Sweet, Lou

Steve Addy

Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002 | 9:58 a.m.

Lou Amundson's freshman season is over. His UNLV teammates told him so before conference play began, and he proved he's no longer a pup Monday night before a national TV audience.

That wasn't a frightened freshman getting all of those rebounds and scoring on put-backs in the Rebels' 72-64 victory over Utah on ESPN. That was a confident player with 19 Division I games on his resume, no longer fearful to mix it up with bigger veterans under the basket.

After letting nerves bug him in Saturday's surprise start against BYU, the 6-foot-7 Amundson came back with 12 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and 4-of-4 foul shooting to help the Rebels knock the Utes out of first place. He played a career-high 23 minutes off the bench.

As crucial as any statistic was Amundson's physical presence around the rim. As a team, the Rebels gamely matched Utah's aggressiveness, but Amundson was instrumental in giving UNLV some inside strength after Utes center Cameron Koford dominated early.

The fans loved Amundson for it. With every big play he made, the announced crowd of 10,218 bathed him in cheers. The fans have taken quite a shine to the 19-year-old from Boulder, Colo., a spring signee with UNLV after coach Charlie Spoonhour took over.

Amundson has been a hero before, swishing the winning free throw in overtime Jan. 26 at San Diego State, but this was his most complete game, on a bigger stage. He didn't beat his season highs of 13 points (vs. DePaul) or eight rebounds (vs. Nicholls State), but the Rebels were playing a real team this time.

"While I'm playing, it seems like any other game. But when I think about it, it feels so good to play that well against a team like Utah," Amundson said.

Among his better plays:

Amundson's output Monday was far different than in Saturday's 73-70 victory over BYU, when he made his first start because Chris Richardson sat out the first half for disciplinary reasons. Amundson committed two fouls in the first 4:12 and went scoreless in 12 minutes with four fouls and two turnovers.

"For a young guy, he did a good job of putting that behind him and not sulking about it," Johnson said. "He gave his blood, sweat and tears tonight, and we're really proud of him."

Especially with Koford having his way, Spoonhour did not hesitate to come back with Amundson on Monday. Spoonhour wanted Amundson's aggressiveness, which he has come to rely upon, even when Amundson gets in foul trouble.

"We've gotten great energy out of Lou all year," Spoonhour said. "He's not afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes players are so apprehensive to try something because they think I might yell at them. But he's beyond that point now, which is good."

Amundson's constant effort has made him a favorite among the older players.

"Lou has a lot of heart, and that's going to take him a long way. You can't teach that," Banks said. "He's a freshman, but he's not really a freshman. He's still got a lot to learn, but we're going to teach him. We're going to look out for him like a younger brother. We're going to make a great player out of him."

Judging by Monday's results, the process is well under way.