Snapshot
Head coach: Lindy La Rocque (Year 6 at UNLV)
Roster status: Roster finalized for 2025-26 (per official roster)
Returners include: Jasmyn Lott, Teagan Colvin, Aaliyah Alexander, Meadow Roland
Identity: Fast-but-composed, guard-led spacing, elite ball security, stronger glass with a breakout forward in Roland
Editor’s note: Roles, lineup packages, and set actions below are analytical projections based on roster strengths and last season’s team profile. For official bios and measurements, use the UNLV links at the end.
Program standard and culture
Lindy La Rocque’s era is built on simple, repeatable winning habits. UNLV runs with purpose, prizes decision speed (0.5-second choices), an unselfish passing ethos, and team rebounding that finishes defensive stands. The 2024-25 team went 26-8 by protecting the ball (10.5 TO/gm), taking quality threes (34.2%), and banking extra possessions (+4.5 reb margin, +4.0 TO margin). The 2025-26 roster doubles down with more perimeter gravity, a deeper frontcourt, and a major internal leap from redshirt sophomore Meadow Roland.
Philosophy pillars
Possession advantage: Low turnovers + higher offensive rebounds create “two-shot trips” and deny opponent runouts.
Pace with spacing: Transition lanes flow into drag/ghost actions; corners filled early; bigs rim-race to draw help.
Shot diet: Paint pressure and catch-and-shoot threes; trade long twos for corner threes.
Discipline on D: Shrink gaps, scram mismatches, finish possessions on the glass, and avoid foul trouble.
Roster overview and roles (by position group)
Guards
Destiny Leo (Gr., 5'10) - Headline shooter/closer
Profile: Four-time All-Horizon, 329+ career 3s. Movement sniper off staggers/screen flips; punishes top-locking with backcuts.
Usage: First-touch after timeouts; last-shot creator via relocation threes; spacer who raises teammates’ paint touches.Sydni Summers (Jr., 5'5) - Primary handler/tempo
Profile: 69 made threes and 92% FT in 2024–25 (SJSU). Calm under pressure, reads tags early, keeps the ball ahead.
Usage: Drag/Spain PNR operator; two-for-one clock manager; late-game FT closer; toggles to scorer vs unders.Mariah Elohim (Sr., 5'10) - Second-side creator/scorer
Profile: Smooth pace and three-level counters; reliable “third action” attacker after initial PNR.
Usage: Empty-corner ball screens, ghost to force switches, baseline drives into hammer skips. Middle-eight runway (end 2Q/start 3Q).Jasmyn Lott (R-Sr., 5'8) - Glue/stopper
Profile: Inbounder, press-breaker, best matchup defender 1-3; makes the extra rotation and extra pass.
Usage: First sub to settle pace; closes when games get physical or defense dictates.Depth/young guards
Hodaya Kabada (Fr., 5'10): Length, defensive activity, cutting lanes; minutes tied to catch-and-shoot readiness.
Teagan Colvin (So., 5'7): On-ball defense, simple reads; stabilizes bench units.
Aaliyah Alexander (Gr., 5'8): 3-and-D utility; matchup-based spacing minutes.
Forwards/Centers
Meadow Roland (R-So., 6'2) - Breakout two-way forward
Profile: 2024–25 MW Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year; MW All-Freshman. 33 GP, 336 points, 195 rebounds, 25 blocks, team-best .556 FG%. Season-highs: 24 pts (vs SJSU), 16 rebs (vs NAU); double-double debut (LMU). Coach La Rocque: “A lot like Desi-Rae Young… skilled scorer face-up/back-to-basket, prideful defender, length, poise.”
Usage: Combo 4, who toggles face-up drives and back-to-basket seals; secondary rim protection; high-efficiency finisher. Projects starter-level minutes.Destiny Brown (Sr., 6'4) — Interior anchor
Profile: Strong screener/sealer with touch; vertical size for rim contests and high-low targets.
Usage: Primary screener in Spain/Angle PNR; seals after switches; defensive rebounding ballast.Ongolea “Lea” Afu (Jr., 5'10) - Motor/OREB engine
Profile: JUCO double-double with elite pursuit/balance; turns 50/50s into 70/30s on the glass.
Usage: Crash rules (“two hard, one read”), short-roll DHO hub; late closeouts become attack windows.Shelbee Brown (Gr., 6'0) - Veteran connective big
Profile: Strong base, smart angles, short-roll passing; early box-outs.
Usage: Best in spacing groups; screen-re-screen to free Leo; toggles 4.5/small-ball 5.Alexis Swillis (Fr., 6'3) - Size/rim deterrence track
Profile: Length and mobility; simple, reliable role acceptance = minutes.
Usage: Drop coverage packages; verticality at the rim; “nail” screens to free guards.Trystan James (Fr., 5'10) - Energy/defense
Profile: Straight-line speed and willingness to bang; changes tempo.
Usage: Short bursts to raise possession count and juice the glass.
Style of play
Offense: the layers
Early offense:
Rebound outlet to Summers → double-drag with Brown/Roland or Brown/Afu; Leo sprints to the shake slot.
If flattened, ghost to force a switch-and-slip; hit pocket pass or kick to the corner.
Half-court menu (projected):
Floppy → re-screen for Leo; if top-locked, flip angle and slip.
Spain PNR: Summers/Brown core; Leo back-screens roller then pops; Elohim slot lift as third read.
Elbow DHO splits with Roland/Afu: if chased, backcut; if under, short-roll floater or corner kick.
Hammer: Empty-side drive (Summers); weakside pin for Leo’s corner 3.
Efficiency focus:
Raise 3PA and corner-3 volume with low TOs.
Manufacture second-chance points (Afu crash rules, Brown/Roland seals).
Late-game leverage FT strength (Summers/Leo).
