Top 57 Greatest UNLV Runnin Rebels of All Time: Part 2

 

Top 57 Greatest UNLV Runnin Rebels of All Time: Part 2

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Franchise Sports Media’s UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Basketball insider Jeff Waddilove ranked the Top 57 players in UNLV basketball history. This is the second installment of our FSM UNLV basketball series commemorating the 30 year anniversay of the Runnin’ Rebels’ NCAA Championship.

 

40. Jimmy Baker (1972-74)- In terms of averages, there was never a better rebounder than Jimmy Baker. At UNLV, he posted 15.1 rebounds per game. Baker was also one of the best scorers in program history. His 941 points were good for 18.4 points per game average. Baker ended up transferring out of UNLV and finished his collegiate career at Hawaii.

 

41. Bernie Fumagalli (1958-61)- Back when UNLV was known as Tumbleweed Tech and still had a wolf for a mascot, Fumagalli was one of the Rebels’ first big-time scorers. Playing forward at 6’2, Fumagalli averaged 20 points in his junior season. He also led the Rebels in scoring all three years he was at the school.

 

42. John Q Trapp (1967-68)- The big time 6’7 forward played for Todd’s UNLV teams. Trapp averaged 21 points per game and almost 11 and a half rebounds per game on top of that. Trapp is also in rare company among UNLV players, being that he won an NBA championship in 1972 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

 

43. Wendell White (2005-07)- Kevin Kruger made that Sweet 16 team go back in 2006-07, but Wendell White was hands down the best player on that squad. A mixture of brute strength and an unstoppable mid-range jump shot. At 6’6, he was undersized to play power forward, but he dominated the position. His senior year, he averaged 14.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

 

44. Odartey Blankson (2003-05)- One of the “Killer B’s” (Odartey Blankson, Romel Beck, and Jerel Blassingame). Blankson transferred from Marquette into UNLV for coach Charlie Spoonhour, and he was a midrange shooting savant. He had extremely impressive averages of 17 points and nine rebounds as a Runnin’ Rebel.

 

45. Lou Amundson (2001-06) Lou was the perfect example of hard work and energy taking you places. The 6’9 forward was a 2 Star prospect out of Colorado, but used his athleticism and rebounding prowess to make a very nice living playing basketball. His 7.2 points per game and 5.6 rebounds were modest at UNLV, but he worked his way to becoming D-League rookie of the year, which catapulted him to an 11 year NBA career.

 

46. Tre’von Willis (2008-11)- Willis would have felt right at home for any of Tarkanian’s teams. Willis was a high octane scoring guard, who played with swagger, and a chip on his shoulder. He’s probably most famous for going to war with Jimmer Fredette of BYU on the court and in the media. Willis’ best season for the Rebels was his junior year. That season he had averages of 17 points, four rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

 

47. Khem Birch (2012-14)- A transfer from Pitt, Birch was a McDonald’s All-American out of Canada before committing to Jamie Dixon and then finding his way over to Dave Rice. An extraordinary rim protector and shot blocker, Birch averaged ten rebounds and 4 blocks a game.

 

48. Keon Clark (1996-98)- Standing at 6’11, Clark was generously listed at 200 lbs during his playing days. Despite being tall and skinny, Clark was a savage when it came to dunking and blocking shots. His long arms made him a terror for Bill Bayno’s opposition. In 39 appearances for UNLV, Clark averaged 15 points and eight rebounds.

 

49. Anthony Jones (1984-86)- A Georgetown transfer that was guided to UNLV by none other than John Thompson himself. One of only four McDonald’s All-Americans to play at UNLV under Tarkanian, Jones, was a blistering shooter. The 6’6 guard shot 44% from three for the Rebels.

 

 

Tomorrow on Franchise Sports Media, Jeff will release his top UNLV Runnin’ Rebels #39-30 in the third installment of our series. Please feel free to leave a comment in our comment section and let Jeff know your thoughts!

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-Jeff Waddilove – Franchise Sports Media