Lon Kruger

For more coverage of UNLV basketball, go to lasvegassun.com/rebels. Darris Santee wears his soul on his shoulders. An elaborate scroll of Psalms 27 is etched in ink on the left: ÒWhom shall I fear? É of whom shall I be afraid? É When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.Ó On his right shoulder, the tattoo reads: ÒOnly God Can Judge Me.Ó ÒThatÕs important to me, too,Ó Santee said. ÒDonÕt worry about what other people think or say about you. GodÕs the only one who can judge you.Ó Santee, a 6-foot-8, ... Read Full Story

For more coverage of UNLV basketball, go to lasvegassun.com/rebels. Brice ÒTruckÓ Massamba spent the summer in Sweden lifting weights, conditioning and keeping his diet in check. Massamba, sporting a new Mohawk hairdo, appears to have honed himself into a 6-foot-9, 240-pound weapon. The sophomore is excited by his teammatesÕ play during the first few days of practice. ÒWe look pretty good, defense-wise,Ó Massamba said. ÒWeÕve been killing people on offense, too. WeÕre much quicker than last year. And we have more heart, it feels like.Ó But Massamba has been the revelation. Nimble and mobile, heÕs been showing off power moves from the elbow and ... Read Full Story

IF YOU GO What: FirstLook 2009, first official practice of the UNLV basketball team When: 9 p.m. Friday Where: Thomas & Mack Center Admission: Free Power forward Chace Stanback will be a focal point when fans get their first look at this yearÕs UNLV basketball team Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center. They will be hoping the sophomore fills the scoring and rebounding voids left by the graduation of Wink Adams, Rene Rougeau and Joe Darger. Stanback sat out last season after transferring from UCLA and watched the Rebels go through a somewhat disappointing 21-11 campaign. ÒIÕve never sat out a whole year ... Read Full Story

Here are 773 thoughts — one for each yard UNLV allowed in the 63-28 debacle at Nevada-Reno on Saturday — about Mike SanfordÕs tenuous status as Rebels head football coach. Just kidding. Unlike the Wolf Pack, weÕre gonna stop at 15. 1. Somebody should send the Board of Regents the check for SanfordÕs $225,000 buyout. They are the ones who ratified his three-year contract extension last year with a rubber stamp. 2. Like Eric the Clown in ÒSeinfeld,Ó it would appear Neal Smatresk, the new UNLV president, is going to oversee his athletic department with a big shoe. He could have taken the high ... Read Full Story

GOING UP Deadspin athletic director Notice I said ÒDeadspinÓ not Òdeadbeat.Ó Former UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick is living among women at his new school, Marshall University, impressing the mostly irreverent sports Web site Deadspin, which said: ÒUntil he can fi nd permanent housing, Mike Hamrick is living in an all-female dorm wing. HeÕs living every manÕs dream, except the women are all half his age. So, yeah, heÕs living every manÕs dream.Ó Early to rise And early to race. FebruaryÕs Las Vegas 400 will start at noon instead of 1:30 p.m. at the urging of NASCAR, which thinks earlier start times will help ... Read Full Story