Transfers David Muoka, Justin Webster commit to Runnin’ Rebels

UNLV basketball picked up two more transfers Friday morning as former Lamar big man David Muoka and Hawaii guard Justin Webster announced their commitments to UNLV on Twitter.

Standing at 6-foot-10, Muoka is the reigning Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 26.7 minutes played in 25 appearances, 17 starts, and was the conference leader in blocks with 2.9 per game (73 total). Muoka averaged 6.8 rebounds per game and shot 51.3 percent from the field last season. Earlier in the week, Mbacke Diong announced he was entering the transfer portal.

Muoka is the right type of player to fill that void. His 7-foot-3-inch wingspan gives him size and length to clog up the paint for opposing players trying to drive to the basket. From his highlights, he is also athletic, can play above the rim and run the floor. The Rebels will rely on him to grab rebounds, block shots and protect the paint, but Muoka could develop his offensive game and be a steady contributor on both ends of the floor for UNLV.

Just a few hours after Muoka announced his commitment to UNLV, Webster, the former Rainbow Warrior guard announced he was joining the Runnin’ Rebels as well, (first reported by Sam Gordon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 12.3 points per game last season and made 37.8 percent of his 3-pointers.

Webster brings the ability to score and knock down 3-pointers for UNLV. He’ll be called upon to be a primary producer for UNLV on offense after Bryce Hamilton and David Jenkins both left to go into the transfer portal. He isn’t just a 3-point specialist, he can also drive to the basket and finish shots, and help create for others.

Muoka and Webster are making the jump up in competition, compared to the other four transfers who are coming from the Big 12. Since both players played a lot at their former schools, they have a much greater sample size to judge their games on and the program has a better idea of what kind of players they are getting, while there are still some questions on the other transfers who did not play much at their former schools.

Both players have three years of eligibility remaining, which includes the extra year the NCAA granted to players this season due to the pandemic. They also fit the mold of what types of players Kruger and his staff are going after. Muoka’s size and athleticism will help UNLV defensively and Webster can fill a lot of gaps on offense for UNLV.