Maybe teammates had been so used to LeBron James needing his headband, whether it’s for comfort or appearance. Fighting for his life in these NBA Finals, fighting for his basketball stature, this accessory was the last thing James had on his mind in Game 6. Read More. Written by Shams Charania on Jun 19, 2013
Steve Fisher refuted a report that indicated Jamaal Franklin will forgo his senior season at San Diego State and enter the NBA draft.
“I’m disappointed that people wouldn’t be more respectful to call me or talk directly to Jamaal,” Fisher said. “I have talked repeatedly with Jamaal over the past few weeks. We talked earlier today. I talked to him 20 minutes ago. And he hasn’t made any decision.
“I’m continuing to gather information to help him make an educated decision. But he hasn’t made a decision. I’m sure of that.”
Franklin has been projected by some scouts as a mid-to-late first round pick.
UNLV received a commitment from Dwyane Morgan, a 6-foot-7 small forward who is considered a top-30 prospect in the class of 2014.
Morgan chose the Runnin’ Rebels over finalists Maryland and Georgetown.
"Throughout my recruitment UNLV stayed the most consistent and involved," Morgan wrote on zagsblog.com. "There were about two games that they were not in attendance for this past summer.”
Morgan visited UNLV on Feb. 9 for the 64-55 victory against New Mexico.
“They like to get it down the floor and everybody on the team can pretty much shoot, and I can shoot for my size,” Morgan said in February. “That would be a perfect fit.”
New Mexico defeated UNLV by a final score of 63-56 to win the 2013 Mountain West Tournament.
New Mexico's Tony Snell was named Tournament MVP, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammate Cameron Bairstow, UNLV's Anthony Bennett and Katin Reinhardt, and Colorado State's Colton Iverson.
New Mexico's Kendall Williams has been named the 2013 Mountain West Player of the Year.
Williams was joined on the All-Conference First Team by UNLV's Anthony Bennett, San Diego State's Jamaal Franklin, Colorado State's Colton Iverson and Michael Lyons of Air Force.
Bennett was also named Freshman of the Year, while teammate Khem Birch won Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Anthony Bennett is expected to play for UNLV on Saturday despite battling nerve inflammation in his left shoulder.
Bennett is being treated for brachial neuritis, a rare condition with no set timetable for recovery.
"I'm pretty sure the team could do well without me," Bennett said. "I can be tough and probably play through it. If you're hurt and you're really into the game, you're going to forget about it.
"I just don't want to aggravate it or make anything worse. If I play, it probably could get worse. I can't say for sure. I'm just taking this day to day."
Bennett is projected as a top-five pick in the June draft.
"My future is important, but I'm not really thinking about that too much," he said. "We have a real special thing in front of us."
Anthony Bennett is listed as day-to-day with nerve inflammation in his left shoulder.
“Right now we’re treating him as having brachial neuritis, which is exactly inflammation of the nerve group coming off your neck to the shoulder,” said UNLV team trainer Dave Tomchek.
Bennett underwent both an MRI and ultrasound and will be re-evaluated prior to the Runnin’ Rebels’ Saturday afternoon game against Nevada.
“We’ve determined there’s no structural damage in the shoulder; we’re taking care of the nerve and it’s going to be a day-to-day situation,” Tomchek said. “He’ll get treatment and proceed with activity as pain allows him. There’s no timetable as to when this is going to be completely gone.”
Anthony Bennett has averaged just 10 points and shot just two free throws over his last three games, all against Mountain West Conference opponents.
"It's a lot tougher," Bennett said of conference play. "They are just trying to stop me. They are going to do whatever it takes, if it's double-teaming or just being straight up physical with me. But I think I'm going to adjust to it soon, and hopefully it will get better."
UNLV coach Dave Rice said opponents have adjusted to Bennett’s skill set.
"Conference play is different in terms of how teams scout and in terms of how physical the games are. I think it's been a little bit of an adjustment for him," Rice said. "Anthony was fantastic in nonconference, and so teams are going to set their defense around him. He's the first person on their scouting report, so they're going to guard him hard and know where he is."
Bennett is still adapting to the physicality of college basketball on the offensive end.
"In high school, I never really had all that stuff," Bennett said. "We have a lot of weapons, but they feel like they need to double-team me to get the ball out of my hands, and it is what it is. I'm not going to try and force any shots or anything. I just want us to win."