LAS VEGAS – Few athletes will ever admit to wanting to win an award. But in the case of UNLV Runnin’ Rebel forward Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, he’s not one to shy away from stating he wants to win the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year.
“I’m not here to hide,” Cherry said. “I’m here to show people what I can do, so there’s no point in not letting people know what I want to do.”
Cherry will likely have a case if his performance against Alabama State is any indication. He scored 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting with 11 rebounds.
It was a performance that had Cherry’s cell phone going “wild” whether it was from text messages to calls to social media notifications.
For UNLV coach Kevin Kruger, it was a welcomed sight to see Cherry perform at a high level despite it being his first game as a Runnin’ Rebel.
“These kids aren’t going to be off social media. That’s not realistic. So, they see people that love them. They see people that hate them for no reason,” Kruger said. “There’s just so much anticipation for those first games. And to get out there and play, and again, to play a very competitive, athletic, driven Alabama State team on that first night and to have a great night was really good.”
But the challenge gets a little harder Saturday when the Runnin’ Rebels take on the Memphis Tigers.
“’Bear’ also understands that [Moussa] Cisse and [Dain] Dainja are a little different animal just because they’re just bigger and more experienced,” Kruger said. “So he’s gotta take that same approach he had the other night and carry it over to [Saturday].”
‘Nobody wanted me’
Cherry was not recruited by a Division I program out of high school. This hurt, considering his brother, Taeshon, was a ranked 44th in the nation by ESPN played Division I basketball.
Taeshon told his younger brother that he was a better player and that it was going to take time for people to notice him. So naturally, Bear went to work.
He enrolled at New Mexico Junior College to work on his game. He averaged 11 points with seven rebounds in his freshman year and then 12.5 points and six rebounds per game in his sophomore year.
“I learned a lot of things, like things for my IQ defensively and offensively,” Cherry said. My assistant coach [Jordan Burton at New Mexico Junior College] took a lot of time with me to help me get my offensive game a lot better.”
Those strong numbers brought the Division I offers rolling in. Bear opted UNLV over Florida State, Mississippi State, Boise State and Utah State.
“Out of high school, nobody wanted me,” Cherry said. “I kind of kept my head down, went JUCO, stayed with it, and I came here, and I was able to prove to everybody, like, yeah, I can do it. Now, like, people are probably like, ‘Well, we should have took our chance on him,’ but I’m glad that Coach [John] Cooper and Coach BP [Barret Peery] took their chance on me.”
Targeting a Runnin’ Rebel Rival
Bear made it clear, aside from winning Newcomer of the Year, there’s one team he is already looking forward to playing when the time comes in conference play.
“Definitely, especially San Diego State,” Bear said. “That’s the one I’m going to definitely have my chip on my shoulder for sure.”
Bear is from San Diego, Calif., making it a natural rivalry for him.
That game will have to wait, however. Until then, Bear will use the time to get better and help the Runnin’ Rebels get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
