UNLV’s Kris Clyburn prepares for final regular-season game

When coach Marvin Menzies was putting together a program on the scrap heap that was UNLV basketball in 2016, the first recruit to tell him he was all in was Kris Clyburn.

“I could tell (Menzies) was a great person,” Clyburn said. “One of the assistant coaches at my junior college (Rodney Heard) was real good friends with him, so he told me about him. So on a gut feeling, I took a chance.”

Now Clyburn will play his final UNLV regular-season game at 1 p.m. Saturday against Colorado State at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado. ESPN3 will stream the game between UNLV (16-13, 10-7 Mountain West) and the Rams (12-18, 7-10).

Clyburn has made tremendous strides since not only his sophomore year, but last season as well. He lost his starting job during that season to Tervell Beck and didn’t get it back.

Not only did Clyburn reclaim the No. 3 guard position with a strong preseason training camp, he kept it and even raised his play in Mountain West competition. He averages a team-high 13.7 points as well as 5.3 rebounds, with those numbers at 14.6 and 6.0 against conference teams.

“The last two seasons, I felt I sold myself short,” Clyburn said. “So that was one of the main things going into this season, to be able to contribute in all ways, stay confident and be there for my team.”

He has always been athletic, and Clyburn has shown that explosiveness at times by completing fast breaks with dunks. But he is known more for the back-door layups that occur seemingly every game.

It was formerly known at UNLV as the Marion Cut for former Rebels great Shawn Marion, who played 16 seasons in the NBA. But as Clyburn kept converting on back-door layup after back-door layup, UNLV coaches began to call it the Clyburn Cut.

“I look at the point guard,” Clyburn said. “Once they drive, I know my defender’s looking because they’re focused on them getting downhill. So I go back door. If it’s there, it’s there. If it’s not, I go to the other side.

“I’m really surprised it’s been working this many times, especially in a game like two or three times. I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be used it by now.’”

Menzies said it’s a difficult play for opponents to defend.

“That’s an instinct deal where you understand the spacing on the floor and have a connectivity with the guy passing the ball,” Menzies said. “That’s the kind of the thing the Martin twins (at UNR) have with each other.”

Menzies is happy that Clyburn has been pulling off that move wearing a Rebels uniform.

At the time Menzies took over, it was mid-April and recruiting options were bare. He knew he had to find players wherever he could get them, and Clyburn was one of the better prospects.

He helped lead Ranger (Texas) College to the junior college national semifinals, averaging 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds.

Then Clyburn chose UNLV.

“He didn’t actually take an official visit,” Menzies said. “It was relationship based like with most of the guys that we brought in (that first year). With the state of the union, I had to draw on some favors and past experiences with guys that felt comfortable sending players to me.”

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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.