Ethridge embraces doing the ‘dirty work’ for Lady Rebels

UNLV women’s basketball guard Justice Ethridge is naturally a quiet person. She’ll admit that herself.

Despite not being the loudest or flashiest player on the floor, when the team interacts with its fan base, many say Ethridge is their favorite player.

Why do so many of their supporters gravitate toward one of their quieter players? Coach Lindy La Rocque believes she knows why.

“Our fans respect good basketball and Justice plays good basketball,” La Rocque said. “She does the little things and, as fans of sports, you admire the person that does the dirty work. She does a lot of that for our team.”

Ethridge has established herself as a starter in UNLV’s lineup by being a defense-oriented guard.

She flourished in her role last season, earning a nod to the Mountain West’s all-defensive team and holding opposing players to an average of eight points per game while forcing more than two turnovers per game.

The 5-foot, 9-inch senior guard has embraced her role of setting the tone on defense. How she’s gone about it goes with her quiet demeanor.

“I’m definitely more of a lead by example type of person,” Ethridge said. “I don’t say much, but I’m always going to work hard and do everything that the team needs in order for us to win.”

Ethridge came to UNLV in 2018 as a decorated high school player, leading Centennial High School to four consecutive state championships and earning Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year honors her senior season.

When it came to choosing schools, Ethridge — born and raised in Las Vegas — said she wanted to stay home and be a part of building a winner at UNLV.

In her first two seasons with the Lady Rebels, Ethridge appeared in 57 games off the bench, where she began to develop her defensive identity.

Current assistant coach Mia Bell was on the staff when Ethridge joined UNLV. She said Ethridge was unfazed by any challenge that was presented.

“As a freshman, you could coach her hard, you could get on her,” Bell said. “There is no moment that is too big for her. She’s ready to go whenever her number is called.”

Ethridge stayed with the program as it went through a coaching change following her sophomore season, as La Rocque was hired shortly after the season ended.

But with the circumstances at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ethridge decided to opt-out of the season due to a personal matter. While she wasn’t practicing or involved with the day-to-day activities of the team, she regularly checked in with La Rocque about what she was seeing while she watched every game.

When she did return her biggest challenge was getting back into game shape. Ethridge also faced a learning curve with a new coach and so many new players on the team. But once she did return, she said fitting in with the new cast went well and they had great chemistry from the beginning.

Ethridge learned early on at UNLV that she would find time on the court by working hard and filling the voids the team needed. That approach has proven to be successful in helping Ethridge thrive at UNLV.

“I’m a very observant person,” Ethridge said. “I see what’s needed on the team and what’s already there, so I like to fill in those places.”

Bell has seen Ethridge grow as a player and also come out of her shell with her teammates. She said Ethridge’s commitment to winning has made her a great player and that will continue past her playing career.

“Justice is going to be successful off the court,” Bell said. “Don’t be surprised if the kid is running a multi-million dollar company one day. That’s how her mind works, so I’m excited to see it.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.