Jan. 25, 2010
LAS VEGAS - UNLV junior Tre'Von Willis has been named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for games through January 24, the league announced Monday.
A 6-4 guard from Fresno, Calif., Willis led UNLV to a 2-0 record on the road in conference play last week.
In an 80-72 victory at Colorado State on Wednesday, he led all scorers with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, while adding four rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist in 32 minutes of action. Willis scored 14 points in the second half and shot 7-of-8 from the free throw line. All of his free throw attempts were in the final 2:43 of the game.
He followed that performance with a game- and career-high 30 points on 9-of-14 field goals and 11-of-14 free throws in a 79-70 win at TCU on Saturday. With UNLV holding a 72-70 lead with under a minute to play, Willis scored four of the Runnin' Rebels' final seven points, all off free throws, to seal the victory. He added six rebounds, four assists, one block and a steal while playing 31 minutes.
Willis' 30-point game marked the first 30-point outing for a UNLV player since Wink Adams had 33 against Wyoming on Jan. 23, 2008. Last week's wins at CSU and TCU avenged losses at both venues last year by the Runnin' Rebels.
For the week, Willis shot 60 percent from the floor (15-of-25) and 81.8 percent from the free throw line (18-of-22), while averaging 25.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block per game. It was the second straight week that Willis tallied 50 or more points. He has helped lead UNLV to an overall record of 16-4, including 7-1 on the road and 4-2 in MWC play. Willis recorded his fifth- and sixth- straight game with 20 or more points last week and continues to lead the conference in scoring (MWC games only) with an average of 24.2 ppg, which is 8.2 ppg better than the second-leading scorer in conference play. He has scored 20 or more points in all six MWC games.
This is the second career weekly accolade for Willis and the first for a UNLV player this season. The Runnin' Rebels will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. as they host Air Force at the Thomas & Mack Center. The game is being billed as a "Black Out," as the first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a free black UNLV t-shirt, courtesy of The Mtn. television network. All fans are asked to wear black in attempt to "black out" the Thomas & Mack Center. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
