RASHAD VAUGHN: WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS…
by FRANKLYN CALLE, Slam magazine, June 2014
As the top uncommitted guard in the nation for the Class of 2014, Rashad Vaughn’s college announcement this past February (2014) had the recruiting world’s eyes on him.
Choosing between three historic programs in UNC, Kansas and Kentucky, and two rising ones in Iowa State and UNLV, the 6-5 shooting guard’s final five were all legit. But after relocating to Nevada to play at renowned Findlay Prep, after transferring from New Hope (MN) Robbinsdale Cooper following his junior year, Vaughn ultimately decided to stay in Vegas.
“I kept going back and forth and didn’t know until the day I was going to announce,” says Vaughn, who averaged over 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per on a stacked squad. “But with Coach [Dave] Rice and the relationship we built from the start, and also just the blueprint that he showed for me, plus the relationship I already had with Dwayne [Morgan] and Goodluck [Okonoboh], I just felt we could do something special.”
Something special like reaching the Final Four? That hasn’t happened for the Rebels since 1991 — five years before Vaughn was even born. But with three top-25 prospects arriving in the fall, and two solid starters returning in Khem Birch and Roscoe Smith, the chances of the program reaching a stage they haven’t seen in over two decades — since their own head coach led them there as a player — is as high as it’s ever been.
“We pretty much came together to help Coach Rice get back there,” says Vaughn of his future head coach, who led the Rebels to its lone national title in 1990. “We just want to bring UNLV back to where it needs to be.”
FRANKLYN CALLE, Slam magazine, June 2014
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