Print
E-mail
Share
digg
Newsvine
Facebook
Stumble
Technorati
reddit
Fark
twitterUNLV hoops notebook:
Willis blossoming in conference play
Justin M. Bowen
Tre’von Willis high-fives the crowd Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center after the Rebels took on the Utes. UNLV came out on top 75-65.
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009 | 2:10 a.m.
UNLV guard Tre'Von Willis pushes past Utah guard Luka Drca in the second half of their Mountain West Conference game Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV won the game 75-65.
Attacking the Utes
Another second half rally keyed by Mo Rutledge, Wink Adams and Tre'Von Willis led UNLV to a 75 to 65 win over Utah on Saturday.
The Rebel Room
UTAH POSTGAME: Call 'em the comeback kids ... again
-
You need to upgrade your Flash Player
Ryan Greene and Rob Miech talk about UNLV's second consecutive come-from-behind victory, as this time the Rebels took out Utah, 75-65, at the Thomas & Mack Center. The guys discuss UNLV's small-ball strategy which ultimately conquered Luke Nevill, the performances of Mo Rutledge, Tre'Von Willis and Wink Adams, plus where the Rebels go from here with a week off before facing Air Force.
Before Monday’s practice at the Thomas & Mack Center, a teammate said congratulations to UNLV sophomore guard Tre'Von Willis.
He earned co-player of the week honors from the Mountain West Conference for his efforts last week.
Willis scored a total of 35 points, with seven rebounds, nine assists and two turnovers in victories at BYU and at home to Utah. A UNLV official gave Willis a nod after practice.
“That’s a great achievement and honor,” Willis said. “I just want to say that I couldn’t do it without my teammates, and the coaching staff put me in position on the floor to earn such an award.
“I want to share that with them.”
Willis, who transferred from Memphis and sat out last season, aimed to have a 4-1 assists-to-turnovers ratio in his first season directing the Rebels.
That didn’t happen as he gave out 35 assists and had 41 turnovers during the non-conference part of the schedule.
Once Mountain West action began, though, Willis got in a groove. He has dished out 25 assists and turned it over nine times.
Over his past three games, Willis has 14 assists and two turnovers.
That’s a 7-1 ratio.
“I’m feeling way more comfortable on the floor, as far as my legs and conditioning go,” Willis said. “Mentally, I can do all the things I’m doing now. Physically, I wasn’t ready.
“Some of it goes back to my redshirt season. I also aggravated my separated shoulder. It’s been bothering me. And I’m back to the tennis ball.”
The Sun documented last week that Willis had returned to his early-season regimen of dribbling a tennis ball everywhere he goes, to keep his skills tight.
He first separated his right shoulder in high school and it didn’t heal properly. He took a cortisone shot in late November, and that dulled the pain considerably.
Willis is due for another one and he hopes to avoid offseason surgery.
The enforcer
Against Wyoming two weekends ago, when Cowboys forward Afam Muojeke tussled with Rebels power forward Joe Darger, Willis quickly intervened.
Technical fouls were called on Muojeke and Willis.
“(Muojeke) had kind of swung an elbow at Joe’s face,” Willis said. “I wasn’t taking that. That’s my teammate. We’re family. I felt I had to step in, kind of deaden that a little. I really didn’t deserve a technical.
“The ref said I was walking toward (Muojeke) … I didn’t like it. But I wouldn’t take it back. I don’t feel like I escalated it. At the same time, I’ve got my teammate’s back no matter what.”
In a groove
Sophomore guard Kendall Wallace has gone nine-for-15 beyond the 3-point arc in his past five games.
He’s 25-for-54 (46.3 percent) from long range for the season.
Switching back to the form he displayed as a senior at Mesa (Ariz.) Mountain View High has done wonders for his confidence and statistics.
“Feeling real good,” Wallace said. “I’m shooting it real well. I’ve got my confidence going right now. I’m getting good lift and rotation on my shot. It’s just falling.”
Junior walk-on guard Scott Hoffman knows why Wallace has become a dependable player off the bench.
“He’s scared I’ll give him (bleep) if he doesn’t make it,” said Hoffman, laughing. “He’s shooting great. His confidence is up there. You can tell by his swagger on the court.
“He’s shooting to make it, not just shooting to shoot it. We need that. He’s been helping us, giving us that boost off the bench.”
The dribbler
Anyone else remember center Brice Massamba’s three-dribble power move into the lane from the right side, then his twist back the other way, about eight minutes into Saturday’s game?
The 6-foot-10 freshman drew contact, went to the line and sank both free throws to cut UNLV’s deficit to 16-14.
He felt like a 5-10 point guard again.
“I used to play like that, before I got hurt,” Massamba, battling through a cold, said after Monday’s practice. “When I got hurt, I couldn’t move as quickly.”
A knee injury plagued Massamba his final two seasons at Findlay College Prep, but he’s feeling more comfortable by the week at UNLV.
