TAKE FIVE: LOUIS AMUNDSON

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006 | 7:34 a.m.

Age: 23

Size: 6 feet 9 inches, 225 pounds

Birthplace: Ventura, Calif.

Hometown: Boulder, Colo.

Family: Mother, Eloise Berg; father, Dave Amundson; older sister, Alena.

Resume: The 21 rebounds he snatched against Hawaii on Nov. 22 tie him for the fifth-most in a game in the NCAA this season. He is the only player in Mountain West Conference history with two 20-20 (points and rebounds) games. He has been named to the league's all-academic team three times. Last May, he graduated cum laude (3.5 grade-point average) with a bachelor's degree in university studies.

Louis Amundson has bulked up and blossomed to become the foundation of the UNLV basketball team.

The fifth-year senior forward battled a Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection, known as MRSA, through the first half of his collegiate career, and sat out the entire 2002-2003 season as a medical redshirt. Then he was inconsistent when he did get court time.

However, this season he has been a force. Amundson is the lone Rebel who has started all 26 games. He leads the team with averages of 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds. Kids from Summerlin to Boulder City adore his heart and style.

He's even sinking 57.1 percent of his free throws, wiping out memories of that woeful 28.8 percent touch he exhibited at the line last season.

"It's been really rewarding," he said. "So many coaches that I respect, and others, have come up to me to compliment me on how I've improved and worked on my game. When you hear that, it's special. It's recognition of your hard work."

The aisle

Amundson said he didn't think graduating in May would be a big deal. "I thought it (would be) a stupid ceremony," he said. "But I was pretty proud, walking down there, knowing I finished it and that I did pretty well."

The philosopher

Philosophy was a university studies emphasis, courtesy of his sister's recommendation. Immanuel Kant, who influenced Nietzsche and was one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe, became one of Amundson's favorites. That Plato cat, he said, was pretty cool, too.

Financee

He has been working toward a second bachelor's degree, in finance. But Amundson admitted that those classes have been nothing more than eligibility requirements. "I've (graduated), and I don't have to worry about that aspect of it," he said. "Right now, my focus is on basketball. I've had a lot of school in my years, and I think I'm done."

The go-to player

When he arrived at UNLV, Amundson didn't daydream about what kind of player he'd be as a junior or senior. The focus, he said, was on improving his game and getting better each day. "I don't think I ever thought about where I'd be in four years, or whatnot," he said. "Just to get better, and keep going."

Last chapter

The NCAA tournament has been Amundson's goal. During his career, UNLV is the only Mountain West program that has not participated in college basketball's marquee event. "Every other team has been there," he said. (He's correct.) "To do that this year would just be great." That will be determined at the conference tournament in Denver in two weeks.