UNLV’s Knight thrilled with golf team signees

The news was so good that even the usually reserved Dwaine Knight couldn't contain his enthusiasm.

The longtime UNLV men's golf coach had received four signed national letters of intent Wednesday and has an oral commitment from a fifth player for a class he believes can give the Rebels a chance to compete for a national championship.

UNLV signed local stars AJ McInerney of Coronado High and Zane Thomas of Arbor View, along with Adam Svensson, the top junior player from Canada, and James Feutz, the top player from Washington state. Kenden Slattery, McInerney's teammate at Coronado, will join the Rebels in the fall as a nonscholarship player.

"These kids are proven winners, and they're real strong fundamentally," Knight said. "They can come in and make an immediate difference."

Of the five, McInerney and Svensson are the biggest catches. McInerney, the seventh-ranked senior in the country by Golfweek magazine, was the 2011 Ping Invitational champion and a first-team American Junior Golf Association All-American.

"I've been looking forward to this since last October," said McInerney, who along with Slattery has led Coronado to consecutive Class 4A state titles. "I need to work hard over the winter and get my game honed in. But I think I can come in and contribute right away. I really like to compete, and I hate to lose."

Svenssson, who attends Earl Marriott Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia, won the 2010 World Junior Championship and is a two-time British Columbia Junior champ.

Thomas, who won the 2010 Las Vegas Junior Open title at Anthem Country Club, has been Arbor View's top player the past two years. Feutz, who lives in University Place, Wash., and attends Bellermine Prep, is the 2011 Washington state Class 4A champion.

With Derek Ernst and Colby Smith set to graduate this spring, there will be opportunities to start for the incoming freshmen. Knight said the competition within the program will be fierce.

"The qualifying rounds we play to see who travels will be very competitive," he said.

NCAA rules prohibited Knight from commenting about Slattery until he's attending classes at UNLV. But Knight still had plenty to be happy about Wednesday.

"This has been a two-year process," he said. "We knew what we needed to keep moving the program forward, and we were very successful in doing that with the signing of this group."

■ NOTE -- Ernst was selected the Mountain West Conference Men's Golfer of the Month for October. He earned three top-five finishes and led UNLV to two team titles during the month. The monthly award is the fourth of his career.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.