UNLV guard Tre’Von Willis arrested, accused in domestic dispute

By Tiffany Gibson, Ryan Greene

Published Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 5:33 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, June 30, 2010 | 10:24 a.m.

UPDATED STORY: Police: UNLV’s Tre’Von Willis choked woman after argument

UNLV men's basketball player Tre’Von Willis was arrested after allegedly choking a female acquaintance at an apartment complex Tuesday morning in Henderson.

The extent of the relationship between the 28-year-old woman and the Rebels' 6-foot-4 senior star guard is unknown.

Willis, 22, was charged in connection with felony counts of domestic battery by strangulation and grand larceny, and one misdemeanor count of coercion. He was booked into the Henderson Detention Center but court records show he has since posted bail of $18,637.

Henderson police spokesman Todd Rasmussen said the woman reported the alleged attack about 3 a.m. at the Wild Horse Apartments, 2338 N. Green Valley Parkway.

Rasmussen said officers arrested Willis at his apartment about 10:30 a.m. after obtaining probable cause that the two were involved in a relationship and an altercation had occurred.

A court spokesman Wednesday morning said Willis will appear in Henderson Municipal Court on the misdemeanor charge July 21. He has an August court date in Henderson Justice Court on the felony charges.

Willis, a Fresno, Calif., native, was a first-team all-Mountain West performer last season after averaging 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Rebels. He is expected to be UNLV's top producer this season with high expectations for a UNLV squad that returns the core of a team that was 25-9 in 2009-10 and earned the program's third berth into the NCAA tournament in four years.

"We have been made aware that a men's basketball student-athlete has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and is believed to be in custody," UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood said in a statement released by the university. "At this point in time we have no additional information and it would be premature and inappropriate to comment further until this matter has been resolved through the judicial process. In addition, coach Lon Kruger, who is presently out of town, has been made aware of the situation."

Kruger was on a trip with a group of friends at Lake Tahoe when the news broke on Tuesday afternoon.

"We're trying to gather more information, find out more and react to that," he said when reached by phone. "You always want your guys to handle things well, be responsible and represent well. When it doesn't happen, you're discouraged by that. Generally, over time we've handled things very, very well."

Kruger is scheduled to return to Las Vegas on Wednesday, and said he has not yet scheduled any sort of meeting with Willis.

After struggling to click with teammates early in his UNLV career after transferring from Memphis following the 2006-07 season, Willis showed signs of maturation last year and was publicly praised several times for such growth by Kruger. He emerged as the team's unquestioned leader, and is expected to fill the same role as a senior.

This is the second major off-court issue the program has had to deal with in what has been an unusually rocky offseason.

The first came in the form of a one-year suspension handed down to forward Matt Shaw in late April by the NCAA following a failed drug test at the NCAA tournament in Oklahoma City in March. Shaw, a 6-foot-8 senior-to-be, already used his redshirt year in 2008-09 while recovering from a knee injury, meaning the suspension put a premature end to his UNLV career.

For more on this story as it develops, stay tuned to lasvegassun.com.

Ryan Greene can be reached at [email protected] or 702-948-7844. Follow Ryan on Twitter at twitter.com/ryanmgreene.

Update: This story has been updated to reflect that the woman who made the accusations was an acquaintance of Willis’.