Shaw eager for Act II with Rebels

In the distant future, Matt Shaw can picture himself on the big screen, ideally playing a comedic role.

"I see myself being an actor," he said. "I'm always watching movies, and always reciting lines from movies."

One of his favorite actors is Samuel L. Jackson, and Shaw has the best scenes from "Pulp Fiction" committed to memory. The film focuses on two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife and two bandits who cross paths in a tale of violence and redemption.

Maybe one day, Shaw, who was raised in Los Angeles, will take direction from Quentin Tarantino in a similar movie. For now, though, he's working on a script with coach Lon Kruger in a UNLV basketball story about redemption -- only far less twisted.

Shaw missed last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Meanwhile, the Rebels missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years, finishing 21-11 with a National Invitation Tournament loss at Kentucky.

Three senior starters have departed, and Shaw, a 6-foot-8-inch redshirt junior, is planning to fill a supporting role in the post as the big man UNLV desperately needs.

"I promise you, I think about that all the time," he said. "I'm dying to play. I think we've got to have an inside presence, and I've definitely tried to work harder on my moves on the inside.

"I definitely see things being done differently because of how last year finished. We expected to do a lot, and that was disappointing, but we took that to heart."

Shaw started seven games and played in all 35 during the 2007-08 season as the Rebels (27-8) reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds, scored in double figures in 10 games and shot 24-for-73 on 3-pointers.

But about three months after the season, as UNLV began practice for its exhibition tour in Australia, Shaw aggravated a right knee injury and had surgery in July. He needed almost a year of rehabilitation.

In recent weeks, Shaw said his knee has felt stronger than ever during pickup games on the UNLV campus.

"I've been going pretty hard on it lately. I'm feeling confident about the knee. I'm moving better, and I'm trusting it the more I play on it," he said. "It's stronger than it was before, but it's just the mental part I've got to get over."

The Rebels should be tougher in the middle this season. In addition to Shaw, 6-8 senior Darris Santee and 6-10 sophomore Brice Massamba return. Carlos Lopez, a 6-10 freshman from Findlay Prep, has the ability to add athleticism to the front line.

"I think all of them combined will give us a good presence inside," Kruger said. "We expect Matt to be back full speed."

Kruger can put a taller team on the floor. Derrick Jasper, a 6-6 point guard, and Chace Stanback, a 6-8 swingman, figure to handle major scoring and playmaking roles. Jasper (Kentucky) and Stanback (UCLA) sat out last season as transfers.

Junior shooting guard Tre'Von Willis, UNLV's top returning scorer, leads a backcourt that includes sophomore point guard Oscar Bellfield, junior Kendall Wallace and freshmen Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins.

Most of the guards are interchangeable, and the post situation is unclear, so expect Kruger to experiment with multiple lineups. Practice opens in October, but the best guess now is Jasper, Bellfield and Willis will start in a three-guard lineup with Stanback and Shaw.

"I really don't know how Coach wants to line up guys. I'm just as confused," Shaw said. "We have a lot of height. We've got bigger guards. But I just don't know how Coach is going to put that together."

According to Shaw, leadership could be a "collective team thing," but Jasper is emerging by organizing most of the summer activities.

"Derrick shows a lot of the qualities of a leader, and people respect him," Shaw said. "He's really talented and so unselfish at the same time. He can score and he's an incredible passer. He can do it all."

One question is whether Shaw can be a true post man. The beauty of his game is his ability to step outside and hit jumpers. But UNLV needs him to be more of a beast inside.

Shaw has cut his weight to 244 from a high of 260, and he wants to be playing at 235 pounds by the end of August.

"I definitely want to play inside, as well as outside, but mainly have a post presence," he said. "I feel I could be a post-up player. That's pretty much what I've been my whole life."

He has been practicing more on his post moves and thinking less about his potential career as an actor, saying, "To be honest, I haven't had that much money to go to the movies."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.

REBELS BEGIN MWC PLAY AT BYU, NEW MEXICO

Forget about UNLV easing into the Mountain West Conference portion of its schedule for the 2009-10 season. The Rebels open league play with road games against Brigham Young on Jan. 6 and New Mexico on Jan. 9.

"With two road games like that, it's a tough way to start," said Rebels coach Lon Kruger, entering his sixth season. "But we've got to play everybody twice, so it all evens out."

UNLV's first conference game at the Thomas & Mack Center is against San Diego State on either Jan. 12 or 13. The date will be determined by CBS College Sports, which is televising the game.

The MWC announced the men's basketball schedule Friday. UNLV, which released its nonconference schedule in May, will have all of its conference games televised.

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