Notes .....................................................................................94 DeparteD pLaYers ....................................................................... 96 statistics................................................................................97 resuLts...................................................................................98 poiNts-rebouNDs-assists.............................................................. 99 Game-bY-Game stats ................................................................... 100 HiGHs aND Lows ........................................................................101 mouNtaiN west review ................................................................102 box scores.............................................................................. 103 2015-16 2015-16 REVIEW 93 2015-16 SeaSon noteS rice era comes to a cLose Dave Rice was in his fifth season as the head men’s basketball coach at UNLV when he resigned on Jan. 10 ... He had a career head coaching record of 98-54 ... In 2011, he returned to the school where he was part of the 1990 National Championship team as a player, was a Rhodes Scholar candidate while earn- ing his bachelor’s degree in political science (UNLV ‘91), earned his master’s of business administration (UNLV ‘93) and served as a Runnin’ Rebel assistant coach for 11 seasons (1991-92 & 1994-2004) ... Rice led the team to 98 victories during his time leading the program, finishing third on the all-time UNLV chart for head coaching wins ... Rice led the Runnin’ Rebels to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013, recruited and coached two first-round NBA Draft picks (No. 1 overall pick in 2013 - Anthony Bennett and No. 17 overall in 2015 – Rashad Vaughn) and two other second-round picks (No. 38 and 41 overall in 2016 - Patrick McCaw and Stephen Zimmerman Jr.) ... He also led the Runnin’ Rebels to Patrick McCaw 10 wins over ranked opponents, including then-No. 1 Ike Nwamu North Carolina and then-No. 3 Arizona. 2015-16 seasoN The Runnin' Rebels finished the 2015-16 season iNterim HeaD coacH toDD simoN aLL-mouNtaiN west UNLV sophomore guard Patrick McCaw was named with an overall record of 18-15 after falling to Fresno Todd Simon, who was an associate head coach with to the coaches' second-team All-Mountain West State in the Mountain West Tournament Quarterfinals the program, became the interim head coach when squad as well as to the all-defensive team ... McCaw ... UNLV finished tied for sixth in the Mountain West Dave Rice resigned ... Simon was in his third season was also recognized by the media as second team regular-season standings with a 8-10 mark in confer- on the staff and was in his first as associate head All-MW, while teammate Stephen Zimmerman Jr., a ence play ... Patrick McCaw and Stephen Zimmerman coach ... He returned to campus after spending seven freshman forward, received honorable mention by Jr., were each selected in the NBA Draft's second years with the area’s elite Findlay Prep program, the media. round - McCaw was picked No. 38 by the Golden including the last year as its head coach ... He also State Warriors, while Zimmerman Jr. went to the had a previous stint with the Runnin’ Rebels as he Orlando Magic at No. 41 ... McCaw led the Runnin' was a video assistant from 2004-06 under Lon Kruger Nabc aLL-District 17 UNLV sophomore Patrick McCaw was selected sec- Rebels in scoring at 14.7 points per game and was before joining the Pilots ... A 2003 graduate of Central ond team All-District 17 by the National Association of selected second team All-Mountain West by both the Michigan, Simon, earned his master’s from UNLV Basketball Coaches. coaches and the media ... He was also named to the in 2010 ... He was 9-8 as interim head coach of the league's all-defensive team as well as second team Runnin’ Rebels. NABC All-District 17 ... Zimmerman Jr., who averaged 80 or more poiNts - 13-3 When scoring 80 or more points during the 2015-16 10.5 ppg and led the team in rebounding at 8.7 per Nwamu cHaNGes Number season, UNLV went 13-3. The Runnin’ Rebels started contest, earned honorable mention all-conference UNLV senior guard Ike Nwamu changed his uniform the season 10-0 when scoring 80 or more, before los- honors by the media ... Derrick Jones Jr., who aver- number to 34 and wore it for the remainder of the ing 87-83 at New Mexico on Feb. 2. aged 11.5 ppg signed a free-agent contract with the season in memory of his former teammate Jibri Bryan, NBA's Phoenix Suns. who was shot and killed on Feb. 2 ... Nwamu and Bryan, who wore No. 34 at Mercer, were teammates from 2012-15, which included the team that upset Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. ruNNiN’ rebeLs to tHe Nba Patrick McCaw (sophomore) and Stephen Zimmerman 2015-16 2015-16 REVIEW Jr. (freshman) both declared early for the 2016 NBA Draft ... McCaw was selected in the second round with the 38th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors, while Zimmerman Jr. was taken with the 41st overall pick by the Orlando Magic ... Derrick Jones Jr. (fresh- man) also declared early ... He went undrafted but signed a free-agent contract with the Phoenix Suns ... UNLV has had two first-round NBA Draft picks in the last four season (No. 1 overall pick in 2013 – Anthony Bennett; and Rashad Vaughn - Nov. 17 overall pick in 2015) ... The Runnin' Rebels have now had four players taken in the NBA Draft in the last four years. Derrick Jones Jr. Coaches Dave Rice and Todd Simon 94 2015-16 SeaSon noteS LarGest marGiN oF victorY iN mw Game UNLV’s 36-point win (100-64) on Jan. 16 over Air Force marked its largest margin of victory in a Mountain West game in program history ... The Runnin’ Rebels have won two other games by 34 points in MW play: vs. San José State (74-40) on Jan. 10, 2015, and vs. TCU (83-49) on Jan. 8, 2011. 3rD HiGHest scoriNG avG. iN Last 20 Yrs UNLV's 2015-16 scoring average of 78.2 points per game ranks as the third-highest scoring average over the last 20 years ... The only seasons higher over that span: 1999-00 (82.2 ppg) and 2001-02 (78.3 ppg). tripLe-DiGit scoriNG UNLV scored 100 or more on six occasions during the 2015-16 season: vs. New Mexico Highlands (107), vs. South Dakota (103), vs. Air Force (100), at Fresno State (104, 2OT), vs. Nevada, Reno (102, OT) and vs. Air Force (108, 3OT) in the Mountain West Tournament ... The last time UNLV scored 100 in six Stephen Zimmerman Jr. or more games in a season was in 1990-91 (14). Ben Carter tHree straiGHt Games scoriNG 80 Near proGram-recorD Free tHrows a wiNNiNG proGram UNLV had its streak of scoring at least 80 points in UNLV nearly eclipsed its program record for free- UNLV has recorded a winning record in 54 of its 58 three straight games (86 vs. New Mexico, 100 vs. throw percentage in a game on Jan. 16 vs. Air Force years of existence ... In addition, UNLV has won 20 Air Force and 80 at Utah State) snapped at UNR on when it made 95.0 percent of its tries (19 of 20) ... The games 37 times, including eight of the last 10 sea- Jan. 23 ... It marked the first time since the 1999-2000 Runnin’ Rebel record for free-throw percentage in a sons, and has had a record of above .500 in each of season that the Runnin’ Rebels scored in the 80s in game is 96.2 (25 of 26) vs. UC Irvine on Feb. 4, 1988. the last 20. three straight conference games ... The last time they had four straight games in the 80s during conference seaGears ties 3-poiNt pct. recorD at tHe tHomas & mack ceNter play was in 1992-93 ... UNLV scored 80 or more in 10 Jerome Seagears made all five of his 3-point attempts The Runnin’ Rebels finished their 33rd season in of its 17 games to close out the season ... The Runnin’ vs. Air Force on Jan. 16, scoring a then-season-high the Thomas & Mack Center in 2015-16 ... UNLV has Rebels finished with a 13-3 record when scoring at 17 points ... That tied the UNLV record for 3-point posted an all-time record of 458-101 (.819) in the least 80 points. percentage in a game with three other former Runnin’ arena since it opened in 1983 ... The Runnin’ Rebels Rebels, who all were 5 of 5 from 3-point range have the best all-time home-court win percentage in DoubLe-DoubLes (Jermaine Lewis, Stacey Augmon and Freddie Banks). the Mountain West. Stephen Zimmerman Jr. had recorded a double-dou- ble in four of seven games before his injury at Fresno two mw pLaYers oF tHe week atteNDaNce State on Feb. 6 ... In his first game back - Feb. 27 vs. UNLV players earned two Mountain West weekly hon- UNLV has been in the nation's top 25 in attendance Wyoming - he scored 12 points with 11 rebounds for ors during the 2015-16 season ... Patrick McCaw took in six of the last eight years. The Runnin' Rebels' his 10th double-double of the season ... He finished home the first one on Nov. 30 after his performance 2015-16 attendance ranked 34th in the country (3rd the year with 11. in the Maui Invitational, while Ike Nwamu earned the in the West: states of Washington, Oregon, California, second one on Dec. 7, which was after UNLV's game Arizona, Nevada). 2015-16 REVIEW vs. Oregon. ike Nwamu Ike Nwamu was selected to the slam dunk roster for the 28th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, which was held at Berry Center in Cypress, Texas, near the NCAA Final Four. He was one of one of eight men's college basketball players chosen for the event that aired live on ESPN.