This dynasty focuses on my coach/teams in FOFC-FBCB, an FBCB MP league found here: http://www.fbcb-fofc.com/

It's been ongoing for a while on the FOFC boards on OS, but I thought I'd post it both here and on the GDS boards. Since I'm starting this dynasty rather late in the game, I'll condense the first several posts into one in the next post, with an explanatory note for reasons that will soon become clear.

Izulde Jestor Quits Kings GM Job; Hired As Columbia Men's Head Coach

Rumors abound that former NBA star Mateen Yeaton will join Izulde Jestor's coaching staff

April 24th, 2033

The Ivy League was taken by storm today when Columbia University announced the hiring of Sacramento Kings general manager Izulde Jestor as the head coach of their men's basketball program. Jestor, who won 3 rings with the Denver Nuggets as the GM there, steps down after a tenure with the Kings that saw him get close time and time again, but never quite able to win that fourth title.

The hiring was met with open skepticism, doubters all across the media and Internet questioning whether a man who has never coached a basketball game and who built his success in the professional leagues on shrewd trades, including the famous deal that brought Hall of Famer Mateen Yeaton to the Nuggets in the 2012 offseason, can make his mark as a college coach. As one blogger quipped, "It's not like he can trade his underachieving freshmen for a first round recruiting pick or three."

But on the other hand, it's a very low bar that Jestor has to surpass to be a success. The Columbia Lions are coming off a 7-21 (3-11) season and a dead last finish in the Ivy League. Worse yet, the team's last winning season was 22 years ago, in 2011, and the Lions have only made the postseason once in the last 33 years, when they lost in the first round of the NIT.

In fact, it's so bad that the Lions have only had 6 winning seasons in the last 33 years, and all but the 2003 season were in the five year run from 2007-2011. Columbia did finish .500 in 2025, but that was a fluke season, surrounded by wastelands of bad teams.

Even in 2003 and the 2007-2011 stretch, the team only won 10 or more Ivy League games twice (2003, 2008 - 11 wins) and have never won a conference title, a trend of futility that goes back even more decades than the 2000 season.

Columbia's Overall Record in the 21st Century: 362-564 (39.1%) - T-280th worst in the country and last in the Ivy League except for Dartmouth, who ranks T-290th worst at 38.7%. The Lions rank T-302nd in wins out of 327 schools in the country and have just 2 wins more than Dartmouth.

The individual accolades cupboard has been bare, too. In the 33 years of this century, Columbia has never had an Ivy League Player of the Year, only 3 Ivy League Freshman of the Year awards, and just 2 Ivy League Coach of the Year awards, both to Winfred Boutte, who won it in 2003 and 2008. The Lions have had 11 All-Ivy League 1st Team selections in the past 33 years and only 6 2nd Team selections. The last time a Columbia player received season award recognition was in 2026, when PF John Washington was named to the Ivy League 1st Team. The Lions have not gotten any national award recognition this century, but then, few of the Ivy League schools have.

So it's safe to say that if Jestor can simply get the Lions playing .500 ball on a consistent basis, he'll be lauded as a hero and the best coach Columbia's had since Boutte, who remains the most successful Lions coach in recent history.

Nor should it be particularly difficult for Jestor to find players who rank among the best in 21st century school history. The Lions' leading scorer in the past 33 years, and arguably most accomplished player, is SG Michael Jeske, who holds the 2000s school record in career points scored with 1691 and ranks 6th in steals with 146. Jeske won the 2009 Ivy League Freshman of the Year award and was named to the 2011 Ivy League 1st Team.

Multi-Award Winners
Winfred Boutte - Ivy League Coach of the Year (2003, 2008)
SF Alvin Raya - 2001 Ivy Freshman of the Year and 1st Team, 1004 Ivy League 1st Team
PG Efrain Bayles - 2003 and 2004 Ivy League 1st Team
SG Michael Jeske - 2009 Ivy Freshman of the Year, 2011 Ivy League 1st Team
C Junior Cram - 2009 and 2010 Ivy League 1st Team
SG Jack Rosado - 2023 Ivy Freshman of the Year, 2025 Ivy League 2nd Team

Having a sure-fire Hall of Fame general manager won't hurt recruiting efforts, although the bar is slightly higher here, with the Lions having posted a 115, 116, and 117th ranked class in the last 33 years and a handful of 3 star recruits, the most prominent of whom was Jeske.

And then there's the rumors swirling that Yeaton, himself already in the NBA Hall of Fame and currently sitting at home after a failed stint as head coach of the Western Carolina Catamounts, would welcome a chance to be reunited with Jestor, either as the recruiting coordinator or the first assistant.

The future's coming soon, but for now, let's say goodbye to the graduating seniors.

Graduating Seniors
PF Nathaniel Cannon
-Didn't start till his senior year. A one note rebounding specialist.
SG Russel Ard
-Sloppy ball-handling and passing kept him from starting. Had a magnificent 3 point stroke and shot 37.8% from long-range for his career.
C Derrick Cook
-3 year starter who averaged 12.2, 12.3 and 14 points. Never much of a rebounder, but a key scorer inside whose presence will be greatly missed. Went from being a lightly regarded 1* recruit to one of the team's top players.
SG Titus Williams
-Little-used scrub.



The Ivy League hasn't had much tournament success in the 21st century. Just two teams have made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, the 2013 Princeton Tigers and the 2018 Brown Bears, the latter under the direction of legendary head coach Klingler Ware.

The most successful postseason run, in fact, came from the 2019 Princeton Tigers, who made it the Final Four of the NIT and finished in third place.

Princeton and Penn dominated the Ivy League in the 2000s, winning every single league title until Brown in 2010. It was that '10 Bears title that signaled the end for the Tigers and Quakers. Princeton won just 2 titles in the '10s, while Penn would not win another conference championship until 2020.

In their place stepped Brown, who under Ware's leadership have captured 6 of the last 7 Ivy League titles and 11 overall championships since Ware was hired in 2014. Yet, despite that streak of dominance, only the 2018 team has advanced in the Big Dance, even with 8 classes in the Top 100, including a 37th ranked 2029 recruiting class that tied the 2000 Princeton class as the best in Ivy league history.

