UNLV Rebels guard David Jenkins Jr. (5) takes a shot over Montana State Bobcats guard Kellen Tynes (24) during the Rebels’ season opener at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020.
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020 | 2 a.m.
UNLV’s last basketball game was so long ago, junior guard David Jenkins can barely remember it — and he scored 25 points that night.
After spending most of the month in limbo due to a COVID-19 outbreak, UNLV announced Tuesday it will resume practicing on Jan. 4. That’s welcome news for a team that hasn’t played since winning at Kansas State on Dec. 5 or practiced since going on a program-wide “pause” on Dec. 15.
The players are certainly excited to get back on the court and resume this most unusual season, even as Jenkins has to strain to recall details of their most recent game.
“It feels like it was three months ago,” Jenkins said with a laugh. “When we beat Kansas State we wanted to use that game as a momentum swing for us and build on that and get the next couple games as well. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that because of COVID-19, but we’re still going to try to use that as momentum as we get into these conference games.”
UNLV’s final two non-conference home dates were canceled due to positive coronavirus tests, and subsequent series against Mountain West opponents Wyoming and San Diego State were postponed indefinitely. There have been no workouts, meetings or practices since then.
It has been a tough three weeks for UNLV as players and coaches alike contracted the virus. T.J. Otzelberger announced on Dec. 16 that he was positive, prompting him to isolate at home for the following two weeks with mild symptoms. And due to a spate of positive tests and contact tracing, players had to remain on campus through the holidays instead of going home to spend time with their families.
Jenkins said the players have been doing their best to help each other through this trying time.
“It’s been hard, man,” Jenkins said. “We’ve got a group of guys who all we do is play basketball. That’s what we do. It’s hard to not do what you love. With COVID protocols and safety precautions we can’t really be with each other as a whole group. Every day we text each other and just check on each other and make sure we keep each other whole. Even though we haven’t been playing, this is a great time to build our team chemistry and camaraderie.”
The timing of the shutdown was particularly poor for Jenkins. The MWC Preseason Newcomer of the Year struggled in the first three games, but in the two contests before going on pause Jenkins busted out of his slump in a big way, scoring 21.5 points while making 11-of-21 from 3-point range. In the most recent game, Jenkins hit seven 3’s and went off for 25 points in the win over Kansas State.
After weeks of near-inactivity — Jenkins said players have tried to squeeze in individual workouts when possible — he and his teammates will have to rev back up to full speed in a hurry. The team will practice in full on Jan. 4, then travel to Colorado State for a two-game series on Jan. 7 and 9.
Given how long the team has had to wait to get back on the court, Jenkins has no doubt they’ll be raring to go.
“As we had this pause it’s not like guys were just sitting in their room not doing anything,” he said. “I know our guys were preparing ourselves mentally and physically. I think we’ll be prepared because we just want to win.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