“Coach wants me to play more like a power forward,” he said of Rebels coach Lon Kruger. “He sees I can dribble and wants more (plays) like that.”
Staying sharp
Freshman forward DeShawn Mitchell has played only one minute in UNLV’s past five games. He got into the TCU game late, but his time was so scant it’s listed as “0” in the books.
But the leaper from Newark, N.J., hasn’t lost his spirit or competitiveness.
After recent practices, his jokes about teammates have been priceless. Monday, during practice, he kept himself in high gear, as has been the case over the past 10 days.
The lefty’s jump shots are consistent, he’s getting a solid feel for a mid-range game, he’s finding open teammates and he has attacked the glass for offensive rebounds with gusto.
“I really like what he’s doing,” Kruger said. “He’s making good progress. I’d like to get him in some games, but with the rotation the way it is right now … you can’t do what you’d like to do.
“But he’s making good progress.”
A mini break
A unique stretch of the schedule allowed Kruger to give his players Sunday and today off.
The Rebels don’t play again until Saturday afternoon at Air Force, where UNLV has lost its past six games.
Actually, it isn’t like the Rebels have no basketball responsibilities today. They will be lifting weights. Tending to schoolwork and rest are the other priorities.
“It’ll give us a chance to get our legs back under us, get in good shape and hit it again Wednesday,” Kruger said. “We’ll cure nagging injuries that might be around this time of the year.”
Discussion: 21 comments so far…
Post a comment
Next Basketball Game
Dec. 2, 6:00 p.m. (PST)
- UNLV: Schedule & Stats | Roster
- Arizona: Schedule & Stats | Roster
- NCAA: Odds | Schedule | Stats
Never can get enough UNLV analysis and chatter? Then this is the stop for you. Join the Sun sports staff in The Rebel Room for your fix.
POSTGAME EDITION: Rebels produce winners across the board on busy day
Follow the Rebels
Widgets
Email Newsletters
Blogs
The Greene Room
MWC Winners and Losers: Week 13
Miech Again
Kruger contract altered in September (20 Comments)
Shark Bytes
Sharing some Thanksgiving traditions (4 Comments)
The Greene Room
MWC Winners and Losers: Week 12 (1 Comment)
Miech Again
Chilly start for Chace, but Stanback says he'll warm up (2 Comments)
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Hey Rob, this is like the third or fourth time you've said Willis is due for another cortisone shot in the last 3 weeks or so. Why the wait?
Fast, doctors want to hold off giving him another one so soon after the first one. It doesn't seem like it was so recent, being late November. But Willis said it's too soon. They don't want him to become addicted. Cortisone is pretty strong stuff. So the longer they wait, the better. He can grit it out, but he said it's quite a relief to get a shot. He does all right with it until it gets banged, and you know how physical he plays. He said it's been about 80 percent for about six weeks. He's a tough kid, though. Whatever the pain level, he's sucking it up very well. He hopes to avoid surgery in the offseason. He banged it up as a soph in high school and it never healed itself. He's hoping that's the case this offseason.
I hope his elevated play continues. I was just checking the new polls and we received 4 votes in the AP Poll and 2 votes in the Coaches Poll. I'd like to see the Rebels crack the Top 25 before the MWC tournament.
oh, and hopefully we'll get some more great play by Rutledge. I know I was bagging on his shooting ability (or lack thereof) but going 3/3 beyond the arc will shut guys like me up real quick. He was a rock in the UTAH game.
Jerry,
The top 25 is a joke until after the tourney. We barely made it in the last week of the 2007 season and finished #14.
The step-up play of Wink and TreVon enables guys like Mo and Kendall to focus on doing what they do without any burden. Frees them up to be the roll players they are.
Go Cards!
The Enforcer....Where was he when Darger got the elbow to the groin?
Did anyone else think that elbow looked a little ummmm placed? Watching it on replay, it looks like two completely seperate motions, arm over leg, then pull arm back. I think it was dirty. Others may disagree, but if you watch close, there was a slight pause before the elbow came back. Like I said... DIRTY.
is that you huggy bear?
Oliver looked good in the Rebel beanie!
I just want us to be a Top 25 team near the end for seeding and recruitment purposes.
Go Cards!!
Joke or not, the reality is the top 25 gets massive attention from fans, teams and selection committees.
Sounds like Willis should just get the surgery over and done with the day after we win the National Championship, ha ha. Why risk it recurring again?
As for Mitchell, great to see him keeping a positive attitude. His time will come. I just hope he stays patient and doesn't end up transferring because of lack of playing time.
We have to remember Deshawn Mitchel is a true freshman. He has 3 1/2 seasons left. Knowing how Kruger and his staff does great work molding players, specifically those who buy into the system and work hard during practice to earn minuets, it may be like night and day by the time Deshawn is a senior.
