UNLV coach Marvin Menzies brought Jovan Mooring slowly, finally reaching the point where he was playing starters’ minutes at point guard even if he was still coming off the bench.
So when the time came to give Mooring, a junior college transfer, his first start on Tuesday at New Mexico, the transition was seamless.
Mooring totaled 19 points, six assists and five steals as 10½-point underdog UNLV upset the Lobos 71-66.
He wasn’t the only change to the starting line. Freshman forward Cheickna Dembele also was given the start, meaning it was a night of adjustments for several players, a balancing act coaches as they try to find the right combinations.