UNLV opened the 2026-27 season with an 89-77 win over Northern Arizona on Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center, fueled by a career-high 31 points from senior guard Sebastian Mack. The 6-foot-3 Chicago native, who starred at Coronado High School and was named the 2023 Nevada Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year, transferred back home after two seasons at UCLA and one at Missouri.
Through three exhibition games and the regular-season opener, Mack leads the Rebels with 25.25 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three-point range. "It means a lot to me to be back home, back in Vegas," Mack said. "It's where I went to high school and it is where growing up I wanted to make a run here and that is why I came back, to strive and do something big here."
Coach Josh Pastner brought Mack in to help re-establish a winning culture for a program that has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2013. Pastner said he has been hard on the guard from day one, demanding consistency over occasional greatness. "He has bought into it and he has been a great leader," Pastner said. "He has gotten better, he has got a high motor, he is a competitive warrior and he still has room to grow and get better."
Mack said Pastner's intense style fits his mentality. "Really with coach Pastner I just have to follow his game plan," Mack said. "His coaching style is perfect for me. I love coach Pastner. I love the style, the format that we got and everything that we have got going so far. When he talks to me I am trying to be an extension of him on the court."
The Rebels host Samford on Saturday. Pastner is still balancing the freedom to let Mack create with the need to keep the offense moving. "You are going to have to give (Mack) a little wiggle room here and there because he can handle (the ball)," Pastner said. "I like to use the terminology I don't want to 'give the ball any headaches.' Move the ball, point-five (second) decisions. But he's able to get downhill so there is a little wiggle room there but he has really improved on" that aspect.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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