Arizona Seven-Footer Emmanuel Stephen Transfers To UNLV

New UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball head coach Josh Pastner is already beginning to fill out his new roster, which has seen some key losses to the transfer portal season after the firing of former head coach Kevin Kruger. This time, they gained a key addition from the transfer portal in former Arizona Wildcat Emmanuel Stephen.

Former Arizona center Emmanuel Stephen officially announces he’s transferring to UNLV. pic.twitter.com/cHvfNj1w1x
— AZ Band Cat Sports (@AZBandCatSports) April 6, 2025

Stephen is a seven-foot-tall, 230-pound center from Nigeria who was a four-star recruit out of high school. He was recruited by the Kansas Jayhawks, Michigan Wolverines, USC Trojans, and Miami Hurricanes, as well as Arizona.

Last season at Arizona, he appeared in eight games and played a total of just 24 minutes due to injury. He scored 10 points on a perfect five-of-five shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. The last we saw Stephen was in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament against Akron, where he played two minutes, scoring once and getting a steal.

While clearly limited both by injury and youth, the big man flashed a ton of potential and upside, showing why he was such a coveted recruit. However, he will also need some time and work to develop into the player he has the potential to be under Pastner at UNLV.

Pastner is known for developing young talent, which is one of the reasons the Rebels brought him in and will look to get the most out of their new young center. There will likely be more transfer portal additions for Pastner and the Rebels in the coming days and weeks. The program continues to fill out their new-look roster as they look to rebuild and once again become a powerhouse in the Mountain West Conference.

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