Senior night brings memories for players, fans

March 5, 2009 by Matt Maxson 

Runnin’ Rebels reflect on their careers after last home game

They were the guys who made the Sweet 16. The ones that brought home two Mountain West Conference Championships. They were the players that made the NCAA Tournament during a rebuilding year.

These seniors led the Rebels to a win at Louisville, a sweep of Brigham Young and sold out the Thomas & Mack for the first time since 1993.

On Wednesday, the red carpet was rolled out for them one last time.

The Rebels beat the Air Force Falcons 46-43 in front of 14,943 fans in the Rebels’ regular season finale. It was the teams’ senior night, but one could hardly argue that their greatest memory will be a win over a team that’s winless in conference play.

Wink Adams, René Rougeau, Joe Darger, Mo Rutledge and Rob Ketchum walked out of the Thomas & Mack locker room for the last time, but not out of the building. Though each player was excited to defend their conference title on their home court, they each talked about their memorable moments during a career that revitalized college basketball in Las Vegas.

Adams, who was signed as the No. 2 point guard in the nation, enrolled at UNLV with the highest expectations of anyone in his class. 

He has yet to disappoint.

Though he admits that his senior season has given him his fair share of trials, he has grown each year as a player and as a leader.

“Every year I’ve progressed, I did a little more,” Adams said. “My senior year has been shaky, but I found time to hit shots and win games when I could.” 

“I want to be remembered as a hard-working player,” he said.

No matter how he is remembered on campus, Adams said that he’d take many memories with him when he leaves campus this summer. Of all the games he played in, though, none of them were more memorable than last year’s first round MWC Tournament matchup against TCU.

The Horned Frogs hit 73 percent of their 3-point field goals against the Rebels and led by two points with 13 seconds remaining. As Curtis Terry brought the ball to halfcourt an errant pass almost cost the Rebels the game and a chance at the NCAA Tournament.

“When they tipped it, I just hoped it went out of bounds so that someone on our team could get it, call time out or something,” Adams said.

The ball was called out of bounds on TCU and UNLV had one last chance to win the game. Adams took the feed in the paint, drove the lane, made the layup and got the foul.

“I really didn’t expect to hit [the shot],” Adams said. “I wanted to get as close to the basket as I could, since we were only down by one.” 

“My whole thing was either get to the basket for a layup or get fouled,” he said. “Both happened.”

His free throw would ice the win, and send the Rebels into tournament games against Utah and BYU on their way to back-to-back tournament championships.

It was a gut-wrenching victory for Adams who was relegated to the bench during another last-second victory, the Rebels’ win against Louisville on Dec. 31.

With 17 seconds left, freshman Oscar Bellfield drove the lane against Louisville’s center Samardo Samuels. Bellfield then cut to the basket and sank a layup that gave the Rebels a one-point lead. A rebound by Darger seconds later would seal the UNLV win.

“[My] nerves, tensed up,” Rougeau said. “With a lot of people watching on ESPN2, that’s definitely a game I’ll be telling my kids about.”

For Rougeau it’s just one of numerous games he’ll talk about after his collegiate career is over.

“The TCU game [in last year’s MWC Tournament] is definitely one I’ll remember,” Rougeau said. “Then going to the Sweet 16, and watching from the bench when we beat Wisconsin. Even this year winning at BYU – that has probably been the highlight of this season.”

One of the biggest highlights of this season is Rougeau. He is constantly lauded about his rise from walk-on to starter, but his toughness on the court has made him a workhorse for the Rebels this season. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Jay Bilas, 10 days after witnessing Rougeau’s team-high 17 points against Louisville, named the Rebel to his list of college basketball’s toughest players.

“[My career] just really was a dream come true,” Rougeau said. “Just throughout the years, the journey to UNLV and becoming a walk on, to then actually getting playing time when coach had enough faith in me to step up.”

But for head coach Lon Kruger, there’s always been one player who wasn’t afraid to step (about five inches) up. The 6-foot-7 Darger hardly has the ferocious height and size of a post player, but in his final two seasons he has taken the new role without complaint.

“I came in here thinking I was going to play more of a three position and expand my game that way, but I went to the post more,” Darger said. “That’s something I’ll have to learn at the next level. I plan on playing somewhere after this, it’s something I’ll have to work on when I get there.”

The versatility that Darger picked up in Las Vegas will make him a valuable commodity in whichever professional league that he ends up playing for.

Though Darger, Rougeau and Adams make up the Rebels’ starting seniors, Rutledge and Ketchum have had roles in the team’s success.

Rutledge, a versatile swingman, has provided momentous sparks in his role as the first person off the bench. From behind the arc he has shot 46 percent this season, including a perfect 3-for-3 outing during the Feb. 21 home game against BYU, where he set a career-high 13 points.

Kruger has rewarded Rutledge’s success, by letting the senior have a larger role during the game. Since Jan. 21 he has never played less than 10 minutes.

Ketchum has been a player who has been a silent contributor. A redshirt senior, who was ineligible due to NCAA transfer rules until this semester, has played in only four games and has scored as many points. 

Though Kruger has said time-and-again how instrumental Ketchum has been in practice, fans will remember him most for the Feb. 14 game against Colorado State. With the Rebels one away from breaking the 90-point threshold and getting all the fans free tacos from Del Taco, Ketchum held the ball and let time expire. 

Though it was without a doubt the correct thing to do, it may have been the only moment in Rebels’ history that fans were in upheaval after a win.

But after Wednesday’s win, the fans were simply on their feet giving the Rebels respect for their accomplishments on and off the court.

Though the season may be far from over, it was a great opportunity for the UNLV seniors to leave the Thomas & Mack one last time with the taste of victory as they prepare for a postseason that will test players and fans.