Jan. 9, 2002

LAS VEGAS - UNLV men's basketball senior Jermaine Lewis will sit out the remainder of the 2001-02 season and complete rehabilitation to return at full strength for the 2002-03 year, head coach Charlie Spoonhour said Wednesday.

Lewis, a 6-4 guard from Houston, Texas, had surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in May.

"We want to protect the integrity of the surgery," Spoonhour said. "We want to give Jermaine the best chance to compete at 100 percent of his capabilities. He is progressing on a normal schedule for the surgery, which has a six-to-nine month complete healing period. To have him come back now would be premature."

This season will count as Lewis' redshirt year and he will return to play for the 2002-03 season for his final year of eligibility.

In 26 games last year for the Runnin' Rebels, Lewis averaged 9.3 points per game and 3.2 rebounds.