Notebook: Despite reduced lift, Willis producing on once-injured left ankle

By Ryan Greene

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 2:30 a.m.

It's not that Tre'Von Willis didn't want to dunk.

It's just that the UNLV junior guard didn't take the right approach, in his mind, in potentially sending a message to his opponent on the road.

In Wednesday night's 77-73 loss to BYU in Provo, Utah, Willis took an open-court opportunity to the rack and curiously laid it in off the glass.

Then, in a 74-62 victory Saturday at New Mexico, UNLV had a golden opportunity to build on some early momentum. Willis was coming down the floor with Kendall Wallace and Oscar Bellfield with a numbers advantage on the Lobos in transition, and Wallace threw a lob for Willis.

He rose, caught it and tried for a humble layup ... which fell off the rim.

"I was mad at myself," Willis said. "I was like 'Man, I should have just jumped off of two feet.' And the sad thing is I just tried to be safe with it. I tried to catch it and lay it in off of the glass.

"That backfired on me."

When at full strength, dunking off one foot is no sweat for the 6-foot-4 Fresno, Calif., native. But with a once-injured left ankle still getting back to 100 percent, it's not so simple.

"The lift is definitely not there yet," Willis added. "I've still got to strengthen it back up."

Willis twisted the ankle after blocking a shot in transition in a 72-63 victory Dec. 17 over Weber State.

He missed the Rebels' next outing against South Carolina Upstate two days later, but took advantage of an 11-day layoff after the team's Christmas trip to Honolulu for the Diamond Head Classic.

Upon returning from the hiatus on the schedule, Willis is back to normal, with the exception of his vertical presence.

In terms of production, the injury is impossible to notice.

Through a week of play in the Mountain West Conference, Willis is the league's leading scorer, totaling 44 points in two tough road contests on 15-of-29 shooting.

"It's not nearly as painful, so there's no pain except for real sharp cuts and change of direction," he said. "I've just got to get the strength back in it through rehab and stuff like that."

In fact, the injury — combined with some lingering back pain — hardly has derailed what is truly a breakout season for the former Memphis transfer.

On top of taking on a true leadership role this season, Willis's offensive numbers are up almost across the board.

As a sophomore last season, he shot 37.9 percent from the floor while averaging 11.4 points a game. He shot 32.4 percent from 3-point range and 73.7 percent at the line.

Willis is the Rebels' leading scorer, averaging 15.5 points per contest, and his field goal percentage has seen a major spike, currently at 49.1. Despite his 3-point percentage taking a dip, at 27.6, he's maybe the Rebels' most dangerous threat at the charity stripe, hitting 91 percent of his attempts this season.

UNLV coach Lon Kruger is quite pleased so far, even if Willis isn't throwing dunks home with authority.

"Playing-wise, he appears healthy," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "You'd have to ask Tre, but I don't see any limitation in what he's trying to do. He looks quick, strong, getting good results consistently. He looks like he's recovered, to me."

Preparing for pressure

San Diego State has seen UNLV take two top-notch league opponents out of their transition-happy styles so far in Mountain West Conference play.

That said, the Aztecs (12-4 overall, 1-1 MWC) are preparing for the Rebels (13-3, 1-1) to try to do the same night when the two meet for a 7 p.m. tip Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

During a Monday practice, Steve Fisher's club ran drills with five on offense and six on defense.

"The way UNLV plays defense, that's what it feels like sometimes," junior guard D.J. Gay said. "I expect there to be a lot of pressure on our guards. They're one of the best defensive teams in our league. I expect their best shot. They just came back from a big win and I know they remember our three wins from last year."

SDSU, of course, swept three meetings with UNLV last season, with the third coming in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament.

Rebels hold clinic for deaf and hard-of-hearing students

After the team's Saturday night charter flight back from Albuquerque was delayed until Sunday morning because of technical issues, the Rebels got some fulfillment out of their day off before Monday's start of the spring semester.

UNLV held a clinic for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. More than 100 people, including students and family members, got to meet the team, shoot around on the floor at the Mack and get autographs.

"It's a great opportunity for us to do something for people who are less fortunate," sophomore forward Chace Stanback said. "I love seeing smiles on kids' faces — it's a thrill for me. We definitely enjoy it. We love seeing the kids have fun."

Happy Birthday to you ... and you ... and you

UNLV on Monday celebrated the birthdays of three players — Willis (22), Wallace (22) and Bellfield (20).

"We might go to Chuck-E-Cheese," Willis joked after practice. "Take the whole team or something like that."