Defense: the answers
Base: Contained with Summers/Lott at POA; gaps shrunk by Elohim/Leo; Brown as paint bouncer; Roland as weakside helper/shot blocker.
Mismatch management: Immediate scram from weakside; ICE side PNR to keep the ball out of middle; selective hard shows vs hot handlers.
Coverage toggles: Drop with Swillis; switch more with Shelbee at 5; zone pockets (2–3 for two trips) after foul clusters.
Emphasis: One-and-done possessions; disciplined closeouts—run off the arc without surrendering backdoors.
Special situations and endgame
BLOB/SLOB (projected installs):
Pistol Hammer: Guard DHO → baseline drive; weakside hammer springs corner 3.
Elevator 5: Leo through elevator doors; if chased, slip for layup.
Diamond Dive: Stacked look for quick post touch to Destiny Brown after decoy pop; Roland duck-in as counter.
Two-for-one/end-of-quarter:
Summers initiates with pre-called timing; first read is Leo sprint relocation; Elohim gets secondary iso vs tilted help.
Foul/timeout management:
Second foul on Brown triggers two possessions of zone and a quick Shelbee/Swillis look to stabilize the rim; Roland absorbs tougher matchups to protect fouls.
Projected rotation and minute bands (opening month)
Starters
G: Sydni Summers (28-32)
G: Destiny Leo (28-32)
G: Mariah Elohim (26-30)
F: Meadow Roland (22-28)
C: Destiny Brown (20-26)
First wave
G/W: Jasmyn Lott (18-24; matchups can push 28)
F: Ongolea Afu (18-24; board engine)
F: Shelbee Brown (12-18; screening/connective)
C: Alexis Swillis (8-12; size/rim contests)
Swing/minutes that flex
Kabada (8-12), Colvin (6-10), Alexander (6-10), James (4-8)
Lineup flavors and when to use them
Spacing/closing: Summers – Leo – Elohim – Roland – Shelbee Brown
Use for clean looks and switching versatility.Board-crush: Summers – Elohim – Lott – Afu – Destiny Brown
Use to slow runs, rack put-backs, and draw fouls.Size-and-seal: Summers – Leo – Lott – Roland – Destiny Brown/Swillis
Use to target undersized fronts with high-lows and deep seals.Pressure/run: Summers – Lott – Kabada – Elohim – Afu
Use in the second quarters or after timeouts to raise possession count.Three-handler wrinkle: Summers – Elohim – Lott – Leo – Roland (small/switchy)
Use vs switch-heavy teams to maintain the advantage and capitalize on mismatches.
Scouting the schedule: nonconference levers (analytical)
Resume build: Seek 1–2 Q1 wins (road/neutral vs high-majors), avoid Q3/Q4 dings.
Holiday MTE: Depth + guard play on short rest; stagger Leo/Summers so a closer is always on.
Travel management: Lott/Afu maintains a steady middle eight on the road, trimming to a 10-call core for quick turnarounds.
See live updates: UNLV schedule hub.
Mountain West fit and path
Fit: Guard-first identity travels; added size (Brown/Swillis) and Roland’s two-way leap address league physicality and glass.
Roadmap to the top tier:
Defensive rebounding travel rate via early box-outs and gang rebounding.
Turnover floor ≤ 12 to preserve shot volume edge.
Clutch package: three go-to ATOs and a ghost counter everyone owns.
Data context from last season (what carries over)
2024–25: 26–8 (16–2 MWC), +12.6 margin, 75.0 PPG, 43.7% FG, 34.2% 3PT (7.3 makes), 75.2% FT, +4.5 reb margin, +4.0 TO margin, A:TO 1.4.
Translation: The DNA—ball control and shot quality—remains. The ceiling rises via Leo/Summers’ gravity and Roland/Afu's second-chance creation.
Role-informed stat bands (ranges, not predictions)
Destiny Leo: 14-18 PPG; 2.7-3.4 3PM; 38-41% 3PT; 85%+ FT
Sydni Summers: 8-11 PPG; 3.5-4.5 APG; 36-39% 3PT; 90% FT
Mariah Elohim: 10-13 PPG; 2-3 APG; 34-37% 3PT
Meadow Roland: 9-13 PPG; 6-8 RPG; 52-57% FG; secondary rim protection
Ongolea Afu: 7-9 PPG; 7-10 RPG; team OREB% leader
Destiny Brown: 7-10 PPG; 5-7 RPG; screen assists leader
Risk board and counters (coach-style)
Rim deterrence vs size: If Swillis’ learning curve is steep, paint touches rise.
Counter: More ICE, early digs, scram mismatches; bias to Roland + Brown pairings to keep length on the floor.New guard chemistry: Three creators need a clear hierarchy, especially late.
Counter: Hard-code crunch-time roles (Summers initiates; Leo first look; Elohim second-side).Foul clustering at the 5: Quick whistles can swing glass and spacing.
Counter: Fast Shelbee buffer; two trips of 2–3 after second foul each half; small-ball spacing groups to ride out danger minutes.
Fan-facing meters (simple watch list)
More threes with stable accuracy.
Low turnovers = more shots.
Rebounds to points (second-chance buckets).
Free throws late: Summers/Leo to close.
What success looks like by February
A confident, close-game team with a polished end-of-game package.
One or two statement nonconference wins and strong MWC positioning.
A “March-ready” profile: secure with the ball, reliable from three, tough on the glass.
Final word
The Lady Rebels return habits that travel, ball control, shot quality, rebounding, and add stress for defenses with Leo’s gravity, Summers’ stewardship, and the twin frontcourt lifts of Roland’s efficiency and Afu’s motor. If the bigs manage fouls and the guards sync quickly, UNLV is built to win both the possession battle and the final four minutes.
