Once upon a time, college senior nights were emotional ceremonies meant to celebrate players who were mainstays at a program for four years.
When UNLV’s men’s basketball team honors three seniors ahead of its final home game of the regular season Tuesday against San Diego State, none of the players on the court will fit that description.
Seniors Jalen Hill, Jailen Bedford and Julian Rishwain are all transfers who didn’t begin their careers as Rebels.
“It’s a special group,” fourth-year coach Kevin Kruger said. “Even with the uncertainty of the NCAA, with how many years people have left … we’re just incredibly thankful to anyone that joins the program. Especially for those guys that have a year left and they choose to spend it here.”
All three players set to walk the court and be recognized with their loved ones Tuesday took different paths.
Bedford is in his first year at UNLV after spending two years in junior college and a season at Oral Roberts. Hill spent four years at Oklahoma before ending his career with the Rebels. Rishwain, a sixth-year senior like Hill, made stops at Boston College, San Francisco and Florida before joining UNLV.
It’s a reminder of just how much college sports have changed. With the transfer portal and the NCAA’s recent ruling to extend eligibility for former junior college athletes, it’s not always clear who qualifies as a senior.
Bedford could even potentially have an extra year of eligibility because of his time in junior college, but Kruger said Bedford, Hill and Rishwain decided to be acknowledged as seniors.
It’s not hard for Kruger to recall when senior nights felt more dramatic. He said it was like watching a “family member move away” when he would attend them for teams his father Lon Kruger coached.
“I think I finally stopped crying at senior nights when I was maybe 14 or 15, watching my dad’s teams growing up,” Kruger said, “There’s just always so much emotion for the families and the finality of that college career and experience. … Of course, it’s different now with the portal. The relationships might not be as long, but there’s still just an appreciation and (the) respect factor.”
Hometown Hill
Kruger might cry again Tuesday because of Hill.
The former Clark standout said he never used to struggle with injuries. But his first season with the Rebels in 2023-24 was cut short after seven games because of a knee injury. Hill’s “rough start with his health” also featured a wrist injury, Kruger said.
“With (Hill) being a local, just knowing him the longest and recruiting him in high school … the relationship just goes back, you know, six, seven years,” Kruger said. “I’m sure there’s going to be some emotions.”
Hill said the family feeling UNLV provided was a huge reason for his transfer.
“(I was) just growing up here, going to games as a kid and watching (Thomas & Mack Center) get filled out,” Hill said. “Being able to be that kid and living out a dream just means everything.”
Hill has mixed emotions heading into senior night.
“I’m excited, because I’ve been in college for six years, but I’ll never get this experience back,” he said. “So (I’m) just having pride for being here, and also kind of feeling a little bit sad about it.”
Hill, Bedford and Rishwain aren’t the only players on the roster that could’ve been celebrated as seniors.
Forward Rob Whaley Jr. likely would have been part of the group if he played beyond the first two games of the season. A back injury has sidelined him since. He will not be honored Tuesday and could pursue a medical redshirt.
“We lost a guy (in Whaley) that finished the year really strong last year,” Kruger said. “He had a level of confidence he’d brought from the previous season that I thought was going to lead into a pretty good year. … His size and physicality, combined with his experience was something that, of course, you’d always want to have on your team.”
Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
