UNLV lands gem in Israeli Mashour

Top college basketball recruits are assigned five stars. Karam Mashour is not ranked atop any of the many Internet lists, but it sounds as if the UNLV coaching staff has found a future star from Israel.

Mashour, a 6-foot-6-inch swingman, was a mystery early in the summer season. By the end of it, he was a wanted man.

Las Vegas Prospects coach Anthony Brown was one of the first witnesses to Mashour's talent.

"He's a steal," Brown said. "I think he's one of the top five small forwards in the country. I would like to see four who are better. I started getting a lot of questions about him in July."

Florida and UCLA were among the high-profile programs that caught on to Mashour, who opted to stay close to his family when he orally committed to Rebels coach Lon Kruger last week.

In February, Mashour visited Las Vegas, where he lived with his uncle, Jason Awad, and trained at Impact Basketball Academy, with hopes of playing at the college level.

He was a standout at a UNLV camp in June and attracted more admirers while playing for Brown in nine summer tournaments.

Mashour received academic clearance to attend UNLV and plans to begin classes Monday. If the NCAA approves his amateur status, as expected, he will be a scholarship player this season.

"The kid is so talented without any real coaching," Awad said. "He learned basketball in his grandmother's backyard. He loves the game, and he's very committed, very dedicated."

Brown compared Mashour with another former Prospects player, Olek Czyz, a 6-7 forward from Reno High School and a native of Poland. Czyz was not heavily recruited until he impressed on the summer circuit and signed with Duke. As a sophomore backup for the Blue Devils, he transferred to UNR in January.

"It took Olek 2½ years of playing American basketball to finally click. It took Karam six months," Brown said. "He's cut from the same cloth, but Karam is more talented.

"He's a high flyer, he shoots the 3, he handles it and he has a high basketball IQ. He's a high-major kid. He's a big, legit 6-6. But I don't want to say he's 6-7."

Brown said Mashour, who is a straight-A student and finished high school overseas, is still learning to speak English. With a veteran team returning for the Rebels, redshirting him for 2010-11 might be considered.

"I think it will be good for him," Brown said. "I think he's a year out, and I think it's the language."

Kruger had two scholarships open for this season. The other is tagged for 6-10 center Henry Buckley, who attended high school in Houston, signed with UNLV and went to prep school. Buckley is awaiting academic clearance before enrolling.

The Rebels' recruiting class for 2011 is led by Grandy Glaze, a 6-6 power forward from Canada and Notre Dame (Mass.) Prep. Kruger has two more scholarships available and numerous possibilities.

Prep point guard Jabarie Hinds from Mount Vernon, N.Y., is high on the priority list. Another recruiting option, Jahii Carson of Mesa, Ariz., committed to Arizona State on Saturday.

The Rebels' coaches are also looking at guards Spencer Dinwiddie (6-4, Woodland Hills, Calif.), Cezar Guerrero (6-0, Huntington Park, Calif.) and J.J. Thompson (6-0, Irving, Texas).

UNLV's top targets for 2012 are Bishop Gorman High teammates Shabazz Muhammad, a 6-5 guard, and Rosco Allen, a 6-8 forward, and Findlay Prep's Winston Shepard, a 6-7 forward.

Nigel Williams-Goss, a Findlay Prep guard, is a top local player in the 2013 class.

Brown has coached several Prospects players in the 2014 class that might surface on the Rebels' radar.

He named guards Darryl Gaynor (Palo Verde), Diontae Jones (Arbor View), Shaquille Carr (Canyon Springs) and Paris Estrada (Durango) as his most promising players.

"There is a ton of talent here. UNLV doesn't have to go very far," Brown said. "The local talent in Vegas the next three years is going to be pretty freakin' good."

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