UNLV Basketball: Coaching Hires Show Dave Rice's Confidence in Himself

First-time head coaches are sometimes leery of surrounding themselves with talented assistant coaches.

They fear that if they struggle the university will have an easy fix because they can replace them with someone right off of the staff. 

Dave Rice is not that type of person.

His coaching staff is made up of an up and coming coach in Justin Hutson, a former head coach in the Mountain West in Heath Schroyer and a popular former player, Stacey Augmon.

In addition to those hires, one of the candidates for the Director of Basketball Operations is former interim head coach Jay Spoonhour.

These moves also put the burden of the offense almost solely on Rice's head. Schroyer and Hutson both have defensive backgrounds and Augmon was known for his defense during his UNLV career.

Although, Augmon was also a very good offensive player and I am sure he will have a lot to teach the players on both sides of the ball.

This staff also almost certainly signals a shift towards an more heavy emphasis on high school recruiting.

Rice was the recruiting coordinator at BYU and Justin Hutson held the same position at San Diego State. Those two were responisble for bring in possible lottery picks Jimmer Fredette and Kawhi Leonard.

Schroyer has east coast recruiting ties and Augmon's NBA coaching experience can help lure players who have hopes of an NBA career.

Add to this Dave Rice's up-tempo style of play and those who have been crying out for more high school recruiting are sure to be pleased.

I like what Rice has done so far. It says that he is not intimidated by the position. I like that he is not afraid that his staff will out shine him.

Enjoy this staff UNLV fans, Augmon's and Hutson's stays will not likely be long ones. Hopefully, Dave Rice will be.