Izulde Jestor has a long way to go if he hopes to approach Ware's level, let alone of dreaming anything greater. How far a stretch? A glance at the team prestiges before the 2032-2033 season illustrates the point nicely.



A difficult journey, indeed and one that will start with the returning players from this season's abysmal campaign and outgoing coach David Given's last recruiting class. While we don't have information on the signees just yet, we can profile the returning players.

Returning Lions
SF Robbert Hammons (5th year senior)
Above average perimeter defender and not much else. Two year starter might end up sitting his senior year.
PG Andrew Block (5th year senior)
-Improved his floor generalship this season and could become a four year starter if there's no better options.
PG Emmanuel Nelson (Senior)
-Lions' leading scorer at 14.8 points per game in his first year as a starter. Was All-Ivy Freshman Team in 2030. A surefire starter at SG next year and a lock to become the 11th player in school history to break 1,000 points, as he has 908 right now. Could finish as high as 4th or 5th, surpassing teammate Derrick Cook, who graduates 6th in school history with 1,074 points.
PF Dudley Hill (RS Junior)
-Terrible ball skills and shooting have kept him an end-bench player. Look for more of the same next year.
C Carmelo Dehaven (RS Junior)
-Okay inside shot. Best value is free throw shooter and drawing fouls. Terrible at everything else, though. May see more time next year due to lack of options.
SF Forest Brogan (RS Junior)
-Not great at anything, but not terrible either. Will likely get a long look as the starting SF or the team's 6th man.
PG Larry Singleton (RS Junior)
-Lockdown defender who has been inexplicably ignored, despite looking not that much worse than Block. Should see many more minutes next year.
SF David Owens (RS Soph)
-Some stealing instincts, but by and large a body.
PF Mitch Sanders (RS Freshman)
-Redshirted. Looks unimpressive.
C Lincoln Koch (Soph)
If he can develop his inside shot and work on his handling a little more, he has a very good chance at starting after getting scant minutes his freshman year.
SG Larry Dyer (RS Freshman)
Redshirted, but can't play defense against anyone. Terrible passer, but has potential to be an explosive scorer.

Projected Lineup Going Into Summer
PG Andrew Block
SG Emmanuel Nelson*
SF Forest Brogan
PF Lincoln Koch
C Carmelo Dehaven

* - Lock, no matter what happens in camp or what the new freshmen look like.

All in all, it's looking an ugly situation for Jestor and the inability to trade makes the quick reversals the former GM was so famous for in the NBA an impossibility in the college landscape.

I've fired the entire coaching staff, which was composed of guys who either had no talent, were overpaid, or both. Plus, there's just something refreshing about bringing in my own guys.

The budget stands at $157,120 allotted for coaching salaries. That'll be good enough to recruit some quality coaches and hopefully start getting this program built up to the level it's capable of. Mateen Yeaton turned down my offer. Said he wants to stay at home and be a family man to his kids. That's fair and I suppose I shouldn't be hanging on to the past in any case.

I got my first look at the freshmen recently and I have to say, it's not a bad haul overall by the former coach.

PF Sylvester Kerns - Killingly HS - Danielson, CT
2* - #339 ranked player
Our post game is so weak that Kerns could conceivably start right away, depending on how training camp shakes out. Our facilities are rated a big fat 0, so redshirting won't do much good. Very good upside as a post defender and free throw shooter, though he isn't quite there yet. But at least he's a better defender and rebounder already than Carmelo Dehaven. We might go with a small post starting lineup, featuring Kerns at PF, Lincoln Koch at C.

SG Erich Walker - South River Senior HS - Edgewater, MD
2* - #451 ranked player
Already an absolute sniper from downtown and a great free throw shooter. Could be one of the country's elite from long-range by his senior year. Really needs work on his passing and handling and he's got the room to improve, so my guess is he'll get tagged with a redshirt. I think it's fair to say that he's Emmanuel Nelson's heir apparent. The one Achilles heel is his defense, but we'll work on that.

C Johnnie Briones - Jasper-Troupsburg HS - Jasper, NY
2* - #439 ranked player
Raw, raw, raw and only average upside across the board, with the exception of post defense, where he could be good. I won't redshirt him; instead, he'll spend his four years parked on the end of the bench. Thus far, the lone recruit worth his academic salt for an Ivy League school.

SG William Woods - Jonesville HS - Jonesville, MI
1* - #734 ranked player
Good upside as a 3 point shooter and perimeter defender. Also has intriguing potential passing ability and in fact rates as the team's best passer right now. The problem? His handling is bad. I'll probably tag him with a redshirt and see if he can't develop into a combo guard.

Projected Recruiting Needs
#1. Rebounders
#2. Inside and jump shooters
#3. Passers
#4. Post defenders

We only have 2 scholarships this year because PG Andrew Block is a walk-on. We're losing a PG, SG and SF. Our most critical areas are PG, SF, PF and C. The only area I feel comfortable with is SG, thanks to Walker. If I had to make a choice, I'd say we'll probably go for PG and a rebounding big man in recruiting. Although we don't have great options at SF, between Forest Brogan and David Owens, the latter of whom looks a lot better than I first thought, we'd be okay with them next year if we had to.

It didn't take me long at all to fill out my coaching staff.

Charles Jones - Recruiting Coordinator
Charlie, as he prefers to be called, is a Colorado native who graduated from UNC-Greensboro. He's 38 and has built his rep as a coaching assistant on the defensive side of the ball. Thus far, he's worked at 7 different schools, with only Holy Cross lasting more than a season, where he stayed four years. I think he's got some latent talent as a recruiter, so I'm bringing him on in that capacity. He's never worked as the recruiter, so it'll be good experience for him and I think we can use the Massachusetts connections he made while at Holy Cross to our advantage. We were able to snap him up after Mercer fired its entire staff.

David Mahon - Scouting Director
Unlike Charlie, David's never seen a top assistant gig. Instead, he's split jobs between recruiting coordinator and scouting director. Spent two years at Mississippi Valley State as a scouting director for his first gig, then wandered for a while until three years at Nevada. But what's worrying is, this 44 year old Berwyn, IL native and Alcorn State alum has been fired the last three years in a row, and by himself. First Nevada fired him after three seasons, then Providence and Kentucky both fired him after a year. That kind of checkered history doesn't bode well for a recruiter, even though he's more talented at it than Charlie. So I told him he'll head up the scouting department and get a chance to resurrect his career.

