June 4, 2008

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball team will get an early start to the 2008-09 season this month as it prepares for its summer foreign tour of Australia. The team's trip to the land Down Under will start on Monday, June 23. The Runnin' Rebels will play six exhibition games during their stay before returning to Las Vegas on Saturday, July 5.

Practices in preparation for the trip will begin on Tuesday, June 10. For practice times and locations, the public is encouraged to contact the men's basketball office at 702-895-3295. Media interested in covering the team from June 10-22 will need to make arrangements through the media relations office.

A public send-off for the Runnin' Rebels heading to Australia will be on Saturday, June 21 at 5 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. Admission is free and fans are encouraged to attend the practice and show support for the team.

Only returning letterwinners and redshirts are eligible to travel on the trip. Included in that group are 7-foot freshman center Beas Hamga and sophomore guard Tre'Von Willis, a transfer from Memphis, who both practiced with the team during the 2007-08 season. The games in Australia will mark the first time Hamga and Willis will see game action as members of the UNLV men's basketball team.

"We are looking forward to going on this tour," said head coach Lon Kruger. "It will be a great cultural experience along with an opportunity for this group to continue to grow together as a basketball team. It is also a chance for us to get a jump on the upcoming season with a good group of returners along with a couple of additions that will play a significant role."

An Australia Trip section of UNLVRebels.com is being created for fans to follow the trip's progress online and will be implemented before June 10. Features will include a blog, which will be updated daily and will include photos and videos, along with game recaps and stats as well as photo galleries and other relevant links.

UNLV finished the 2007-08 season with an overall record of 27-8 and lost to eventual national champion Kansas in the NCAA Tournament's second round. The appearance in the NCAA Tournament was the second straight for UNLV, which advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2007 and the first time that the Runnin' Rebels won games in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments since 1990 and 1991. UNLV finished second in the Mountain West Conference this past season with a 12-4 mark for the second consecutive year and won the conference tournament championship, also for the second straight time.

Kruger, who was named the 2007-08 MWC and USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year, will enter his fifth season at UNLV in 2008-09 after compiling a four-year mark of 91-42 (.684), including a record of 57-15 (.792) over the last two seasons. UNLV's 57 wins over the past two years ranks ninth in the country among teams that have played in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments and is the second-most victories over the last two years among teams in the West, only behind UCLA.

UNLV has a 15-game home win streak, which is the 11th-longest active streak in the country, has compiled a record of 38-3 at home over the last two seasons and has won 24 straight games against MWC opponents at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV loses only two players from last season's team - seniors Curtis Terry and Corey Bailey. The Runnin' Rebels will have four seniors on the 2008-09 roster in Wink Adams, Joe Darger, René Rougeau and Mareceo Rutledge (three of them starters) and return a total of seven letterwinners from last year, while welcoming six new faces. Several publications have listed UNLV in their early 2008-09 preseason Top 25 polls.

UNLV's 2008-09 non-conference schedule was announced on Monday and is available by clicking here. Also, it was announced Tuesday that non-donor season tickets for the 2008-09 basketball season will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18. Those may be purchased by calling 702-739-FANS (3267), online at UNLVTickets.com, the Thomas & Mack Center ticket office or any UNLVTickets outlet.

The on-sale date is two months earlier than last year's, which is a direct response to a high volume of fan interest and demand. Less than 1,300 seats are available in the lower level plaza of the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV'S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA SCHEDULE
Tuesday, June 10 - Practices start
Saturday, June 21 - Public Send-Off Practice, 5 p.m., Thomas & Mack Center
Monday, June 23 - Depart for Australia
Tuesday, June 24 - Cross International Dateline
Wednesday, June 25 - Arrive Sydney, city tour
Thursday, June 26 - Opera House tour, game vs. Sutherland Sharks
Friday, June 27 - Game vs. TBD
Saturday, June 28 - Game vs. West Sydney Razorbacks
Sunday, June 29 - Travel to Brisbane
Monday, June 30 - Surfer's Paradise tour, game vs. Queensland All-Stars
Tuesday, July 1 - Australia Zoo, game vs. South West Metro Pirates
Wednesday, July 2 - Travel to Cairns, game vs. Cairns Marlins
Thursday, July 3 - Free time
Friday, July 4 - Great Barrier Reef tour
Saturday, July 5 - Travel to Las Vegas

- Additionally, registration is ongoing for this summer's UNLV Runnin' Rebel Basketball Camps.

Day Camps will be offered from June 16-18 and August 4-6. Both camps will have three sessions. The first will be from 9 a.m. - noon (ages 8-10), the second will be from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (ages 11-13) and the third will be from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. (ages 14-18).

The UNLV Runnin' Rebel Basketball Camp is a fun and challenging learning resource for every player. Players of all levels will improve their skills through intense and detailed instruction on the proper execution of offensive skills and fundamentals. Players will receive individualized training from UNLV coaches, staff, players and high school and college coaches. Each camper will participate in individual contests and team competition as well as receive a camp T-shirt and ball.

The cost of each camp is $150 per session. June 14 is the registration cutoff for Camp 1, while Camp 2 needs to be registered for by August 2. For more information and to register online, visit the camp website, which can be accessed from the men's basketball page at UNLVRebels.com or directly at UNLVBasketballCamp.com. For more information, please call the UNLV men's basketball office at 702-895-3295.