Let's hope he sticks around and works hard the remainder of this season and in the off-season. He'll be a step ahead of guys like Hawkins and Marshall no matter how good those two guys WILL be
no Lenny, the top 25 has nothing to do with the selection committee. NOTHING. They do not use rankings. Those are just inflated numbers that mean absolutely squat. The selection committee, when it looks at figures, looks at RPI. Rankings couldn't be more meaningless.
Jerry, read the above, too. Rankings have not a thing to do with seeding. I think UNLV fans would rather this team stay WAY under the radar.
bleedreb, Tre was right there after Darger got nailed, that's why he got the T. Had the other kid escalated it, Tre would not have backed down. Read into that what you want.
As far as seeding in the tourney, which is a long way off and I would rather concentrate on one game at a time, I agree with Miech. I think it would be better to be a 12 seed rather than a 8 seed like last year. This would give us a 5 seed first game that we could win, and not face a 1 seed in the second round like last year. Playing a 4 seed second game would be much better.
I just want to see the Rebels play a complete game for once this season. If we finish the season playing both halves like we are capable, we could win out and claim the conference title for the seniors. We have the advantage for the conference tourney, but as far as NCAA tourney selection, recruiting, and morale, being a 26-4 team would be incredible. But like I said, one game at a time. Go rebs!
Hey Rob thanks for the update on my boy DeShawn.You guys at the Sun make it a little easier for us in NJ, with your daily updates on the team.I talked to the coaches and they said he is maturing.DeShawn loves it at UNLV so I know he is going to do well.So thanks again Rob.
You are welcome king! I am well aware of his following in New Jersey. His father and stepfather were out here a little while ago and they beamed about DeShawn and his bright future. They were bummed they didn't bring their computers, so they could keep up with what we were writing while they were out here!!! Great guys. DeShawn's past week and a half has been exceptional, so he deserved that note and his friends and family deserved to hear about him.
Remember, even though a guy isn't playing doesn't mean he isn't progressing in Kruger's system. He has a long time left and he'll have plenty of highlights.
But to top it off -- what a GREAT kid! Everyone in Jersey has a lot to be proud of, the way DeShawn handles himself. He's a great reflection of his hometown. thanks
R_R 08 is talking about one game at a time. Then he says 26-4 would be incredible. Ha, ha. Take it easy, guy. They're gonna drop another game or two on the road at the very least. It's a tough conference.
And that Green elbow looked dirty as hell to me too. Why wasn't it looked at by whoever monitors discipline for the conference?
Utah's Serb Drca is a dirty player too. He got away with a blatant elbow to the head in an earlier game.
And if the committee looks at RPI so much, why did the Rebels get a 7 seed when their RPI was 11, two years ago?
The committee doesn't put a ton of weight on the RPI, Lenny. It's one of about 10 factors. Are you sure that was 11? For some reason, that seems a bit high to me. Anyway, it's just one of a few tools they use to, uh, well, do what they want ... not always so fair and unbiased, is it?
And you're right about the refs taking a closer look at some of those plays Lenny. They DID do that at the end of the Utah game, when Darger went flying over the baseline. They wanted to make sure they didn't miss anything flagrant, and they decided they didn't. Boylen asked, What are you looking at? Sorta defiantly. Right in front of me. One of the refs told him that they didn't want to miss anything major. Boylen just nodded and walked away. Refs didn't call anything blatant, but at least Green apologized to Darger. Didn't seem like it was anything over-the-top.
Lenny all I was saying was that if we play both halves of each game left like we have played the 2nd half of the BYU and Utah games, that there is not a team in our conference that could match us. I think that this team's problem all year has been more mental/intangible things than physical. We have some of the best athletes in the MWC.
I just don't want the team to overlook teams like air force on saturday because I think they are going to come out hungry wanting to win a conference game at home this year.
I couldn't believe that Wink hasn't won at Air Force in his career. I am hoping that play well.
Actually, Rob I was wrong. The Rebels RPI was 10 going into the tournament, which makes the 7 seed seem even more ridiculous.
http://publicaffairs.unlv.ath.cx/article...
Just checked. Lenny, how soon we forget. Wow. That is very ridiculous, indeed. That selection committee can kind of do what it wants, when it wants, where it wants, eh? The thing to do, probably, is just not look at anything so closely. It's so easy to worry about so many aspects of a season, how a team is playing, etc etc etc ... just get into the tournament and play ball. Thx Lenny
We're a West Coast team. It's foolish to expect anything out of the NCAA tournament selection committee or the BCS. That's just the ropes. You'd figure with DVR and TIVO that more people on the East Coast would do their due diligence when it comes to West Coast teams.
I gained a ton of respect for T. Willis after he stepped up and defended Joey Darger against that low life Moujeke from Wyoming. That was such a dirty play by the red shirt freshman from Wyoming. Tre did the right thing. Much Love. Much hate to Moujeke. Karma will catch up to him. I can't wait.