Tony Falcone - Coaching Assistant
Tony was a huge, huge get. At 41, he's one of the brightest youngerish defensive minds in the business. He'll school our guys on defense while I train them on offense, which he admits he knows nothing about. Originally from Wyoming, he trekked out to Indiana State for his college education before snagging the assistant gig at North Carolina A&T. He spent 6 years there and in that time, A&T made two NITs and one NCAA appearance. Sure, the team lost in the first round, but the fact that he has tournament pedigree speaks volumes for him. We were lucky to pluck him from A&T, as he was happy down in North Carolina, but a huge payraise and the chance to compete in a higher prestige conference finally swayed him.

I'd call this a pretty good staff for my first season. Maybe these guys stick around a while, maybe they move on or get canned. We'll just have to see. But like I said, overall, I'm happy. In fact, I'd rate our staff overall equal to or better than anyone in the Ivy League, except for Brown and Dartmouth.

End Part 1 Of Intended Post 1

Explanatory Note #1
Mateen Yeaton is a name that would be familiar to readers of my DDS:PB dynasty located here: http://operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=65231

I tried convincing radii to create Mateen as a Level 0 assistant coach as part of Columbia's staff, but he vetoed it, pointing out that it could lead to other people wanting to do the same thing. There's also a DDS:CB dynasty where Mateen took over as head coach of West Carolina, but I didn't get very far in that because my computer died, causing me to lose the save file. Because it's so short, I won't bother posting the link to that one. You can find it on the FOFC boards, if you're so inclined.

The rest of Intended Post 1 is coming up shortly, with the second explanatory note.

Lions Go 1-2 In November; Snag High School All-American

Basketball may soon supplant football as the most popular Columbia sport after the hoops Lions landed a High School All-American

There's an air of excitement around the Columbia University men's basketball team that began with the hiring of Izulde Jestor as head coach and has grown ever since then, as the Lions have had more success than first imagined.

First there was the preseason Coaches' Cup, an exhibition tournament where Columbia stunned Florida 76-65 and Central Michigan 75-63 in pool play despite being the lowest seed in the field. That pair of upsets earned the Lions the runner-up spot in their group and the right to advance to the elimination round, where they fell as expected to 93-33 to Notre Dame.

Then there was the season-opener, a 61-40 rout of Quinnipac before an enthused home crowd. Senior SG Emmanuel Nelson earned Player of the Game honors with 23 points and sophomore C Lincoln Koch put up a solid 8 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. The signs looked promising indeed.

But then Villanova trounced the Lions 73-52, Emmanuel Nelson's 18 points not enough and an 80-58 loss to undefeated St. Bonaventure followed, with Emmanuel Nelson's 22 points and RS sophomore SF David Owens's 9 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals gone to waste.

Worse yet, freshmen PF Sylvester Kerns and SG Erich Walker were placed on academic suspension at the end of the month and will be unavailable until January. Such tidings have been all too epidemic for the Lions in recent years, as the basketball program has flagrantly ignored the university's academic standards in favor of trying to lure on-court talent.

That all changed with the recent concordat signed by the university presidents of Columbia and Brown, whereby the two schools are implementing the following recruiting academic standards:

1. A recruit must have at least a 3.0 GPA if the SAT score is less than 1000
2. A recruit must have an SAT score of 1000 or better if the GPA is lower than 3.0
3. One recruit is allowed to be exempt from the minimums each year, but only if another recruit is signed with a 3.0+ GPA and a 1000+ SAT.

Columbia took advantage of their exemption early, signing High School All-American PG Tommie Brehm, from Williamsport Area High School in Williamsport, PA. Brehm, who has a 2.55 GPA and 980 SAT score, is also a Pennsylvania All-State player averaging 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.8 steals for the Millionaires. The Lions beat out Indiana, Missouri, DePaul and Dayton for his services.

"It's a dream come true", Brehm said when he signed his letter of intent, "The chance to get an education from one of the best schools in the country is something I couldn't pass up. I'm looking forward to helping bring the Lions to a new level of success and hope to make the Big Dance while I'm there."

Blessed with preternatural stealing ability, blazing quickness, and an already well-defined jump shot, Brehm figures to step in at one of the guard spots as a true freshman, with Nelson graduating after this season. Scouts say his passing is extremely raw, but that he has the potential to become one of the most gifted passers in the country with proper coaching and development.

Florida got revenge for the Coaches Cup pool loss by signing Connecticut All-State PF Warner Murphy from the Lions. Murphy, 6'7, 221 lbs, would've fulfilled the academic requirements to accommodate the 6'1, 195 lb Brehm's scholarship.

The blow proves a rather significant one, as it leaves Jestor with limited options to find a quality player who can fulfill the necessary qualifications for the other recruit, but the head coach said he has options to fall back on and he'd rather have Brehm and a lesser recruit than Murphy and someone else.

Still, all in all, things appear to be on the upswing at the Levien Gymnasium.

We go 1-1 through the first 10 days of December. PG Andrew Block becomes the first player not named Emmanuel Nelson to lead us in scoring for a game as his 17 points and 5 assists help carry us to a thrilling 69-64 victory over UC-Santa Barbara. SF David Owens continues to justify his spot in the starting lineup, picking up 13 points and 5 steals against the Gauchos. SG Emmanuel Nelson still scored 10 points, though, and we got 13 bench points from Larry Singleton and 11 bench rebounds from Robert Hammons, a senior who's quite disappointed about being relegated to the reserves after two years as a starter.

But once again, no one but SG Emmanuel Nelson provided offense in our next game. Nelson's 17 points went to waste in a 62-49 loss to the currently 5-1 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. PG Andrew Block went trigger happy at 2/14 and reserve big man Carmelo Dehaven shot an abysmal 1/7. ...And to think my assistants want us to start Dehaven.

