April 12, 2006

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball program has received a signed national letter of intent to enroll at the school and play basketball starting with the 2006-07 season from Corey Bailey on Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period, head coach Lon Kruger announced.

Bailey, a 6-foot-5-inch, 215-pound forward from Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., led his team this season in scoring with 17.7 ppg and rebounding with 6.4 per game. He was second on the team in steals with 48 and shot 46.9 percent from the field in leading the Grizzlies to a 20-12 record. He scored a team-high 32 points in a game on two occasions this past season.

"Corey will bring versatility and athleticism to our team," Kruger said. "He has the ability to play multiple positions on the floor, he competes extremely hard on both the offensive and defensive ends and will bring a maturity to our program."

Originally from Tampa, Fla., as a freshman at Butler, Bailey averaged 15.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg. He will enter UNLV as a junior.

"When I was around the coaches and players on my visit, I was very impressed with how close they are," Bailey said. "They are like a family and that means a lot to me. Academics are also very important to me and Coach Kruger emphasizes that aspect of the program."

Bailey joins two other players who signed with the Runnin' Rebels in November as UNLV's incoming class. They are Marcus Lawrence, a guard from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and Troy Cage, a forward from Glen Oaks High School in Baton Rouge, La.