Rutledge finally in tune

Singing is one of UNLV senior Mareceo Rutledge's secret talents. He's not planning an "American Idol" audition and he's not signing up for any karaoke displays, though.

"I just do it every now and then in the privacy of my own home," he said, laughing. "A lot of people say I'm pretty good."

For a long time, Rutledge's basketball talents were hidden, too. But in the past two months, he has proven he can hit a jump shot as well as he can carry a tune.

Rutledge has played better than expected this season, and that makes him a rarity on a Rebels team that has underachieved.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound guard has filled the sixth-man role by defending, rebounding and making timely jumpers in big games -- all the things he was unable to do during a disappointing junior year.

"I'm definitely a lot happier with the way things are going," he said. "But I'm not happy with some of our losses."

UNLV, the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West Conference, is 20-8 overall and fifth in the league at 8-6 with two regular-season games remaining.

Rutledge is among five seniors -- along with Wink Adams, Joe Darger, Rene Rougeau and walk-on Rob Ketchum -- who will be honored before the Rebels' home finale against Air Force at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Midway through last season, Rutledge was unsure if he would be around to hear the applause on Senior Night. Unhappy with his lack of playing time, Rutledge skipped a practice, and coach Lon Kruger did not allow him to dress for a mid-December game against Fresno State.

"I missed practice, and I didn't really have a valid excuse for it," Rutledge said. "I was in the transition of wanting to go home and that type of stuff."

Rutledge sat on the bench next to another disgruntled player, Lamar Roberson, who later transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette.

"I thought about it more, and I didn't want to try and transfer," Rutledge said. "So I decided to stick with it. I wasn't too happy at all last year."

As a junior, Rutledge averaged 3.4 points and 11.2 minutes while shooting 28 percent from 3-point range.

But Kruger has relied on him more this season and has been singing his praises because of the results. Rutledge's scoring average is up to 4.5 points, and he is making a team-best 46 percent of his 3-pointers.

Rutledge hit all four of his 3-pointers and had 12 points in a victory over Colorado State on Feb. 14. A week later, he scored 13 points and was a major factor in a 75-74 win over Brigham Young.

Rutledge's delayed impact at UNLV is the continuation of a trend.

After graduating high school in Sacramento, Calif., in 2001, he moved to Atlanta with his girlfriend and worked in a furniture warehouse.

About 21/2 years later, he broke up with his girlfriend, moved back home and enrolled at Yuba College in Marysville, Calif. It took him awhile to get serious about basketball and school.

Now Rutledge is on schedule to graduate in May, when he turns 26. He is majoring in university studies, with areas of study in business management and physical education.

In the future, he hopes to run a Boys & Girls Club or own a recreation center. It's a future that finally shows promise.

"Four years ago," Rutledge said, "I wasn't sure if I was going to get a college degree."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.