Low expectations greet Lady Rebels

With a new coach and the loss of their best player to graduation, the Lady Rebels didn't expect to be picked very high in the Mountain West Conference basketball preseason poll.

But UNLV does return five seniors, including third-team all-conference selection Shamela Hampton, who hopes the program can far exceed expectations after it was picked seventh in the poll announced Tuesday at the league's media day at the Renaissance Las Vegas.

"I'm not shocked by it. We were battling for last place last year," Hampton said. "But we have every power to be in the top three this year."

For that to happen, Hampton will have to be a large part of the turnaround.

The center averaged 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season, when the Lady Rebels went 8-22 overall and 4-12 in conference play.

Hampton leads a UNLV team that finished tied for seventh in the league standings last season despite the presence of the conference's leading scorer, Sequoia Holmes, who has moved on to the WNBA's Houston Comets.

The program also lost coach Regina Miller, who was fired immediately after the season and replaced by former UNLV player and UCLA coach Kathy Olivier.

"It's OK," Olivier said of the seventh-place prediction. "I think that you can hopefully channel that in the right direction, and I think with five seniors, we're mature enough to do that."

It can be difficult for a coach to take over an experienced program, as seniors often are set in their ways, but Olivier is optimistic.

"I was nervous about that," she said. "I thought it was going to be tough, but they've been very open to what I have to say."

Along with Hampton, the next seven leading scorers behind Holmes from last season return. That list includes fellow seniors Dominique Harris and assists leader Brittany Halberg.

"We're being positive and working hard to become better as a team," Hampton said.

Utah, led by preseason Player of the Year Morgan Warburton, was picked to win the conference. San Diego State, Texas Christian and New Mexico finished in the next three spots, and all received at least two first-place votes.

Brigham Young and Wyoming finished fifth and sixth in the poll.

Only Colorado State and Air Force were picked behind UNLV.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@ reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.