GETTING DOWN TO WORK

A day after all of the pomp and circumstance that was "FirstLook," the UNLV men's basketball team got to work with a Saturday morning practice at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The most intriguing part of the session was a 5-on-4 drill where the group with four players would try to stop the group of five from scoring, then transition into offense on the other end of the floor. Rene Rougeau looked like, well, Rene Rougeau. He was very active defensively, deflecting several passes and coming up with an emphatic blocked shot.

DeShawn Mitchell also stood out in the drill. The freshman from New Jersey is incredibly athletic and he showed it. He flew in from the wing for a tip-in of a missed shot, then moments later got a steal and converted it into a one-handed dunk.

The 5-on-5 drills have the team divided into a red, black and white group.

The five players in red would have to be considered, at least at this point, the projected starting lineup.

That group is Wink Adams and Tre'Von Willis in the backcourt, with Rene Rougeau and Joe Darger as the forwards. Junior college transfer Darris Santee is playing in the post with the group.

He said his plan was to just come in and show what he was capable of as a player.

"I expected to come in and work hard and just show what I could do," he said.

Santee is currently anchoring a position that is suddenly deep. Last year, Darger was forced to play in the post because the program had no true centers. This year, Santee is joined at the position by Beas Hamga and Brice Massamba.

"It's real good to have competition," he said. "Having a good defensive player like Beas and a tough guy like Brice can only help me in the games."

Toward the end of practice, the three groups rearranged and split into two groups for a full-court, fast-paced 3-on-3 competition.

As it began, Scott Hoffman clapped and told his group, "This is our drill."

He was right. Hoffman's black squad won each of the two games, which were played up to 11.

INJURY UPDATES

Derrick Jasper again did not participate in practice, but did look good shooting around afterward. Willis twisted his ankle and left the drills for just a few plays. He returned limping, but was fine by the end of the session.

ROUGEAU LEAVES PRACTICE

Rougeau exited a drill and headed back to the locker room with approximately 30 minutes remaining in the practice.

The sight ordinarily would have been terrifying to UNLV fans.

There is no cause for concern, however, as Rougeau was just leaving to participate in homecoming activities.

The senior is nominated for homecoming king, which will be announced during halftime of tonight's football game against Air Force.

"It's great anytime the kids can be involved in activities on campus," coach Lon Kruger said.

The coach added that he would be at Sam Boyd Stadium to see how the voting turns out.

"We'll be out there rooting him on," he said.

Kendall Wallace took Rougeau's place in the lineup with Willis, Adams, Darger and Santee for the remainder of the drills.