There’s good news and bad news for UNLV guard Tre’Von Willis.
The senior pleaded no contest to a reduced misdemeanor charge related to a domestic incident in June, resulting in at least a three-game suspension, along with a $340 fine, 100 hours of community service and mandatory counseling.
The good news? That’s it.
Unless Willis does something stupid between now and Nov. 12, he’ll only miss two exhibition games and the Rebels’ opener against UC Riverside. UNLV senior associate athletic director in charge of compliance Eric Tolliver told the Las Vegas Sun that’s the suspension is a typical punishment for an athlete dealing with a misdemeanor charge.
“I feel awful and embarrassed,” Willis said at a press conference Tuesday. “I used extremely poor judgment, made a mistake and take responsibility for what happened. I will work hard to earn back the trust and support of the fans and those close to me.”
Does the punishment feel a bit light? Maybe. But remember that Willis still has to keep his nose clean. UNLV coach Lon Kruger still sounds miffed about the incident.
“He’ll be held to a very high standard, and based on how he conducts himself over the next six to eight weeks, before the start of the season, we’ll see if (the suspension) goes beyond 10 percent (of the season),” Kruger said. “First three games was what that amounts to and, again, it could be more depending on what happens.”
And the Rebels need Willis to behave.
They’ll be among the Mountain West’s title contenders, but not having Matt Shaw (one-year suspension for failing a drug test) and Kendall Wallace (torn ACL) this season takes away two of their top perimeter shooting. No Willis - his 17.2 ppg led the team last season -- would be crippling.
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