Rebels trying to find right fit

It might be difficult to predict UNLV's starting five from game to game this season. The only certainty is that junior Wink Adams will be one of the five as long as he's healthy.

Adams' position might change, though. Most comfortable -- and most valuable to the team -- as a shooting guard, Adams will handle point guard duties more than he did last season.

Rebels coach Lon Kruger is no blackjack dealer, but he said he is prepared to shuffle his lineup whenever needed.

"There will be a lot of different starting lineups," said Kruger, who started four seniors with Adams last season. "It's matchups and it's who's playing well and playing with confidence.

"The thing Wink does best is score, and we don't want to do anything to inhibit that."

Adams will start in the backcourt with senior Curtis Terry when UNLV hosts Division II Washburn in an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Terry is capable of running the point, and he and Adams will have interchangeable roles when they're on the floor together.

Senior Corey Bailey and junior Joe Darger will start at the forward spots with 6-foot-10-inch junior Emmanuel Adeife at center.

Adams was the only player to start all 37 games for the Rebels last season, when Kevin Kruger started at the point. Because of injuries to Kruger, Marcus Lawrence started seven games at point guard.

Kevin Kruger was one of five seniors to graduate from a 30-7 team, leaving Adams, Terry and Lawrence as the candidates to replace him. Lawrence, a sophomore from Bishop Gorman High School, is likely to see his share of starts this season.

"Over the summer, I worked on ball handling and being a leader and running the team," said Adams, estimating he will play the point less than 50 percent of the time. "I'm getting more comfortable every day.

"Marcus is our best point guard right now. It could be anybody starting any night, depending on who we're playing. We're kind of an undersized team and sometimes we want to go small. Hopefully by the time conference starts, we'll have our true starting five."

UNLV opens the regular season Friday against Montana State at the Thomas & Mack.

The Rebels play 14 nonconference games, 11 at home, before opening the Mountain West Conference schedule Jan. 5 at Colorado State.

Adams scored a game-high 17 points last season as UNLV beat Washburn 83-55 in a regular-season game.

"Anytime you lose five seniors, you don't expect to come back and be improved right away," Lon Kruger said. "We hope to be improved by the end of the year. I think we've accomplished a lot in the last few weeks since practice started."

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