New Allegation Against UNLV Guard Surfaces Old Wounds
It would be hard to find another alumnus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas prouder than I.
As a member of the Class of 1995, my time on the campus of UNLV was a wonderful period in my life. I forged relationships and received a solid education, which has contributed greatly to my personal and professional success.
But what brought me to the city that Bugsy Siegel imagined was college basketball.
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels of the late 1970s and 1980s captured my attention and the best show on Earth convinced this Southern California boy that Sin City was where I wanted to get my education. I watched in glee as the Rebels brought home a national championship in 1990, and two years later moved into my dorm on the growing and bustling campus.
Of course, that was at the end of a drama that had seen long-time legendary basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian forced out (1992) and the once proud basketball program in shambles. Years of unfair and unjust NCAA witch hunting had taken its toll and the program imploded under the pressure. The ugliness of the Rollie Massimino years, followed by a coaching carousel unfit for such a proud program, left me and other proud alumni and UNLV fans at our wits' end.
Eighteen years later, UNLV is back to being a respectable program, in part due to the stability and leadership of head coach Lon Kruger. The veteran college and NBA coach came to UNLV at a crucial time and has been an excellent caretaker for the program Tarkanian built at UNLV. There’s been a Sweet 16 appearance but the Final Four has been elusive, and yet the program thrives. Some fans might want more, but things have been better the past seven years, and this optimist sees brighter skies ahead.
Then, in the past few weeks, UNLV was again dragged through the reputation mud by an unlikely source. Senior guard Tre’von Willis, who transferred to UNLV from the University of Memphis three seasons ago, was arrested on felony domestic battery charges for allegedly choking his girlfriend. Willis denies any physical altercation.
Having met Willis only a few times, its hard to know what someone is like in a situation. I don’t want to believe that he did it and so many times today we see people make false allegations against celebrity athletes. Willis has never been in trouble before, and I certainly hope this was all some sort of argument gone wrong and the allegation isn’t true.
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