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Five-star shooting guard Rashad Vaughn commits to UNLV

One of the two top remaining available seniors ended his recruitment on Tuesday evening as Findlay Prep (Nev.) shooting guard Rashad Vaughn announced he had committed to UNLV on CBS Sports Network.

Vaughn, a native of Golden Valley, Minn., selected the Runnin’ Rebels over four other finalists -- Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina -- though the consensus is that it came down to UNLV and Iowa State.

Last season, Vaughn attended Robbinsdale Cooper High (Minn.) but decided to transfer to basketball powerhouse Findlay for his final prep season. UNLV has reportedly become the favorite since Vaughn’s move to Findlay, given that the UNLV campus is less than 20 minutes from where he takes classes at the Henderson School, and Findlay’s history with the Rebels. The school is named after Cliff Findlay, a UNLV booster, after all.

UNLV ranks dead last in the Mountain West Conference in 3-point shooting, an area the 6-foot-5 Vaughn can help improve in the 2014-2015 season. Vaughn joins St. Frances (Md.) forward Dwayne Morgan and Wilbraham & Monson (Mass.) center Goodluck Okonoboh in the Rebels’ Class of 2014. Morgan and Okonoboh provide Dave Rice with two talented defenders next year.

Vaughn is the highest rated of the three recruits, ranked as the No. 7 overall player in the Class of 2014 by Rivals. Morgan is listed at 15 followed by Okonoboh at 32.

UNLV loses only two seniors this season -- one being Kevin Olekaibe -- while returning the likes of leading scorer Bryce Dejean-Jones, top rebounder Roscoe Smith and Khem Birch. Couple that with an impressive recruiting class, and Rice and his Rebels should face hefty expectations next season.

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