2-3 is a pretty damn good early start, considering we won 7 games last year, 13 the year before and 4 the year before that. In fact, as I've mentioned before, the last time Columbia was .500 was back in 2025, and it's 2033 now. To find a Lions squad with a winning record, you have to go all the way back to 2011. Yes, it's been 22 years since this school's had a winning season. And Columbia's never made the Big Dance. In fact, as previously mentioned, their only post season appearance was in 2003, when they lost in the preliminary round of the NIT.

Unfortunately, the Ivy League is off to a great non-conference start as a whole, as you can see.



Klingler Ware's Brown squad's only loss thus just came at the hands of Santa Clara, a 73-55 road defeat.

How the hell is Princeton 5-0 right now, you ask? They rank #3 in the country with just 11.2 turnovers a game and have the #24 scoring offense at 80.2 points a contest. Of course, they also haven't beaten anybody really difficult in my opinion, their 35 RPI notwithstanding.

But if this hot start is any indication, these Tigers might be the best version since the 2025 squad that won 21 games and Princeton's last Ivy League title, even though they subsequently lost in the first round.

Oh and SF Forest Brogan sprained his knee, so he's going to be gimpy for about a week. Yet another problem on top of the two suspensions, but it could always be worse.

88-81 Loss A Moral Victory

Although the Columbia Lions fell 88-81 to the Virginia Tech Hokies on the 13th, Lions head coach Izulde Jestor called it a moral victory, as C Lincoln Koch had a career game of 17 points and 11 rebounds and PF Dudley Hill picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds. SG Emmanuel Nelson scored 11 points, but was held to just 16 minutes due to foul trouble.

"The Hokies are 5-1 right now and they have what looks to be their best team in years", Jestor noted after the game. "Any time you can take an ACC school to that tough a fight, it's a good thing, especially since Sylvester Kerns is getting his academics sorted out."

Virginia Tech is arguably the ACC's worst team. They have just one winning record to their credit, a 15-14 season in 2008, when they went a school-best 7-11 in conference play. The Hokies have never made a postseason tournament of any kind, and their hot non-conference start might well be derailed come conference play.

Izulde Jestor Abruptly Resigns Columbia Post

We've just received word that Columbia Lions head coach Izulde Jestor has resigned, effective immediately. No official reason as to why has emerged, although some speculate a strong difference of opinion with the administration. Jestor's basketball success and his coup in landing a High School All-American for the Lions' incoming class suggest that there should be no shortage of schools calling for his services. In fact, rumor has it that perennial powerhouse Arkansas is among the early suitors, along with Wyoming, Old Dominion, and San Jose State, the latter of whom has started the season 10-0.

End Intended Post #1

Explanatory Note #2
At the time I started this dynasty, I was in the final stages of my masters in English coursework at the University of Arkansas. I'd applied to a handful of schools for the MFA in Creative Writing program and Columbia was my #1 choice because the program was awesome, I was tired of the college town life and wanted a major, vibrant city, and because I've wanted to go to an Ivy League school ever since I was 14. One of the biggest, and perhaps the only, regret I have in life is that I never applied to Princeton, my dream school, out of high school.

Well, I had a 50/50 feeling about getting into Columbia, so when the rejection letter came, I was absolutely crushed. I'd really built up my hopes that I would at last ease the regret of not applying to Princeton all those years ago and finally be an Ivy League man.

Needless to say, I couldn't coach Columbia anymore after I got that rejection. I resigned immediately and decided to wait until the next season before picking up another team. I was also still waiting to hear back from other schools I'd applied to.

I'll post Part 2 tomorrow, then try and post once a day until I'm all caught up with the original dynasty.

UNLV Reportedly Set To Hire Jestor

Not since the heyday of Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon have the Runnin' Rebels been serious national title contenders. Please note the irony of Arkansas being #1.

Although the rumor mill has been heavy that one-time Columbia head coach Izulde Jestor was headed to either Arkansas, Wyoming, Old Dominion, or San Jose State, recent reports have the hot young coach going to Sin City and the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.

Anonymous sources say UNLV higher-ups, impressed with Jestor's body of work in leading the Lions to a 4-5 season start, including an upset of powerhouse St. John's and in signing High School All-American PG Tommie Brehm to the Ivy League institution, have made him their #1 target and enthusiastically wooed him.

College basketball insiders also say that Arkansas, while initially interested after Richard Dixon unexpectedly returned to North Carolina, were uncertain if Jestor was ready to take the reins of a Razorback team that has made it to the Elite 8 in 6 of the last 7 seasons, with four NCAA title game appearances, including the last three straight championships, losing all four tries at a ring. The Razorbacks are currently ranked #6 in the country.

San Jose State, another rumored contender, is extremely happy with alum Korey Roos's body of work in his two seasons with the Spartans, including an impressive 24-4 record this year, and a perfect 15-0 home mark.

The University of Wyoming brass expected an NCAA bid this season, but the Cowboys have stumbled their way to a 13-16 season, 3-10 in the Mountain West and it's believed Jestor has no interest in joining a school whose administration has such unrealistic expectations.

Old Dominion hoped to compete for the CAA title, but under first year head coach Don Dye, the Monarchs went 10-19, a pedestrian 9-9 in conference play. Worse yet, Dye, who is the worst recruiter in all of college basketball, has only signed a single 1-star recruit. Thus, the future looks bleak in Norfolk, despite ODU's eagerness to replace the disappointing Dye with a proven recruiting master.

All of which leaves the Runnin' Rebels, who won the Mountain West regular season title this year with a 21-6 (11-2) showing. Head coach Harold Nunez is well-regarded by UNLV officials, having guided the Runnin' Rebels to an NIT and NCAA appearance his first two years in Vegas, and with a 23rd-best RPI, is a lock to take his team to the Big Dance for the second year in a row.

But neither of his previous Runnin' Rebels outfits have gotten out of the first round and with UNLV's two best players, C Rocco Lammers and PG Davis Booker, to graduate after this season, Nunez looks a good bet to parley his Vegas success into a job at a one of the truly elite conferences, the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, C-USA, Pac-10, or the SEC.

