Aug. 27, 2007
LAS VEGAS - Tre'Von Willis has enrolled in classes at UNLV and has become a member of the Runnin' Rebels men's basketball program, head coach Lon Kruger announced Monday.
Willis, a 6-foot-4 inch, 200-pound guard, transferred to UNLV from the University of Memphis, where he played as a true freshman last season. Willis will have to sit out the 2007-08 season at UNLV because of NCAA transfer rules and will be eligible to play for the Runnin' Rebels as a sophomore during the 2008-09 season.
"Tre'Von is a player we recruited a year ago and he made the decision to attend Memphis," Kruger said. "He is happy to get closer to home and we will enjoy having him in the program at UNLV."
For the Tigers in 2006-07, Willis appeared in 17 games, playing an average of 6.1 minutes per contest. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point range. Willis' best game came against Tulane when he scored 12 points in 18 minutes. Memphis had an overall 33-4 record last year and lost in the regional final to Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament.
Before going to Memphis, Willis attended Washington Union High School in Fresno, Calif. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists in his senior season and finished his prep career with 2,842 points, setting the CIF Central Section scoring record. The 2,842 points were the fifth-most in California state high school history.
A 2006 Fresno Bee Boys All-Star selection, Willis was also the 2006 North Sequoia League Player of the Year. His high school team recorded a 28-7 overall mark and was a perfect 14-0 in league play, winning both the league and valley championships.
Willis was ranked the No. 67 player in the nation (No. 50 senior) by HoopScoopOnline.com before his senior season and was rated the No. 12 player in California and No. 37 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com.
Willis joins 6-foot-10-inch junior center Emmanuel Adeife from Polk Community College in Fla., 7-foot freshman center Beas Hamga from Decatur (Ill.) Christian School, 6-foot-3-inch junior guard Mareceo Rutledge from Yuba College in Calif., and 6-foot-4-inch freshman guard Kendall Wallace from Mountain View High School in Ariz., as newcomers to the 2007-08 UNLV men's basketball roster.
The Runnin' Rebels are led by head coach Lon Kruger, who is entering his fourth season at UNLV after compiling a three-year mark of 64-34. His squad won the Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship in March, finished with a 30-7 overall record and made a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance - the program's first in 16 years.
Additionally, UNLV was 19-1 at home in 2006-07, including ending the season with 17 straight wins at the Thomas & Mack Center, which ties for the 10th-longest active streak in the country. UNLV was ranked 14th in the nation in the final edition of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll.
The 2007-08 Runnin' Rebels return one starter off last year's squad in junior Wink Adams and seven other letterwinners. Curtis Terry and Corey Bailey are the team's lone seniors.
