California shooting guard commits to UNLV
After a lot of thought, Katin Reinhardt reached a conclusion late Wednesday night and called off his trip to Texas.
"There was nothing else I could say or think. I just felt it was the right decision," he said. "I was so happy."
He relayed his decision and made an oral commitment to UNLV coach Dave Rice, who promised to keep the secret until Reinhardt could announce it Thursday morning on Twitter.
Reinhardt, a 6-foot-5-inch guard from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei High School, is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 43 player in the class of 2012.
He said he "juggled" the Rebels and Longhorns as his top choices before canceling an official visit to Texas next week.
"I called Coach Rice and said, ‘Let’s get this done.’ I couldn’t pass this up," Reinhardt said. "The relationship I have with Coach Rice is great. I can’t wait to join that whole team and that coaching staff and try to win a championship. Hopefully, UNLV basketball will be back at the top."
Reinhardt starred for the Belmont Shore AAU team in the Fab 48 tournament at Bishop Gorman High in late July, and the fan support he received made a major impression.
"The fan base in Vegas is awesome. Those fans are great, and I’m happy that people like me," he said. "The way the whole program is going, and it’s going in the right direction, hopefully a few other people being recruited by UNLV will want to come, too."
Reinhardt said he’s "really close" to Bishop Gorman seniors Rosco Allen and Ben Carter, two of the Rebels’ top recruiting targets.
"I’m hoping they come along," Reinhardt said.
Rice, hired as UNLV’s coach in April, has three more scholarships available for the class of 2012. Daquan Cook, a point guard from St. Frances High in Baltimore, was the first to commit last month.
Reinhardt is a smooth ballhandler with impressive shooting range and the strength to drive to the rim. He has been compared to Jimmer Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer at Brigham Young last season.
A former BYU assistant who tutored Fredette, Rice told Reinhardt he could fill a Fredette-type role in the Rebels’ up-tempo offense.
"I guess when people say I’m Jimmer Fredette-like, that’s cool," Reinhardt said. "But I want to make a name for myself. Coach Rice is recruiting me to play point guard, not just a shooting guard. I’ll be kind of a 1-2 combo guard, and I like the freedom I’ll have in the offense. For me, it’s all about the team. I’m not a selfish guy when I play."
After committing to Southern California on New Year’s Eve, Reinhardt reconsidered and de-committed in May. He took an unofficial visit to UNLV last week.
He said he also considered St. John’s and Washington State, among other schools, but the toughest call he had to make was to Texas coach Rick Barnes.
"That was hard. It’s hard to make a decision when you’re close to a lot of coaching staffs," he said. "It’s got to be the best decision for you and not what everybody else thinks."
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.