April 28, 2004

LAS VEGAS - Dustin Villepigue, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward from Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, has signed a national letter of intent to enroll at UNLV and play basketball for the Runnin' Rebels this fall, head coach Lon Kruger announced Wednesday.

At Dixie this past season, Villepigue played in 25 games, started 20 and averaged 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He led the Scenic West Athletic Conference in field goal percentage at 64.9 percent. Dixie College recorded a 22-9 overall record this past season.

"Dustin is a quality player who understands the value of team success," Kruger said. "He is an extremely hard worker who will excel both on the court and in the classroom here at UNLV."

Villepigue, from Simi Valley, Calif., attended Gonzaga before transferring to Dixie. He redshirted at Gonzaga during the 2001-02 season as a freshman and played in four games the following year (2002-03) for the Bulldogs.

Villepigue attended Simi Valley High School and averaged 23.0 ppg and 12.7 rpg his senior season as his team recorded a 20-9 mark. He was the Marmonte League MVP, All-Ventura County, All-CIF first team and second team all-state as a senior.

Villepigue is the first signing of the spring period for UNLV and joins Wilbur Williams, who signed in November, as incoming players for the Runnin' Rebels.