present at practice Thursday, though he didn’t participate.

Kruger confirmed the Colorado transfer will miss some time, but didn’t offer a specific timetable for Parquet’s return.

Parquet’s absence will have an impact on the court. Thewing is the Rebels’ best individual defender and an important rebounder in their smaller lineups. He’ll be missed off the court as well. Harkless said Parquet is a calming presence and called him the most dependable teammate he’d ever had.

Consistency and dependability are the traits which unite UNLV’s trio of elder statesmen. Harkless said his approach to leadership is to stay even-keeled. Rodriguez said he tries to make sure he and his teammates are level-headed.

Kruger said the trio have set the tone for the entire program through their hard work and dedication.

“You see all the posts — 10-0, the rankings going up like that,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just coming in with the right mindset every day, just trying to be humble about what we’ve done so far and stay hungry.”

With five years of play under his belt — he received a medical redshirt during his sophomore season — Rodriguez also tries to utilize some of what he learned at Ole Miss. He cited former teammates like Sacramento Kings guard Terence Davis as a veteran he learned from while in the Southeastern Conference.

Now, it’s his turn, along with Harkless and Parquet, to lead. They’ll do it their way, by diving for loose balls, scrapping for rebounds and continuing to rely on their effort, not just their talent.

“The experience that’s been shown this year hasn’t been through words,” Kruger said. “It’s been through actions.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.