It's Official: Jestor Hired As Runnin' Rebels Coach

New UNLV head coach Izulde Jestor is expected to have no shortage of options for a quality personal assistant

After Harold Nunez took the job at Tulsa, the UNLV administration had just one phone call to place, to former Columbia head coach Izulde Jestor. Jestor immediately accepted the job offer and is now headed to Sin City to try and restore the Runnin' Rebels to elite national status.

Jestor inherits a squad that went 23-8 (12-2) and won the Mountain West Conference regular season title, earning an NCAA tournament bid before falling in the second round. Since the 2000 season, the Runnin' Rebels have only made the NCAA Sweet 16 twice, in 2008 and 2015, losing both times. They've had greater success in the NIT, making it to the championship game in 2000 and 2014, and finishing in third place in 2017.

UNLV has a 697-432 (61.7%) record since 2000, with 21 seasons of 20+ wins, including consecutive 23 win seasons the last two years under Nunez. The Runnin' Rebels have made 16 NCAA appearances and 11 NIT appearances, meaning they've failed to make the postseason just six times in the last 33 years. They also have four Mountain West regular season titles (2015, 2023, 2026, 2033) and five Mountain West conference tournament titles (2008, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2026). Other tournament championships include the 2018 Las Vegas Invitational and the 2024 San Juan Classic. The school record for victories in a season since 2000 is 30, achieved by the 2015 squad that made it to the Sweet 16 before losing.

With just two seniors and only one returning starter who might lose his starting job in redshirt sophomore SF Edward Heisler, the Runnin' Rebels look to be a very young team destined for a rebuilding season. The athletic director, alumni, and fans still expect the team to compete for the Mountain West title, however.

But that may be a problem, as several of the key Runnin' Rebels players are known for their disregard of the books, which could lead to academic suspensions throughout the year.

Overall, it appears that Jestor has stepped into a situation that will take two or three seasons to get turned around into the type of team he prefers. UNLV lacks size and rebounding talent in the post and have no legitimate point guards other than Juco transfer Rufino Sanchez, an academic non-qualifier out of high school.

Compare this to Tulsa, Nunez's digs, which won a national title in 2020 and has several Elite and Final Four appearances, the most recent in 2027 and 2024 respectively. In fact, the Golden Hurricane have only failed to appear in the postseason twice since 2000, a disastrous two-year stretch in 2003 and 2004. With a #7 preseason ranking, the pressure will be high on Nunez to deliver Tulsa its second national title with a squad led by senior All-American SF David Child.

But first up for Jestor's Runnin' Rebel restoration project is to assemble a coaching staff.

Jestor Fills Staff; Runnin' Rebels Headed To Top of the World Invitational

Although UNLV head coach Izulde Jestor missed out on two of his initial targets for his assistants, he landed his top choice for first assistant, journeyman Eric Fruge. Fruge, 47, is known as an excellent offensive mind with some defensive ability as well. Along with Jestor's tactical and teaching knowledge on offense, the Runnin' Rebels should have one of the most fun offenses in the country.

Andrew Bonnell, another journeyman and 41, takes over as the recruiting coordinator and represents a slight upgrade over the previous coach, while 49 year old Thomas Porter, who unlike the other two coaches is a long-term man, having 6 years at Monmouth before 3 years in Southern Utah, and 6 years back East with Siena, now returns West as the director of scouting.

"I planned to stay out East for the rest of my career", Bonnell revealed, "But when Jestor called to with an offer doubling my salary, it was back to the Rocky Mountain region I went. It should be an exciting experience and opportunity as we gun for the NCAA tournament."

Explanatory Note #3
Remember when I said in EN #2 that I was waiting to hear back from other schools? Well, UNLV was one of them, and they were a late entry to my application pool (which is a long story in and of itself). I ended up getting accepted into the MFA programs at Old Dominion and UNLV. I took a week after hearing from UNLV, the last school to get back to me, to think about it and accepted their offer of admission with a full assistantship. So needless to say, it was an easy choice as to which team to take over for the next season.

Jestor's Recruiting Magic Fails; Rebels 1-2 To Start Season

The Thomas & Mack Center has not seen UNLV go 1-2 in its first three games because the Top of the World Invitational is not played there

For all the magic UNLV Rebels head coach Izulde Jestor managed in recruiting for Columbia, none of that has been present in the desert. Aggressively recruiting Nevada's Mr. Basketball, High School All-American SG Lino Chrisman turned into a failure, as he committed to USC. With just one scholarship, it's imperative that Jestor find the right player and it's believed he's already latched on to a new target.

2-3 was an impressive start for Columbia, but going 1-2 at UNLV, even on the road, has some Rebels fans grumbling. The season started fantastically with a 94-65 demolishing of the Ohio Bobcats in the first round of the Top of the World Invitational, keyed by juco transfer Ruffino Sanchez's 24 points and 11 assists, fifth year senior Ricky Irwin's 20 points and 10 rebounds, and redshirt freshman Val Gavin's 11 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.

But then the #5 ranked Kansas Jayhawks clawed the Rebels 97-77 in the next round, redshirt sophomore Charlie Schubert's 22 points the lone highlight. The loss was crippling, leading to the fatigue that was largely cited as the reason why Creighton topped the Rebels 79-71 in the consolation bracket. The Jayhawks went on to win the tournament, whipping Georgia Tech 87-58 in the final.

Early indications are that it'll be a long first season for Jestor. At best, the Rebels look NIT-bound, but there's still a lot of games to be played.

Rebels Start 3-0 At Home; Go To 4-2 On the Year

Home cooking and cheerleaders have the Runnin' Rebels racing out to a 3-0 home start

Savannah State, North Florida, and North Dakota State are not anybody's idea of a good program, although the Tigers of Savannah State are close to a .500 record on the season. But for a UNLV fanbase disgruntled by a 1-2 road start, they'll take the three straight home wins.

The chain commenced with the 75-58 triumph over the Tigers, led by Ricky Irwin's 23 points. Irwin struck again in the 76-44 laugher over North Florida with a game high 21 points, joined in the attack by Charlie Schubert's 20 points and Val Gavin's monster rebounding performance of 23 boards to go with his 10 points. It was Irwin yet again as the leader with 22 points in the breezy 78-35 smackdown of the Bison, the Runnin' Rebels holding North Dakota State players all under 10 points. 8 was the NDSU high, shared by the all true-freshman backcourt of Horst Kirmer and Corey Kelly.

