UNLV’s Cornish to get chance to impress in Vaughn’s absence

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In games and in practices, with his hustle and sharp shooting, UNLV freshman guard Jordan Cornish has earned more playing time. He’s going to get it now.

“I think you’ll see he’s going to play major minutes and be a big part of what we do,” coach Dave Rice said. “This is not how I wanted it to happen.”

An injury to leading scorer Rashad Vaughn has created an opportunity for Cornish, but this is not how Cornish wanted it to happen, either.

Vaughn, a freshman guard who suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee Tuesday, might return for the Mountain West tournament in March. In the meantime, Rice is looking for a few good freshmen and one senior to give the Rebels a lift.

Senior guard Jelan Kendrick will fill Vaughn’s spot in the starting lineup when UNLV (14-10, 5-6) faces Air Force (11-13, 4-9) at 11 a.m. today at Clune Arena. Vaughn did not board the team’s flight to Denver on Friday, and he was missed.

“Everybody is down. We’re losing a big part of the team,” Cornish said. “But like Coach said, we’ve just got to keep moving forward and win ballgames.”

Kendrick has started 17 games this season and is scoring 5.7 points per game. Cornish, who has made one start, averages 4.8 points. Patrick McCaw, another freshman guard, averages 8.8 points and has made eight starts.

Rice is planning on McCaw, Kendrick, Cornish and freshman reserve Dwayne Morgan to boost their production in the absence of Vaughn, the Rebels’ top scorer at 17.8 points per game.

“It’s their time now and their opportunity to step up and make a difference,” Rice said. “We need other guys to step up, and I’m sure they will. We’re certainly going to need everybody.”

Vaughn’s injury caught everyone by surprise, including Vaughn. In the final minute of a 73-61 home victory over Fresno State on Tuesday, he drove to the basket and was fouled. Vaughn came away limping and grimacing in pain.

Rice walked over to ask Vaughn if he needed a substitute to shoot the free throws.

“I’m good, Coach,” Vaughn replied.

After Vaughn made two free throws, Rice sent in two subs with 59 seconds to play, pulling Vaughn and senior guard Cody Doolin for Cornish and freshman guard Dantley Walker. The substitutions were not recorded on the official play-by-play and Walker did not appear in the box score, but Walker did enter the game and Vaughn did go to the bench.

Vaughn’s knee injury was diagnosed Wednesday night and announced Thursday.

“He’s pretty upset about it,” said Cornish, who talked with Vaughn before the team left for Colorado. “Nobody can fill his role. No one guy can do it. I’m just being myself. It’s going to be a team thing. It’s going to be all seven or eight of us.”

Rice said Walker, a shooting specialist who has been the ninth player in the rotation, could see significant minutes down the stretch.

Cornish figures to get the biggest increase in playing time. He logged 11 minutes against Fresno State, hitting both of his 3-point attempts and scoring seven points. He is 22-for-44 from 3-point range, with one of his misses coming at the buzzer in UNLV’s 83-82 loss at Colorado State last Saturday.

“Jordan’s a guy who believes he’s a good player, and he is,” Rice said. “I love his confidence. I love the way he’s shooting the basketball.

“He provides scoring for us, and he plays hard. We have a quantitative way that we chart practice every day from an effort standpoint, and he’s always at the top of the list.”

In the Rebels’ 74-63 victory over the Falcons on Jan. 31 at the Thomas & Mack Center, sophomore forward Chris Wood led the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Kendrick had 15 points.

Seven games remain in UNLV’s regular season, and Cornish is confident it’s not a lost cause in Vaughn’s absence.

“We’re still thinking positive,” Cornish said. “It’s going to be all of us together. We’re trying to finish out this season strong.”

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.