Willis credits fatherhood for helping overcome off-season struggles

By Ryan Greene

Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 | 2:30 a.m.

The most difficult parts of Tre'Von Willis's off-season to deal with just so happened to be the most publicized.

There were the legal issues that resulted in a four-game suspension to start his senior campaign, followed by arthroscopic right knee surgery that took longer to recover from than originally anticipated.

The most notable private portion of the summer, though, helped him get through everything else.

In September, Willis's long-time girlfriend — Erica Helms, a senior point guard on the UNLV women's basketball team — gave birth to the couple's first child. Their 2-month-old daughter, Tremiyah, bears a striking resemblance to her father, and has helped keep everything in perspective at times when doing so would be tough for most people.

"I'd say the biggest change is if I'm having a bad day and I look at her, it makes my day," he said. "Whatever mood I'm in, she makes me smile."

Compared to putting the past behind him, getting back in peak playing condition and striving to hopefully land a gig playing pro ball after the 2010-11 season is over, Willis said that being a parent has come naturally.

"I think being a father's easy, because I never had one, so I just do the opposite of what mine did," Willis added. "I don't have any hatred for (my father). I'm just trying to do what I can to take care of mine. She's (eight weeks old) now, and so far, so good.

"It's kind of been a roller coaster because of everything's that's taken place, but besides that, it's kind of easy. I've always had my vision for how I was going to raise my children and things like that."

Willis's newest, smallest fan will get to see him come full circle when he returns to the floor with the Rebels on Saturday afternoon. It's then, in a 4 p.m. contest at the Thomas & Mack Center, where UNLV (2-0) will host Wisconsin (2-0) in what is the marquee home game on the team's non-conference schedule.

After starting 28 of 33 games last season, the Fresno, Calif., native will begin his senior season as a reserve while working back into game form.

He said that ultimately getting back into the starting lineup is meaningful to him, but understands that from a conditioning angle, there has to be a starting point.

"Game conditioning's different, so I'm going to be tired pretty quickly," he said. "I know for a fact that practicing can't get you ready for game conditioning. You've got to play in some games. Right now, all the guys are probably a step above me in that category, so I've got to do a little extra to get caught up."

Willis has only been back to full speed off of his knee surgery on the practice floor for a couple of weeks now, and on the side has done work on the treadmill to try and minimize that gap in conditioning between himself and his teammates.

Once he has his legs fully back underneath him, Willis said it will be the healthiest he's been since first hitting the floor for UNLV in 2008-09 following his transfer from Memphis. Between knee, shoulder and back issues, getting to 100 percent has been a constant struggle.

Still, it's hardly held him back.

A first team All-Mountain West performer as a junior, Willis averaged a team-high 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

But his impact and importance to a team that went 25-9 and reached the NCAA tournament for a third time in four years went well beyond numbers.

As the most proven member of a young, inexperienced roster, Willis was the Rebels' unquestioned rock. He was their No. 1 option when someone had to take the ball one-on-one and simply create his own shot. He also was the team's top lock-down defender, and his marked success against BYU's Jimmer Fredette — the reigning MWC Player of the Year — proves it.

Now, he rejoins a group that seems completely different than the one he last suited up with in Oklahoma City back in March, when UNLV was ousted by Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

"We're a little more athletic, we've got more size," he noted. "Those types of things can definitely help us, as opposed to being undersized almost every game against every opponent. The fight is the same. We're still going to fight as if we're undersized, but besides that, we've got a better advantage than we had last year."

A perfect example of how UNLV is different this time around is sophomore Anthony Marshall, who has taken Willis's place for the time being as the starting two-guard.

The vastly-improved 6-foot-3 Mojave High product so far leads the team in points (15.0) and assists (4.5) per game, while his 4.5 rebounds a game in the very young season are also impressive.

Marshall might prove tough to unseat as the starter at this point, but coach Lon Kruger sees it as a good scenario.

"It'll keep him fresher," Kruger said of Willis starting off as a reserve. "He won't have to go as long as he does traditionally, and hopefully that'll help with the conditioning side of it."

It will be interesting to see how Willis affects Saturday's game regardless, but if UNLV is forced to play at Wisconsin's patented slowed-down, defense-driven pace, his reputation for being a grinder of sorts could prove to be critical.

Either way, he's simply ready to get his basketball life back on track.

Compared to the pressures of being a father at only 22 years old, fitting back in on the floor with the new-look Rebels, he hopes, will be a cinch.

"I'm just ready to play," he said. "That's it."

A closer look at Wisconsin

Don't let the first two box scores of Wisconsin's season fool you.

Just because the Badgers are unexpectedly averaging 92 points per game, Kruger noted that they have not necessarily become a more up-tempo team under 10th-year coach Bo Ryan.

"They're getting the ball out of the back-court much more quickly," Kruger said. "But they've shot it very well. Wisconsin's traditionally very efficient, and they continue to be efficient on more possessions in the first two games."

For some perspective, while going 24-9 and reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, only once did they score more than 85 points. As was also the case for UNLV, however, Wisconsin's first two opponents — Prairie View A&M and North Dakota — were meant to be routed.

Keying the attack so far are a pair of strong veterans and an upstart freshman.

Senior 6-foot-10 forward Jon Leuer averaged 15.4 points per game as a junior while being limited to only 24 games due to injury. So far this season, he's averaging 23 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists an outing while hitting six of his nine 3-point attempts.

Junior point guard Jordan Taylor, who had a strong 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore, totaled 10 assists and three turnovers in the first two games while putting away a combined 30 points.

Around him, he has plenty of options just like Leuer — versatile big men who can step out and hit the three. The Badgers as a team are 18-of-42 from deep so far.

The wild card of the bunch is 6-foot-3 freshman guard Josh Gasser, who will play his first collegiate road game come Saturday. So far, he's averaging 14 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game.

"Really, the strength of our first two opponents was on the perimeter," Kruger said. "The strength of Wisconsin is much more balanced. The big guys will be more challenged this time."