Lady Rebels look to maintain Mountain West success with new-look roster

The five-time Mountain West regular-season and three-time conference tournament champion UNLV Lady Rebels are set to tip off a new season.

Led by coach Lindy La Rocque, who enters her seventh season with the program after joining in March 2020, UNLV has accumulated a 149-41 record under her leadership. La Rocque also earned three consecutive Mountain West Coach of the Year awards from 2021-23.

After finishing with a 21-11 overall record last season, including a second-place finish in the Mountain West standings at 15-5, the Lady Rebels were invited to the WBIT as the No. 2 seed, snapping a streak of three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Now entering the 2026-27 season, the program has brought in a wave of new faces, including six freshmen and four transfers, following the departure of six graduating seniors.

One player who remains on the roster is junior forward Meadow Roland, who averaged a team-high 15 points per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor in 31 games last season.

For Roland, the start of the season marks the beginning of a new journey with a younger group, with her role as a veteran on the roster coming to the forefront.

“Right now we are definitely super excited,” Roland said. “I am excited to play with this team and we are going to play fast, we are going to play hard, and we are going to score.

“We are going to continue to do everything we have always done, and I am excited to have this group because they are willing and ready to learn. They help make my role on the court easier.”

COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Pastner’s work ethic unrivaled

Jones returned with something to prove

Graney: Rebels need chemistry

Mountain West capsules

Final Four prediction

One of the younger players stepping into a significant role this season is hometown recruit Keonni “Bubbles” Lewis, a point guard who was ranked among ESPN’s top 100 recruits and was a four-star prospect at Democracy Prep. She averaged 12.9 points per game as a junior.

La Rocque spoke about Lewis’ importance to the roster in her first season with the program, as well as her recovery from an injury that the freshman was recently cleared to play through.

“We need Keonni, also known as Bubbles,” La Rocque said. “She has great energy, but she is playing a little bit of catch-up, so our staff are working overtime with her on film with on-court reps because as a point guard there is just nothing like being out there.

“Truthfully, she has been out for the last eight months, but what she has been able to make up in just two weeks’ time is really incredible. The next two weeks we want her to continue on that exponential growth because we are going to need her throughout the season.”

Despite the roster turnover, the Lady Rebels were selected as the Mountain West preseason favorites for the fifth consecutive season, receiving 16 of 20 first-place votes.

For La Rocque, the recognition reflects what the program has worked to establish.

“I think the biggest thing is we have established our program of who we are,” La Rocque said. “We want to compete for championships year in and year out because this is where we expect to be.

“We are grateful for the respect of our peers, but I think we have earned that. Now it is our job to go out there and fight for it and compete for it because, especially now, no one is going to give it to us. That is why we recruit the players that we do. That is why players come to play here.”

UNLV’s national profile has also helped set up a marquee season opener against No. 3 USC and star guard JuJu Watkins at T-Mobile Arena on Monday as part of the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.

“What a better way to kick off the year than to play a game on opening day at (1 p.m. PT) on national television against the No. 3-ranked team in the country and against arguably the best player in women’s college basketball right now,” La Rocque said.

“We have put our program in this position not just to be excited to be in this game but we are in the office right now preparing to win. Get out to T-Mobile Arena and you can see a bunch of hoops and enjoy a beautiful day with your family and see some great women’s basketball.”

Contact Donovan Hicks at [email protected]. Follow @HicksSports on X.