Runnin' Fast: Rebels Extend Win Streak To 6 Games

Fifth year senior walk-on Ricky Irwin has been a revelation in his first season as a starter

And just like that, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels have raced from 1-2 to 7-2, surviving a scare at home to stay unbeaten at the Thomas and Mack Center before securing two East road wins.

Western Michigan came to Las Vegas hoping to pull off the upset and nearly did so before Broncos redshirt junior Lou Parker fouled UNLV true freshman guard Daniel Duda with 22 seconds left and the score 80-79 WMU. Duda converted both free throws and the Rebels made the stop on the other end to preserve the victory and the streak. Redshirt sophomore Charlie Schubert was the game's high scorer with 22 points for the Rebels.

Then it was on to Lafayette to face the Leopards, where the other half of UNLV's 1-2 punch, redshirt senior walk on Rickey Irwin, put up 26 points to carry the Rebels to a 74-68 win.

Charlie Schubert and Ricky Irwin were both on form in the Rebels' latest win, an 85-71 stroll over the Maine Black Bears. Schubert led with 21 points, Irwin right behind him with 20. UNLV reserve forward James Barksdale keyed the bench with 10 points.

Thus far, Schubert is averaging 16.9 points and shooting an impressive 57.1%, while Irwin's 19.2 points and 5.6 rebounds are tops in scoring and second on the team in boards per game, despite playing the off-guard spot. Irwin is also shooting 45% from the floor, 40% from long-range.

"We fully expected Charlie to be one of our top players", Rebels head coach Izulde Jestor said. "But Ricky's emergence has been a real revelation. It's a great story, a kid who walked on here, redshirted his first season, played some as a redshirt freshman, then saw his minutes cut in half as a sophomore. But he didn't let that get him down and became a key reserve for the team last year, and now he's leading the entire Mountain West in scoring."

A Triple Dose of Bad News

Oakland University ended UNLV's 9 game win streak

For three more games, the Rebels kept running to wins, but then a trip to Oakland, CA ended the streak as leading scorer Ricky Irwin had his worst game of the season.

UNLV stayed unbeaten at home with wins over winless Northern Colorado (82-41), Yale (81-52), and also winless South Dakota State (75-53) riding their usual tandem of Irwin and Charlie Schubert. Irwin scored 30 in the Yale game and Schubert double-doubled for 17 points and 11 rebounds against South Dakota State. Balanced offense carried the Rebels against Northern Colorado, signified by reserve sophomore PG Emmett Mayes's 11 bench points.

But then the Oakland Golden Grizzlies made inhospitable hosts, holding Irwin to a season-low 5 points on 2 for 10 shooting in a 70-61 upset.

Despite the loss, UNLV is tied with TCU for the Mountain West lead with a 10-3 overall record. New Mexico stand a half-game behind at 9-3. Mountain West play starts next game for the Rebels, on January 6th, when they put their perfect record at the Thomas and Mack Center on the line against 8-6 Colorado State.

The Oakland loss wasn't the only bad news awaiting Rebels head coach Izulde Jestor as the calendar year ended. True freshman power forward Darrell Jenkins was declared academically ineligible for the rest of the season after fall semester grades came out. Jenkins, a reserve, was averaging 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds on 56.5% shooting in 7.5 minutes a game.

"It's a disappointing situation", Jestor said. "Obviously, we're very disappointed in Darrell's failure to get it done in the classroom and he's disappointed in himself as well. We'll work with him to make sure he brings his grades back to an acceptable level and restores his eligibility for next season."

And then come the last bit of bad news. Prep point guard Danilo Edwards, a 5'9 High School All-American and Washington State Mr. Basketball, committed to Boise State, spurning UNLV's offer and handing Jestor his second strikeout of the recruiting season.

To make matters worse, California's Mr. Basketball, SG Junior Mansfield, widely believed to be the Rebels' next target if Edwards fell through, committed to Mountain West foe Air Force.

Jestor refused to comment on the losses, saying only that the team was exploring other options for their lone scholarship.

What We've Learned About Jestor's Runnin' Rebels
Jackson Ayorinde - Las Vegas Sun

Two games into the Mountain West season is far too early to draw conclusions, of course. But the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, in head coach Izulde Jestor's first season, should be okay. They blew out Colorado State 94-59 on Ricky Irwin's 33 points and finally lost at home, a tough 70-66 decision to Air Force, stealers of Junior Mansfield, to go 1-1 in the first two conference games.

The Rams and Falcons both keyed in on Charlie Schubert, daring Irwin to beat them. He did against CSU, but was just 4/16 against Air Force, the bulk of his 21 points coming on free throws in the loss. Schubert, meanwhile, struggled in both games, and his 5 for 15 performance against Air Force was a big reason for the defeat against one of the conference's mid-tier teams.

That result paints a scary picture for next season. Without Irwin to lead the team, there's a disturbing lack of scorers outside of Schubert and that's trouble for the offense.

Which leads us to the second disturbing sign for the future. Jestor, who won the UNLV job largely on the basis of his convincing High School All-American Tommie Brehm to play for Columbia, has struck out with every single recruit he's gone after for the sole open scholarship. Granted, it's only two players and his third option fell through before he could pursue, but it's still giving the lie to his reputation.

I spoke to Danilo Edwards, who chose Boise State over UNLV, after he made his decision and he shed some light on why Jestor is having such problems attracting players to the desert.

"When I heard about how he quit at Columbia like five or ten games into the season last year, that really worried me, you know? It's like, if the coach flaked out once, what's going to stop him from doing it again? The coach is a big reason why you go to a school and if you can't trust he's going to be there, that's a huge red flag", Edwards told me.

So until Jestor proves to prospective players that he's as fully committed to UNLV as he says he is, he's going to have trouble on the recruiting trail. The Runnin' Rebels faithful can only hope one season is all he needs. Otherwise, the postseason appearances will end and we'll be further than ever from the glory days of the early 1990s.

