UNLV Lands Illinois Transfer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn As Josh Pastner Reloads Roster

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team continues to fill out their roster for the upcoming season through the transfer portal. This time, new head coach Josh Pastner has added former Illinois Fighting Illini sharpshooter Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. The guard announced his commitment to the Rebels this weekend on social media.

BREAKING: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn will enter the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility remaining. @DravynGibbs pic.twitter.com/3sAus657Q2
— SCC (@SCCentral21) April 2, 2025

Gibbs-Lawhorn stands 6'1" and is coming off a down year. He just couldn't find his shot last season, which led to him moving on from Illinois. However, he brings a lot to the table that this new regime in Las Vegas is looking for, including experience both on the court and in a winning culture. While with the Fighting Illini, he was a big part of the team that made a run to the Elite 8. That's something that can bring a lot of value to the new-look Rebels roster that Pastner is looking to rebuild in his image. This was the second key addition through the transfer portal, along with Emmanuel Stephen. Stephen is a big man who joined the Rebels last week, coming over from the Arizona Wildcats.

Unfortunately, it was a rough year for Gibbs-Lawhorn, who averaged just 5.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game last season. He started off the season playing significant minutes before seeing his playing time dwindle due to ineffectiveness. The player once known as a marksman only managed to hit 25 of 98 3-pointers, leading to his lack of playing time as the season wore on. This year will be a fresh start for him in Las Vegas, where he will look to regain his form and develop into the shooter most expected him to become at Illinois.

This was another big addition to the UNLV roster as Pastner continues to retool after losing so many key pieces this offseason. The Rebels aren't quite where they want to be yet, but are taking big steps to get there.

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