Senior Gaston Essengue rejected a shot attempt by Colorado State's arboreal center, swatting the ball back into his face, right in front of the arena's wildest sections—110, 111, 112, 113—comprising nothing but UNLV students, who stood up to offer their team's five seniors a proper ovation during the pregame senior-night ceremonies, and who did not sit down again until a time-out break at 7:45 in the first half, with their Rebels up 17 to 11—standing not in silence, mind you, but quite the contrary: standing while clapping and screaming and heckling the Colorado State players, those poor Rams, who looked as if they had no idea the kind of sea they were delving into when they arrived
R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS! "It was a great turnout," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said after the game. "Just a great turnout. Before the game the team talked about that more than anything else, and you could see the energy they got from the crowd. We came out with a lot of energy."
It's true. The Runnin' Rebels set the tone right from the tip-off with their defensive intensity, stealing passes (nine by game's end), blocking shots (16 in all, 13 by Essengue and Anthony), causing turnovers (22) and making life hell for the Rams on the offensive end of the court. The white sea rumbled:
R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS!
The Rebels kept the crowd roaring in the second half, building a 47-32 lead on the animalistic defense of guys like Michael Umeh, the lone senior on the team who's spent all four of his collegiate years with UNLV, and thus knows what it's like playing without the support of Las Vegas, a town which loves winners only. Colorado State made their inevitable run in the second half, chopping UNLV's lead down to single digits (47-38) with nine minutes to go; but the Rebels clamped down on defense, and three minutes later they gained total control, 55 to 39.
And then, over the arena's PA system, the fans were informed of what they already sensed, what they were all talking about as they mingled on the concourse, and what they all could see from their seats when they looked around the Thomas & Mack—that tonight's crowd was the biggest of the past 24 years: 18,067 in total. And yet, in response to the official number, the students ignited the wave, which made its way full-circle, carrying with it a general physical feeling of excitement, of festivity and of pride.
It swept up Sean "Whoop-Ass" Minagil, a senior at UNLV and former sports editor of the campus newspaper, who grounded himself for a moment to characterize the game at the Thomas & Mack with consideration:
"It was a spectacle I've never seen at UNLV, either before or since I've been a student. For two reasons, really: A) the size of the crowd—it was packed. And B) the intensity in the arena. I mean, couldn't you feel it?"
As the team's leader, Kevin Kruger, the coach's son and also a senior, ensured that the Rebels maintained their lead until he was subbed out with two minutes to go and with the game already decided. He received an ovation from the crowd, the student section of which had been standing the entire half. Then, one by one, the team's other four seniors were taken out, each to a hero's salute:
R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS!
It was a fun and boisterous Saturday night—a 65-47 victory for UNLV, which for the first time since the Shark's departure in 1992 has earned such prodigious fanfare.
Which is why Coach Kruger is overjoyed to be hosting the Mountain West Conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack this week, where his team will try to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.
"It's gonna be great to have it here," he says, no doubt mindful that his team is 16 and 1 at home this year. "I know the community is ready for it."
R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS! R-E-E-E-BELS!