An Open Thank You Note (Letter) to the Runnin' Rebels

Dear my beloved Runnin' Rebels of UNLV. The good old Scarlett and Gray. You wonderful, wonderful beings who so consistently add a new dimension to my life every fall and spring. You talented, talented bunch that have the unique ability to break my heart just as easily as you fill it with joy and emotion:

To you my dear gentlemen, I say Thank You.

I am indeed grateful for last night's road victory over WAC foe, Fresno St., and furthermore thankful for our continued perfection on the road this season. I thank you, sirs, for not bowing out in the face of adversity and challenge, but for rising to the task at hand and playing - once again - like you have something to prove. Indeed, I thank you.

My dearest Wink - I thank you for finally realizing after four botched attempts, that you weren't doing the team any favors by continuing to launch shots from three land. I applaud you even more, my friend, for not letting your efforts end there, but instead reverting to the nitty-gritty Wink that we all know and love - the Wink that can drive to the lane and hit either a short jumper or a beautiful reverse lay in. Seventeen points, Jo'van. Thank you.

Sir Renaynay, our blue collared knight in shining armor. Thank you for ensuring that not one column next to your name on the statsheet contains a zero. Your easy lay-in from Darris with 50 seconds left in the game was a welcomed reminder of your amazing intuition and your uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. Thank you.

And here's to you, Tre'von Willis, you aggressive, wiley, 1/2/3 guard, combo, you! Thank you for visibly dialing it back a notch or two. Dare I call you New Jack Cool my good friend? Your calm demeanor and hesitation to rush was a key to and likely the reason for our victory at the SaveMart Center.

Thank you, Mo, for your one handed toss-up with 8:21 left in the game. It was an enormous momentum provider for the squad.

Thank you, Mr. Sidney Green for not kissing Gondo on air during half time. That would have been weird. Oh wait....you did, and I loved it. And if that makes me wrong, I don't wanna be right.

And Mr. Santee. TOP OF THE MORNING TO YOU, KIND SIR! Thank you for being there last night and straight up unleashing the BEAST! It is our sincere and collective hope as UNLV fans that you are as excited about your performance as we are. UNLV now has a presence down low, which is not only a key to scoring some easy points in the paint, but a step toward getting our perimeter shooters some more open looks (I think that's a good thing...?). You now know what you are capable of. Keep bringing it to the game. You are a force.

And thank you in advance, dear Rebels (and don't make a liar out of me), for letting our two embarrassing defeats on our home turf be that wake up call that we always seem to need during non-conference play. Let us remember how that stung and not experience that again for the rest of the season.

With warm love, hugs and kisses,

The UNLV Rebel Blog