UNLV basketball adds 5th portal commitment as roster takes shape
New UNLV men’s basketball coach Josh Pastner is close to filling out his first roster.
Pastner added his fifth player from the transfer portal Sunday when former Iowa forward Ladji Dembele announced his commitment to the Rebels.
Dembele, who is listed at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds, is a threat from beyond the arc. He shot 38.2 percent from behind the 3-point line as a sophomore last season. Dembele also averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 33 appearances, including 21 starts.
Dembele, a Mali native, was a standout at St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey before joining the Hawkeyes. The 21-year-old entered the transfer portal last month after Iowa fired coach Fran McCaffery. Dembele is the brother of former UNLV basketball player Cheickna Dembele.
Pastner’s other transfer portal pickups are Texas-Rio Grande Valley guard Howard Fleming, Louisiana Tech guard Al Green, Arizona center Emmanuel Stephen and Illinois guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. He retained four of former UNLV coach Kevin Kruger’s high school commits as well, a group headlined by Coronado High standout Mason Abittan.
Pastner landed his first high school commit last week in Issac Williamson, a combo guard from Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