Speaking of Brehm, he's fitting in pretty well in the Big Apple. He's captured a starting spot as a true freshman and leads the Lions in minutes per game at 29. He's first in team steals with 1.8 and third in team scoring at 9.9 points a game and was Player of the Game with a season 17 high points in a 75-59 win over Stony Brook on December 8th. Columbia's 8-6 on the season, on pace for their first winning season in 23 years.

In other news, former Rebels head coach Harold Nunez has the #21 ranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane with a 13-3 record, 1-0 in Conference USA play following a defensive 53-35 win over Southern Mississippi. The fans and the athletic department view Tulsa as a national title contender, so if Nunez continues his usual pattern of early postseason exits at Binghamton, San Francisco, and UNLV, the 69 year old could opt for retirement sooner than he expected.

At this point, Jestor has to hope for a solid recruit commitment and for the team to challenge for the Mountain West crown this season, as per expectations. Winning the regular season title seems a long shot with New Mexico jumping out to a 4-0 start by beating Utah, BYU, San Diego State, and Colorado State, but if the Rebels can beat the Lobos in tomorrow night's game in Albuquerque, that could jump-start another long winning streak to put UNLV back in the Mountain West title conversation.

The good news: The Horned Frogs, who tied with UNLV for the best non-conference record at 10-3, have started conference play 0-2, and are currently dead last in the league.

University of New Mexico Lobos 13-3 (4-0)


University of Nevada-Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels 11-4 (1-1)*
* - UNLV plays TCU in a Mountain West game before New Mexico

The University of New Mexico Lobos will put their 4-0 Mountain West conference record on the line against the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV on January 15th. The Rebels will either be 2-1 or 1-2 conference play following their game against TCU and a win for UNLV vs. the Horned Frogs could give this matchup important MWC title implications.

New Mexico is the best shooting team in the Mountain West at 46.5% from the floor, 38.5% from long-range. The conference is a high-scoring one, hence why despite having the 33rd best points scored per game in the country at 76.6, the Lobos only ranked third in the Mountain West. Defense is a weak point for the Lobos, 7th in the conference and 252nd in the nation.

SG Emmanuel Williams (RS Sr) and SF Daniel Houghton (RS Jr) lead the New Mexico attack with 14.5 points and 13.8 points a game respectively, good for 7th and 9th in Mountain West scoring. C Sidney Semple (Jr) is perhaps the Lobos' best player, however, averaging 9.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and a block per game. He's #1 in the Mountain West and #4 in the country in rebounds per game and tied for 8th in the conference rejections. PG Micah Mathewson (Jr) is 9th in the nation in assists per game with 7.2, and tops in the MWC. He's also 3rd in the conference in A/TO ratio at 3.38.

UNLV has been living up to its Runnin' Rebels moniker, #1 in the conference and 21st overall in points per game at 78. They also rank 9th in the nation in offensive rebounds (14.9 a game) and fewest turnovers surrendered (10.9). In a more obscure category, the Rebels are 6th in the country in FT differential (9.9%) and are first in the Mountain West in every differential category except steals (3rd), blocks (8th), and fouls (last and an abysmal 288th nationwide).

SG Ricky Irwin (RS Sr) is UNLV's most important point producer and the Mountain West's top scorer at 19.8 points a game, good for 24th in the country. PF Charlie Schubert (RS So) gives the Rebels two of the top five scorers in the conference, ranking 5th at 15.6 points a game. C Val Gavin (RS Fr) patrols the blocks down low for UNLV, his 11.1 rebounds #3 in the MWC. PG Rufino Sanchez (Jr) is 5th in the Mountain West in assists per game at 4.8 and 2nd in A/TO ratio at 3.43.

Look for New Mexico to try and grind the game down to a halt and take away UNLV's high-flying, fast-paced offense. If the Lobos can limit the Runnin' Rebels possessions and milk the shot clock when in possession themselves before shooting, New Mexico's accuracy should enable them to remain unbeaten in the Mountain West.

"We're having a great season", said Lobos head coach Brant Nicholas. "We struggled last year, but we're hitting on all cylinders now and have our sights set on winning the conference and getting to the NCAA Tournament."

Nicholas has to be extremely pleased with his team's performance so far this season. He was feeling the heat in Albuquerque after a 14-17 campaign last year and an 18-15 first round NIT loss his first season with the Lobos, taking over a team that'd made it to the second round of the NCAAs the year before.

3 Point Loss To TCU Mars Victory Over New Mexico

The Horned Frogs stopped the Runnin' Rebels in Fort Worth

"We were probably looking ahead and we just couldn't hit anything tonight."

That was the only thing UNLV Runnin' Rebels head coach Izulde Jestor would say after his team suffered a heartbreaking 83-80 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs. On a night when the Rebels shot just 35.7% from the floor, it was only fitting the game ended on 6th man Emmett Mayes's rim-clanging 3 point attempt.

The loss took a lot of the pleasure out of UNLV's 90-77 road win against the Lobos, keyed by Ricky Irwin's 20 points, Charlie Schubert's 13 points and 10 rebounds and junior reserve James Barksdale's 13 points in 15 minutes. UNLV also beat Mountain West doormat Utah 72-65 to go 2-1 through January 20th.

So with 11 days and 3 more games to go in January, the Mountain West standings look like this:



There's still plenty of opportunity for UNLV to capture the regular season crown, but they'll need to show the sort of form that carried them to a 9 game winning streak in non-conference play.

This is me beating my head against a brick wall.

I can live with being 4-4 in conference after an 85-76 home loss to Wyoming despite Ricky Irwin's 22 points, a 70-65 road loss to BYU and a 67-42 Colorado State road win on Charlie Schubert's 19 points and 7 rebounds and Emmett Mayes's 14 bench points. Even when that puts us 6th of 9 teams in the Mountain West.

What I can't handle is ANOTHER damned recruit saying, "Sorry, Coach. That Columbia thing still scares me." So where does Mr. Colorado All-State SF Gregory Victoria go? Cal-State Northridge. Sure they made the NCAA tournament last year, but it was a one and done. A few years ago they got to the second round, but the Matadors aren't going to make it two in a row this year. Not when they're 8-12 (3-5). Unless they pull off some sort of conference tournament miracle.

