UNLV Adds Two More L.A. City Players
UNLV has added two more players from Los Angeles City College this spring.
JUCO Junction confirmed that the Running Rebels signed 5-10 point guard Jerel Blassingame of Brooklyn, N.Y., and have a commitment from 6-3 wing Wilbur Williams of New York, N.Y. for the Class of 2004.
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Blassingame joins fellow Cub teammate Romel Beck as members of the UNLV 2003 recruiting class. JUCO Junction caught up with Cubs Head Coach Mike Miller, and said that Blasingame picked the Running Rebels over programs such as San Francisco, Arizona, Gonzaga and UCLA.
Blassingame took visits this spring to both USF and UNLV before signing with the Rebels.
"Jerel runs a team very well," Miller said. "But he also can score and create his own shot."
UNLV is losing starting point guard Marcus Banks to graduation this spring. The Rebels had signed a pair of high school point guards back in the fall, but one of them (John Winston) is not expected to qualify academically.
"It's a great opportunity for him to play a lot," Miller noted. "It's a great opportunity, plus it's close to Los Angeles, and he wants to live near here."
As for Williams, he is planning on returning to L.A. City next fall for a semester as a part-time student, Miller said. He will sign with the Running Rebels in November and then sit out the second semester in Las Vegas.
Williams, who picked UNLV after considering UMass, Central Connecticut State and Kent State, will have two years of eligibility remaining come the fall of 2004.
"Wilbur decided that he would rather go to school with his friends, and UNLV is an attractive situation," Miller said. "He should vie for minutes as a role player."
Miller pointed out that UNLV Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour has utilized role players greatly throughout his coaching career.
Williams is a high energy player who is most effective in transition or as a slasher from the wing. He gets a lot of cheap buckets, but Miller said he was an integral part of two very successful LACC squads from 2001-2003.
The Cubs finished 66-11 the past two years and won the California State Title in 2003. Williams scored 22 points and hauled down 11 rebounds in the state title game.