JAMAL AYTES DECIDES TO TRANSFER
Freshman forward leaving UNLV men’s basketball program
UNLV freshman forward Jamal Aytes has decided to leave the Runnin’ Rebel program, head coach Dave Rice said Wednesday.
“I have enjoyed my time at UNLV, but transferring gives me a better opportunity for playing time sooner in my career,” Aytes said.
Aytes has appeared in four of UNLV’s seven games this season, scoring a total of 11 points (2.8 ppg) with three rebounds (0.8 rpg). He has averaged 9.3 minutes played per game.
“We thank Jamal for his contributions and wish him the best in the future,” Rice said.
Aytes was a late addition to the Runnin’ Rebel program, signing with UNLV late in the summer. He is from San Diego, Calif., and attended JSerra Catholic High School.
In November, UNLV received signed national letters of intent from two top recruits in Dwayne Morgan and Goodluck Okonoboh. Morgan is a 6-foot-7-inch, 215-pound forward from Baltimore, Md., and Okonoboh is a 6-foot-9-inch, 215-pound center from Woburn, Mass. (Boston area). They will both enroll at UNLV next fall as freshmen.
Morgan is a five-star prospect that has been rated No. 15 overall in the class of 2014 by Rivals.com. In the ESPN 100 rankings he is 34th overall and ninth at his position, while Scout.com has him seventh in the country at the small forward spot.
Okonoboh is rated as the No. 4 center in his class in the ESPN 100 rankings. ESPN also lists him at No. 21 overall, while Rivals.com has him as the No. 32 overall player in the nation. Scout.com has him ranked as the No. 5 center in the country. He chose the Runnin’ Rebels over Duke, Florida, Indiana and Ohio State.
