UNLV Runnin' Rebels Guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn: "It's Hard For Me Not To Be Successful"

In the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team's overtime win over the Boise State Broncos, guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had a massive 36-point performance. It was one of many huge performances this season, and it helped earn him another Old Trapper Mountain West Player of the Week award. Following the game, Gibbs-Lawhorn spoke about the win and the great season he's in the midst of. UNLV head coach Josh Pastner also spoke about Gibbs-Lawhorn's game and season.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels Junior Guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn On Playing For Head Coach Josh Pastner

“I’m going to try to say this as humble as possible,” Gibbs-Lawhorn said. “When you have a coach that fully believes in a player and fully trusts a player and lets them just play without worrying about anything, it’s hard for me not to be successful.”

Gibbs-Lawhorn On Knowing He Deserves His Success This Season

“I feel like I deserve everything that’s happening right now because of how hard I worked, everything I sacrificed. After almost every Illinois game, I was almost in tears just because I couldn’t see the court. And it’s not even about, ‘Oh, I’m better than him,’ it’s just because I love the game of basketball.”

Pastner On His Belief In Gibbs-Lawhorn

“I put full belief in him because I know how good he can be. And I told him that when I first met him. … I just had a sense, I knew he had an edge and a chip on his shoulder, something to prove.”

Pastner On Gibbs-Lawhorn Game Against The Boise State Broncos

“He didn’t have a fight about him to start the first half. I said, ‘I’m not putting your butt back in until you’re ready to go.’ He says, ‘Coach, I’m ready.’ And I put him right back in. And he took off from there. … I got his edge going and his chip on his shoulder going.”

Pastner On The Teams Win Over Boise State

"That was a great win," Pastner said. "I think Boise State was playing as well as anyone in the league in these last seven or eight games, and better than anyone west of the Mississippi. They are very well coached. Leon Rice is one of the best coaches and they are a very good basketball team. But that was a great, gritty, tough win. Being down 23 and for us to stay together, stay connected, fight, scrap, claw, kick, whatever we had to do to find a way to come back to win that game was awesome in a really hard place to win at. Just so proud of our young men."

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