UNLV's Josh Pastner Comments On Latest Transfer Portal Addition

On Tuesday, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team officially received their signed commitment from Emmanuel Stephen for the upcoming NCAA basketball season. New head coach Josh Pastner made the announcement and also spoke about the team's newest Rebel. "Emmanuel is a great young man with a legitimate 7-foot frame and impressive length," Pastner said.

"His shot-blocking ability, rim protection, and rebounding will be extremely valuable for us. His defensive presence will also create fast-break opportunities for us to run. We are very excited to have him join the Runnin' Rebel family."

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Eman 🎰

📰: https://t.co/VXilfNXsMJ pic.twitter.com/IyxzNckvkQ
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) April 9, 2025

Stephen is a seven-foot-tall, 230-pound center from Nigeria who joins UNLV through the transfer portal from the Arizona Wildcats. He was a former four-star recruit out of high school.

Last season he saw very little playing time due to being limited by both youth and injury. However, he flashed the potential and upside scouts saw when watching him play in high school. In 2024 - 2025, he played in eight games and for a total of just 24 minutes, much in part due to injury. He scored 10 points on five of five shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. His season ended in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament against Akron, where he was on the floor for two minutes, scored one basket, and came away with one steal.

In 2025, he will be expected to play a much larger role at UNLV than he played last season with the Wildcats. It sounds like Pastner is viewing him as a key cog in the team's success for the foreseeable. It will be up to Stephen to live up to the expectations and hype he brings with him from Arizona.

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