UNLV Basketball: Runnin' Rebels land former USF commit Troy Baxter

UNLV basketball lands a four-star forward two months before the start of the season.

UNLV’s basketball program is looking for some stability both on and off the court.

The Rebels haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2013 and haven’t won a game in the Big Dance since 2008. They fired Dave Rice in the middle of the season last year and had two coaches this off-season (Chris Beard was hired before dashing for Texas Tech) without playing a single game.

Head coach Marvin Menzies was hired, but he was obligated to throw a roster together on the fly because of all the turnover.

Regardless of the situation, Menzies is looking more and more like the proper coach to lead the Rebels through their rebuild.

On Thursday evening, UNLV received a commitment from 2016 four-star forward and former USF recruit Troy Baxter. The Bulls released Baxter from his National Letter of Intent six days ago, giving him the ability to play for another program in 2016-17.

https://twitter.com/WitnessTroy/status/771496944405319680

The 6’8″ forward from Gainesville, FA originally chose the Bulls over Kansas State, UConn and Arizona State.

Baxter is ranked 90th in ESPN’s top 100 for the class of 2016, is 17th overall at his position, and is the 8th best player in the state of Florida. He brings excellent athleticism, the ability to make plays in transition, great length and solid versatility to the table.

While his ball handling and strength will likely need to improve for him to reach his peak potential, Baxter can guard numerous positions defensively and his jump shot continues to progress. He can face up on the block and can be impactful on the glass.

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While Baxter is a terrific addition for Menzies and company, UNLV has recruited at a very high level in the past. The issue has been turning that talent into victories on the court.

The positive news is that Baxter has high upside but is also likely a three-to-four year program-player. That means he can be a core piece to the puzzle for the Rebels for years to come.

Looking forward to this upcoming season, Baxter will join four-star center Cheickna Dembele, three-star small forward Ben Coupet, shooting guard Zion Morgan, JUCO shooting guard Kris Clyburn, point guard Jaylan Ballou and center Djordjije Sljivancanin as part of their 2016 recruiting class. Christian Jones (St. John’s), Uche Ofoegbu (San Francisco) and Jordan Johnson (Milwaukee) have been added as immediate eligible transfers.

The only returnees from last year are Dwayne Morgan, Jalen Poyser and little-used Tyrell Green.

Next: Projecting Baylor's rotation

The Rebels likely won’t be very good in 2016-17, but the addition of Baxter confirms that they can still add solid high school talent.

UNLV Basketball: Rebels land former USF commit Troy Baxter

By Carmine Carcieri | Sep 1, 2016

UNLV basketball lands a four-star forward two months before the start of the season.

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