A miracle we ourselves might need soon, as we're not on the Bubble Watch and 14-7 (4-4) with an RPI of #118 is NIT material, if that. I just hope we have an excellent February and do well in our remaining 9 games, 8 of which are in the Mountain West.

We should at least beat currently 0-23 Winston-Salem State.

Horned Frogs Sweep With Another Heartbeaker
Two straight home losses first non-tournament losing streak for UNLV this season

TCU senior C Clay Gilreath has been a Rebel-slayer this season

You wouldn't expect a 6'7, 239 pound center to be dominant. And for the most part, TCU Horned Frogs starter Clay Gilreath hasn't been. But at 6'9, 211 pounds, UNLV Rebels redshirt freshman starter Val Gavin is too raw, too slender and too inexperienced to contend with the senior. That mismatch has cost UNLV two critical Mountain West games this season.

In the 83-80 loss in Fort Worth, Gilreath won Player of the Game with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. And in an even more sickening 89-87 second bout at the Thomas & Mack Center, Gilreath again took top honors with a career high 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks.

"We just had no answer for him", said a morose Izulde Jestor after the game. "We didn't last time and we didn't tonight. I'm just glad he's a senior and we won't see him next year."

Despite being outplayed, Gavin netted a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds to go with Ricky Irwin's 21 points and 10 rebounds and 6th man Emmett Mayes's 10 bench points.

The defeat was even more demoralizing, coming as it did on the heels of UNLV's 96-88 home loss to mediocre San Diego State despite Ricky Irwin's 26 points and senior bench big Robert Beauregard's 10 points and 7 rebounds.

"It's frustrating", Gavin told reporters after the TCU game. "We should have a winning season, but we're 4-6 in the conference right now and not where we should be. I didn't play defense tonight and that's why we lost. It's all on me."

Following those two losses, the Runnin' Rebels 70-29 scrimmage over still-winless Winston-Salem State seemed both anti-climatic and unable to give a suddenly struggling basketball team any relief. Senior star Ricky Irwin nearly beat the Rams by himself with a game-high 25 points.

The Mountain West Standings as of February 10th:

Runnin' Rebels To Face Hated TCU For Third Time This Season

Can UNLV finally break the Horned Frogs hex?

Mention TCU to UNLV head coach Izulde Jestor and watch as his skin reddens and the veins bulge in his head.

"I hate those guys. I hate them even worse than the school up north, Minnesota, or Yale right now. That's how much I want to knock them out."

Knock them out of the Mountain West conference tournament that is.

The Runnin' Rebels lost both games to TCU this season by close scores. 83-80 in Fort Worth and 89-87 in Las Vegas. And now, after UNLV went 3-3 in their last six conference games to narrowly avoid having to fight through the play-in game by finishing 7th in the conference, again draws the 2 seed Horned Frogs in the conference tournament opener.

"Obviously we want to beat these guys, because if we lose, that's it. My college days are done and maybe my playing days too", said senior Ricky Irwin, who won the Mountain West scoring title by averaging 19.7 points a game.

"So we have to find a way to finally get it done."

On the Recruiting Trail

For the umpteenth time this season, a recruit said no to Jestor. SG Arthur Davis, a 3* prospect from Los Banos, CA, informed UNLV that he'll be going to Pacific instead, further extending what some Rebels fans have taken to calling the Columbia Curse, after Danilo Edwards's public statement that he rejected the Runnin' Rebels based on Jestor's too-brief tenure with Columbia University last season.

Jestor vehemently refused to comment on the continued lack of success and one can only hope he manages to reel in someone, anyone, with the single scholarship the Rebels have had available all year long.

Final Regular Season Mountain West Standings



Don't ask me how TCU got screwed with a 2 seed when they won the regular season title, because it was Air Force who got the #1 seed in the tournament

Rebels In NIT After MWC Tournament Heartbreaker

UNLV fans celebrate after finally conquering the TCU menace.

The third time was the charm.

After two agonizing, so close you can taste it losses to the TCU Horned Frogs, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels finally beat the beast. And they slayed Texas Christian in the most impressive manner possible, slaughtering the Horned Frogs 88-66.

Ricky Irwin was his usual great self with 21 points, but on a night when Charlie Schubert was cold all game long and just 1 for 7, it was junior college transfer Rufino Sanchez who stepped up with the game of his life, scoring 23 points with 5 assists to ensure there would be no TCU threepeat.

Then it was on to face the New Mexico Lobos, where an all-too familiar story played out in the semi-finals. Ricky Irwin scored an amazing 32 points, but the Rebels fell just short of giving him the support he needed and UNLV lost by a single point, 83-82.

That loss left the Runnin' Rebels at 19-13 (7-9) and playing a long waiting game. The NCAA tournament was clearly out of reach, but the NIT was still a possibility.

And that possibility became reality after head coach Izulde Jestor got the call that UNLV was invited to the NIT as the 5 seed in the East Region, where they'll play 4 seed Bradley in the opener.

"We knew we would make either the CBI or CIT for certain, because it's the first year of those tournaments, but to me, there's only two postseason tournaments and that's the NCAAs and the NIT. So for us to make it into the NIT, especially with all the ups and downs we've had this year, it's a great feeling", Jestor said.

Irwin, the Mountain West scoring champion, was also pleased.

"I'm happy that my college career doesn't end here and that we'll be going on to the NIT. We should have been able to beat New Mexico, but we just need to put that behind us and concentrate on bringing home the NIT championship", he said.

Bradley, UNLV's NIT opponent, was 18-13 (12-6) in the Missouri Valley this season. Ball distribution is the Braves' hallmark on offense, as their 18.4 assists a game rank 10th in the nation. Defense will be a huge concern for the Braves, as they have one of the worst in the country, giving up 74.1 points a game, ranked all the way down at 323rd. That's a positive sign for the run and gun Rebels.

SF Eric Pena, a sophomore from Seward, Alaska, is Bradley's greatest offensive threat and the Braves' leading scorer at 15.6 points a game. He'll be matched up against UNLV's best defensive player, sophomore SF Edward Heisler and the outcome of that battle will go a long way to determining who wins the game.

And with this post we're all caught up to the original dynasty posting. The tournament sims have also been run, so I'll get up an article for how UNLV did in the NIT in the next day or so.