Layoff still hurting Cage

A knee injury sidelined Troy Cage for the first six weeks of UNLV's basketball season, and it still bothers him. Physically, he's fine, but he regrets the lost time.

The 6-foot-5-inch freshman guard was unable to prove his worth in November and December. As a result, he sat on the bench for almost all of January.

Cage had surgery Oct. 12 to repair a partially torn tendon in his left knee. He did not appear in a game until Dec. 22.

"That was a big setback for me," he said. "The knee injury held me back a lot, but I can't just blame that."

Rebels coach Lon Kruger has used nine players on a consistent basis, with Matt Shaw, Kendall Wallace, Marcus Lawrence and Mareceo Rutledge getting the most action off the bench. Cage is OK with being No. 10 on the priority list -- at least for now.

Only 175 pounds when he arrived at UNLV, Cage, who redshirted last season, has his weight up to 190. Kruger wants him to get stronger in the offseason so he can be more physical next season.

"I understand what Coach is trying to do, and what the team is trying to do," Cage said. "Me getting eight minutes or not playing at all, I'm happy as long as the team wins.

"This summer is going to be major. I thought I was working hard last summer, but obviously not. I'm going to go twice as hard this summer and try to get a lot better and stronger."

Cage has played in five games, totaling 11 points and 30 minutes. He was on the court for six minutes Saturday night in UNLV's 79-60 victory over New Mexico. That was just the second time in eight games he got off the bench.

Kruger distributed playing time more freely in nonconference games. He has tightened his rotation during the Mountain West Conference schedule, which the Rebels continue Wednesday at Utah.

"The opportunity for minutes in November is a lot broader than in February," Kruger said. "Being out from October into December, that's a tough time period to overcome. That's a critical time because everyone else is making progress every day and getting comfortable."

• ADAMS WINS AWARD -- Junior guard Wink Adams was named the conference's co-Player of the Week after leading the Rebels to two victories. He shared the award with Brigham Young's Lee Cummard.

Adams had 24 points against New Mexico, and scored 25 Wednesday in a 70-58 win at Texas Christian.

"Wink has put in a lot of extra hours, and the result of that has been a really good stretch of play -- as good overall as he's had in 21/2 years," Kruger said.

During an early-season shooting slump, Adams said he dedicated himself more, and a comment from assistant coach Lew Hill helped.

"At the beginning of the season, I was having a little trouble getting into the gym, and you could tell it was affecting my game," Adams said. "Other things off the court were kind of sidetracking me.

"Coach Hill told me, 'As much as you put into basketball, that's what basketball gives to you.' That's something I remembered."

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