Rebels land heavily recruited JC center

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 10:19 a.m.

Just hours after announcing the signing of junior college point guard Ricky Morgan on Tuesday, UNLV received a verbal commitment from perhaps the biggest prize of Lon Kruger's first recruiting class.

Joel Anthony, a highly recruited 6-foot-9, 245-pound center from Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College, called the school to say that he would also sign with the Rebels.

A Montreal native, Anthony picked UNLV over Penn State, Nebraska and Cincinnati, which made a strong late run for his shot-blocking services.

Anthony and another spring signee, Dustin Villepigue (6-9, 230) of Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, help to fill two big holes up front on a Rebels squad that lost both starting center J.K. Edwards and power forward James Peters to graduation and could possibly lose another forward, Odartey Blankson, to the NBA draft.

"He's a big kid with a great body who runs the floor well," Pensacola head coach Paul Swanson said of Anthony. "He's still raw offensively, but he's good rebounder and shot-blocker."

Morgan averaged 8.9 points and 6.1 assists per game in helping Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich., to a 27-4 record and the Michigan state junior college championship in 2003-04. A member of the Detroit Free Press Michigan Dream Team after a stellar prep career at Northern High in Pontiac, Mich., Morgan originally attended Iowa State and started 11 games there as a true freshman, recording a team-high 91 assists.

"Ricky brings experience and toughness, which will benefit our program," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "He has won at every stop in his career and he will bring that winning attitude to our program."

A 6-foot, 190-pounder, Morgan is listed as point guard but is considered by some scouts to be more of a combo guard. He will likely back up senior point guard Jerel Blassingame.