UNLV open to reunion as Keylan Boone seeks surprise sixth year

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, June 14, 2024 | 2 a.m.

Might there be an unexpected reunion in the works for UNLV basketball and forward Keylan Boone?

The issue is complicated.

It was reported Wednesday that Boone is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and plans to enter the transfer portal on the basis of a new rule that grants an additional year to players who were deemed ineligible for any part of any season since 2019-20. Boone falls into that category, as the NCAA held him out of last season’s first seven games after his transfer from Pacific.

Once the NCAA changed course midseason and declared all transfers to be eligible immediately, Boone became a core component for UNLV, leading a late surge that saw the Scarlet and Gray qualify for the NIT and play in the postseason for the first time since 2013.

Now, Boone is looking to return for another campaign — to the surprise of UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger.

According to Kruger, UNLV’s compliance office contacted the NCAA when the rule was passed in the spring and asked for specifics on Boone’s situation, and were told he was not in line to receive an additional year.

“We reached out to the NCAA at the time,” Kruger said. “When we asked about it, we were told that [rule] did not pertain to him.”

The complicating factor for Boone is that he’s seeking a sixth year of eligibility, not the fifth year typical of transfers under the NCAA’s “five to play four” standard.

Boone joined UNLV as a fifth-year senior, along with his twin brother Kalib Boone. Keylan eventually played in 27 games (21 starts) and posted 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He graduated in December, and when UNLV’s season ended in the NIT quarterfinals, Boone turned his attention to a potential pro career.

Under the new rules, however, Boone reportedly intends to enter the transfer portal and play collegiately in 2024-25.

If Boone is granted eligibility, Kruger wants him to consider another year at UNLV.

“We’re still trying to gather clarification on it,” Kruger said, “because if we had known that, we absolutely would have wanted him to come back. We’re still trying to figure that out. We went off the information we were given at the time.”

Since the end of the 2023-24 season, UNLV has operated under the assumption Boone was out of eligibility. Kruger signed seven newcomers and filled all 13 scholarship spots for 2024-25; several of the imports are veteran wings, recruited specifically to fill the hole left by Boone’s graduation.

Adding Boone to the current mix would require some imaginative roster management. One possibility could be convincing him to join as a walk-on, with an NIL deal in place to cover the cost of tuition.

For a proven player of Boone's caliber, Kruger is willing to get creative.

“We made a commitment to the 13 guys we have,” Kruger said. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t still ways that he could come back.”

Boone is still on campus and working out at UNLV’s athletic facilities, along with his brother.

Kruger has maintained a dialogue with Boone throughout the process.

“I talked to him yesterday,” Kruger said. “I kind of explained, and he understood, that when the rule passed, that was the information we were given. And he knows that. And unless something changes, that’s where we’re at. But if something changes, then we can certainly talk about it — if that happens.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.