LAS VEGAS — Tyler Harris tore his MCL during a June workout, and Josh Pastner made a decision he had never made in his coaching career: UNLV would stop contact practices for the summer.
The Rebels did not return to contact work until Sept. 21. That is a tough way to teach 11 newcomers to press together. Pastner wants them flying around the floor, but they had far less time to learn those assignments against live resistance.
“I for sure did less contact going into this year than I’ve ever done in my entire career,” Pastner said Monday.
“And then in June, we had a little contact. And then Tyler tore his MCL,” Pastner said. “And I was like, no more contact.”
UNLV’s three exhibitions became an important part of that preparation. The Rebels played Utah and BYU from the Big 12 and Missouri from the SEC, choosing opponents able to exploit defensive mistakes and punish poor decisions with the ball.
The Rebels lost 79-69 to Utah, then 89-77 to BYU, before recovering from a nine-point second-half deficit to defeat Missouri 90-81. Pastner believes the team improved each time out, although its turnover totals barely changed.
Pastner is teaching 11 newcomers when to attack the ball and when to recover behind a teammate. Tyrin Jones, the Mountain West’s leading shot blocker last season, can help at the rim. The new guards still have to learn how much ground they can ask him to cover.
UNLV committed 18 turnovers against Utah, 18 against BYU and 17 against Missouri. It also grabbed 48 offensive rebounds across those games, creating second chances while giving away possessions through errors that had little to do with being forced into difficult shots.
“We’ve just got to eliminate some of those silly turnovers,” Pastner said. “Based on our pace of play, there’s going to be some. But we’ve got to eliminate the self-inflicted ones, the unforced errors.”
The Missouri win showed why the giveaways still bothered him. UNLV forced 20 turnovers and converted them into 25 points. The Tigers scored 26 points off the Rebels’ 17 giveaways, even as UNLV controlled the glass and finished with a 20-5 advantage in second-chance points.
Pastner wants at least 35 deflections a game. He counts tipped passes and loose balls alongside steals, and said setting a target for turnovers could encourage defenders to gamble.
“When you press, discipline is even more important,” Pastner said. “You’ve got to play with intelligent energy, and you’ve got to play with disciplined energy.”
Jones played for the first time since shoulder surgery in April, scoring 21 points with eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks in just over 23 minutes. His length gives UNLV another defender able to disrupt passes at the top of its pressure.
Pastner still found mistakes in Jones’ positioning and closeouts. The sophomore had very little contact during his rehabilitation until October, and even then his practice work was staggered.
Last season, Pastner said, Jones protected the injured shoulder whenever opponents challenged him from that side. He is healthy enough to compete now but still has to recover his instincts and defensive timing.
“The more he plays, the better he’s going to be,” Pastner said. “Less about physical, more about mental.”
Injuries also changed who received minutes during the exhibitions. UNLV had only eight available players against BYU, leaving limited opportunities for substitution while the Rebels pressed throughout the game.
They led 42-41 at halftime but were outscored 48-35 afterward. Pastner said the shorthanded lineup wore down, though he valued the experience players gained while others were unavailable.
Jones and MJ Thomas returned against Missouri, and Pastner had more ways to rotate his frontcourt. He also praised Jeremy Foumena‘s work across the three exhibitions and Moustapha Loum‘s development.
Pastner is preparing for a different challenge once Harris, Issac Williamson and the other injured players return. The available group has spent weeks learning combinations out of necessity. He will have to work more players into roles without assuming the previous rotation will hold.
Pastner believes UNLV can be better in December or January as players return. He has to prepare those players for contact while keeping the available group healthy enough to keep pressing. June’s decision has followed him into November.
