Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

high school recruiting:

UNR basketball lands commitment from Desert Pines standout

Clark vs. Desert Pines for state title

Richard Brian / Special to the Sun

Clark’s Darius Jackson (44) and Desert Pines Trevon Abdullah (3) fight for the ball during the Division I-A Nevada high school basketball state championship game at the Orleans Arena on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Trevon Abdullah felt like committing to the UNR basketball program before his visit Thursday to the Northern Nevada campus.

Eric Musselman, the Wolf Pack’s first-year coach, made quite an impression on the Desert Pines High junior during the recruiting process. Today, further cemented Abdullah’s desires to join the UNR program.

He verbally committed at the end of the visit, giving the former NBA coach Musselman a three-star recruit who ESPN ranks as the state’s No. 4 prospect for 2017.

“He’s coached a lot of NBA players. He knows what to look for,” Abdullah said. “For him to be interested in me, recruit me, it’s just exciting.”

Abdullah has more than 10 scholarship offers, coming from regional schools such as Fresno State, Colorado State and Weber State. But the others didn’t recruit Abdullah with the same passion as Musselman and his staff, he said.

“They show a lot of love,” he said. “It’s like a family here. It’s more than basketball. They want you to get better (as a person).”

Abdullah averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game last season to lead Desert Pines to the Division I-A state championship game. He’s arguably the classification’s top returning player.

Verbal commitments are nonbinding and don’t become official until national signing day, which for Abdullah won’t come until next fall. That means he can still be recruited by other schools.

They, though, likely won’t match UNR’s interest.

“I felt like committing before I left, but I want to tell (Musselman) in person,” he said.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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