Big things expected of Shaw

Shaw suddenly is attracting a lot of attention, and is about to see a lot more minutes on the floor as the Rebels’ only center.

Unhappy with his playing time in UNLV’s season opener Friday, 6-foot-10-inch Emmanuel Adeife angrily voiced his complaints and was dismissed from the basketball team Saturday after meeting with coach Lon Kruger.

Adeife’s career with the Rebels lasted one game. As a result, Shaw will get the first start of his career at 7:30 p.m. today, when UNLV (1-0) hosts Division II Dixie State at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"It’s a big responsibility," Shaw said. "I’m starting to realize it’s going to be tough, but I’m excited about it and I’m willing to put up a good fight. Everybody has told me it’s time to step up. I think I can do it."

After Adeife, a junior college transfer, was let go, Kruger called a team meeting Sunday.

"We don’t want any selfishness on the team and we want everybody to be positive," Shaw said after the meeting.

"Me and (Adeife) were friends. I was surprised that it happened, and I’m sorry that it happened that way, but in the end we’ve got to do what’s best for the team."

Adeife started at center and played 16 minutes in the Rebels’ 76-65 victory over Montana State. He finished with six points, four rebounds and four blocked shots.

The 6-8 Shaw played 23 minutes in the season opener and had six points and five rebounds. He is listed as a forward on the roster but he becomes a center now, and the only players who can back him up at that spot are forwards — 6-7 Joe Darger, 6-8 Lamar Roberson and 6-6 Rene Rougeau.

"I honestly think we’ll be OK," Shaw said. "We won’t have the shot-blocking presence that (Adeife) had, but on defense I think we’ll be real scrappy. It’s a big loss, but we’re going to make some adjustments and compensate for it."

Kruger and his staff are working on ways to alter the Rebels’ style of play. When facing an opponent with a dominant big man, Kruger will have to use more zone defense.

But for the most part, UNLV will extend its man-to-man defense and do more pressing and trapping.

"I think we’ll have a lot of smaller lineups on the floor, obviously. We don’t have too many options with big lineups," Kruger said. "These guys will adjust to it. We’ve got to compete like crazy and fly around and all rebound as a committee.

"We weren’t very big to start with and we’re down another big guy, so we’ll have to do things differently. This is a good challenge for Matt."

Shaw appeared in 21 games as a freshman with the Rebels and averaged 1.3 points and 4.1 minutes per game.

His weight got as high as 257 pounds last season, but he said he spent the summer running and revamping his eating habits and is down to 230.

"I’ve got to make sure my conditioning is the best it can get so I can play those minutes," Shaw said. "I can’t afford to be tired out there with nobody else to back me up. As long as I play smart but play aggressive, I think I can get through it without fouling.

"Not being as tall as most centers, it’s going to be tougher for me. I’ve got to work extra hard to guard every center."

• NOTES — UNLV defeated Dixie State 70-37 in an exhibition game last year. This is the first regular-season meeting between the teams since 1959. … Kruger said sophomore point guard Marcus Lawrence, who was held out of Friday’s game for academic reasons, will play today. … All balcony tickets for the game are $7.

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