Nov. 13, 2006

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball program received a signed national letter of intent from Emmanuel Adeife on Monday to enroll at UNLV next fall and play for the Runnin' Rebels starting with the 2007-08 season, head coach Lon Kruger announced.

Adeife, a 6-foot-10, 220-pound sophomore center from Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Fla., is entering his first year at the junior college after playing his freshman year at the University of Houston. Originally from Miramar, Fla., Adeife averaged 12 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots per game in his final prep season at Dillard High School.

"Emmanuel brings a great deal of enthusiasm and desire in being at UNLV," Kruger said. "He is a very active, long and rangy shot blocker who runs the floor well and has a great attitude about working to improve each day."

Adeife will be a junior when he enrolls at UNLV and will have two years of eligibility for the Runnin' Rebels.

Adeife joins Mareceo Rutledge, a guard from Yuba College in Marysville, Calif., and Kendall Wallace, a guard from Mountain View High School in Mesa, Ariz., as UNLV's early-period signings for the 2007-08 season. Also part of the class is Lamar Roberson, who transferred from Houston and is a redshirt on this year's UNLV squad.