Add UNLV forward Louis Amundson’s name to the list of postgraduate fifth-year seniors able to devote more time to his game than to the classroom.
USC quarterback Matt Leinart had his ballroom dance classes last fall. New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore maintained eligibility by taking a yoga class. And Amundson, a Monarch High School graduate, is taking art classes to stay eligible. He earned his degree in university studies with a dual English-philosophy major last spring.
While postgraduates are fairly common in football, it’s rare in basketball. That’s because there are fewer fifth-year seniors playing college basketball and the season takes up both academic semesters.
“It was a lot of summer school and being dedicated,” Amundson said last week of getting his degree. And summer in Las Vegas is no vacation when the temperatures soar to more than 110 degrees.
On his decision take art classes, Amundson said: “I love art. I’ve done a little here and there, but I’ve had no formal training.”
The incentive to graduate last spring was having one season in which he wasn’t constantly juggling basketball and a heavy course load.
“I wanted to relax as a senior and focus on basketball,” he said.
His long-term academic goals include medical school or following in his sister’s footsteps and going to law school.
On the court, Amundson is making a name for himself. He’s easily the MWC’s most improved senior, averaging 14.7 points and 9.6 rebounds, nearly double his figures from a season ago (7.8, 5.7). He also has moved into the leadership role for a relatively young team.
Much of Amundson’s improvement as a scorer can be traced to his improved foul shooting. He shot a worse-than-Shaq 28.8 percent as a junior. This season he’s up to 56.9 percent. Not great, but headed in the right direction.
“His attitude is such that he wants to get to the line and expects to make his free throws,” UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. “Last year he didn’t want to get fouled.”
Amundson said: “I don’t know if I avoided it, but I wasn’t comfortable there. My confidence level affected the rest of my game. I made some real progress this summer.”
Amundson has played against two other big men from Colorado – Nevada’s 6-foot-11 Nick Fazekas (Ralston Valley) and Colorado State’s 7-0 Jason Smith this season.
“I was telling my dad if we could have gotten together and went to the same school, it would have been tough,” Amundson said.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
