Shane Nowell transferring from UNLV basketball

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Thursday, April 11, 2024 | 11:46 a.m.

The UNLV basketball program is losing Shane Nowell to the transfer portal.

Nowell, a junior, reportedly entered the portal on Thursday, making him the second player to exit UNLV this offseason along with junior guard Jackie Johnson.

A 6-foot-6 wing player, Nowell transferred to UNLV in 2022 after spending his freshman year at Arizona. The former 4-star recruit struggled to earn significant playing time in his two subsequent seasons with the Scarlet and Gray, as injuries limited him to 36 games in total.

Nowell averaged 13.1 minutes per contest at UNLV and shot 33.6%. He made only 29.7% of his 3-point attempts.

There were highlights, though. In UNLV’s quarterfinal matchup against Boise State in the 2023 Mountain West tournament, it was Nowell who grabbed a late offensive rebound, then hit a high-difficulty 3-pointer from the corner to send the game to overtime (UNLV eventually lost in OT).

Nowell seemed primed to carry that momentum through to the 2023-24 campaign, and he looked sharp during preseason practices. But a knee injury before the season opener set him back, and he was unable to crack the rotation after his midseason return. Nowell started the final four games of this season after center Kalib Boone was injured and guard Luis Rodriguez left the team.

Nowell faced an uphill battle for playing time next season, with UNLV intent on adding more guards and wings via the transfer portal over the next two weeks.

With Nowell’s departure, UNLV now has four open scholarships for 2024-25.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.