LAS VEGAS — Jacob Bannarbie is moving on, and with it, UNLV now has no remaining pieces from the Kevin Kruger era.
The redshirt sophomore forward plans to enter the transfer portal after playing in 30 games and starting 15 during the 2025-26 season, carving out a meaningful role as the year progressed.
Photo source: UNLV AthleticsBannarbie wasn’t just another rotation player. He was continuity in a season that didn’t have much of it. As the lone holdover from the previous staff, he stayed through a coaching change and worked his way into a system that demanded physicality, effort and consistency. By the middle of conference play, he had done enough to earn real minutes and eventually a starting role.
And he produced when given the opportunity. The 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward averaged 5.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. His impact often showed up in ways that didn’t always make headlines. Rebounding, positioning, finishing around the rim and doing the kind of work that helps stabilize a lineup.
There were flashes where it looked like more could be coming. A 15-point performance against UNR. A 15-rebound game against Grand Canyon. Multiple double-digit rebounding efforts where he controlled the glass and gave UNLV second chances. As the season went on and roles tightened, he became someone the staff trusted to be in the right place and do his job.
Because early on, this looked like a player who could be a piece on a contending roster for the foreseeable future. Not necessarily a star, but a reliable frontcourt presence who could grow into a consistent role within the program.
Instead, that trajectory now shifts elsewhere.
Bannarbie leaves with experience and production, and in today’s portal, that combination carries value. He’s a proven rotation big with size, efficiency and the ability to contribute without needing the offense built around him. Programs looking for frontcourt depth will take notice.
For UNLV, his departure adds to a roster that is still very much in transition. Tyrin Jones is currently the only confirmed returner, and the Rebels are navigating an offseason that will largely define what Year 2 under Josh Pastner looks like. Retention, portal additions and overall roster construction remain ongoing.
That makes moves like this part of a bigger picture.
Bannarbie’s exit isn’t about one moment or one game. It’s about direction. A player who found a role, showed he could handle it and still ultimately became part of the larger roster reset happening in Las Vegas.
Year 1 was about building identity. Year 2 will be about finding the players who can carry it forward.
And as that process continues, even the players who looked like long-term pieces aren’t guaranteed to be part of what comes next.
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