Mason Abittan plans to enter the transfer portal without playing a game for UNLV. The 6-foot-6 Las Vegas guard redshirted in 2025-26 after suffering an ankle injury late in the offseason.
Abittan signed in November 2024 under UNLV’s previous coaching staff, choosing the Rebels over Colorado State and Reno. He remained in the program through Josh Pastner’s arrival but did not get onto the floor during Pastner’s first season. The redshirt preserved a season of competition; his current recovery status and reason for transferring have not been reported.
At Palo Verde High School, Abittan averaged 19.6 points and 4.0 assists as a sophomore before continuing at Red Rock Academy and Coronado. He earned Las Vegas Sun Super Seven recognition and played for Prominent Elite on the Puma PRO16 Circuit, entering college with a local scoring and playmaking résumé that UNLV never had the opportunity to use in a game.
The season was not simply a year-long injury absence. UNLV said in February that Abittan had been cleared to play after the injury, then remained out as the program decided to redshirt him.
Abittan and Jones had signed together in November 2024, two local products added to Kevin Kruger’s next recruiting class. Jones went on to earn a major role, while Abittan never made his college debut. Their paths now separate after both stayed with the program through the coaching change from Kruger to Pastner before their freshman year.
The original recruiting process was personal and local. In November 2024, the Las Vegas Sun reported that Abittan announced his commitment in the Coronado gym in front of friends, teammates and family members. Assistant coach Barret Peery handled his recruitment. The player chose the school near home while weighing offers that also included Indiana State and Weber State.
At that time, Abittan described himself to the Sun as capable of playing more than one backcourt position. The coaching change meant a new group would have to decide how his handling, size and scoring could translate into its own rotation.
Abittan contributed more than scoring in high school. At Palo Verde, Abittan averaged 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals along with the 19.6 points and 4.0 assists. Those were sophomore numbers, before his later stops at Red Rock Academy and Coronado.
The decision also reaches UNLV at a time when the backcourt is unsettled. Gibbs-Lawhorn and Che have announced plans to enter the portal, while the rest of the retention work continues. Jones is the only confirmed returner. Pastner still needs players who can organize possessions, make perimeter shots and defend the guards who create the first advantage.
Abittan’s departure does not remove a player who filled one of those jobs in a game last season. It removes someone the program might have developed into that work. That difference should shape the recruiting response. Pastner has to replace proven production elsewhere while deciding how many places he can devote to players who still need time before earning regular minutes.
The 18-17 season already required the coach to improvise around missing players. Che never appeared, Stephen missed the first eight games and Dembele was limited to five. Losing a developmental guard is a different roster problem from losing an established scorer, but the number of decisions around the team makes each available place part of a larger recruitment plan.
The announcement comes before the regular men’s notification window opens April 7. His next destination has not been announced.
