Make it seven incoming transfers for Kevin Kruger in his first offseason at UNLV. Kent State transfer Michael Nuga is headed to Vegas.
Nuga should help with the scoring load for the Rebels next season. Last year Nuga averaged 17.8 points per game for the Golden Flashes in 13 games. He shot 38.5 percent from three while shooting over seven triples per game.
Nuga was an analytic dream last season, as he took 170 shots and just one was a mid-range jumper. He either got to the rim (where he finished 64.4 percent of his layups) or took a three.
Kent State finished tied for third in the Mid American Conference last season. The good news, as far as Nuga’s numbers translating, is that the MAC and Mountain West were very comparable last season.
By Ken Pom, the Mountain West was the 11th best conference in college basketball and the MAC was the 12th best. Nuga drilling 38 percent of his three while taking more than seven a game might not happen for second straight seasons, but his overall numbers should translate well.
Nuga has transferred twice before. He started his career at Eastern Florida Junior College, where he played for two seasons. He spent one year at Portland State before transferring to Kent State.
Depsite all the movement, Nuga should be eligible immediately because transferring from junior college to the Division I level does not require a sit out year. And when he moved from Portland State to Kent State, he sat out the 2019-20 season.
With the new NCAA transfer rule, Nuga should be playing right away next season in his final year of eligibility.
Kevin Kruger now has four options on the wing. Nick Blake returns along with transfer Justin Webster and Donovan Williams. Not all four will be able to play significant minutes, barring four or five guard lineups for the Rebels.
So expect serious competition for starting spots and playing time on the wing. Nuga should have a leg up, as he is the most accomplished scorer with his 17.8 points per game in the MAC.