Anyone who has seen him play knows that basketball player Louis Amundson is a great athlete. Look a little further and you’ll find that he is an excellent student, and in May he will have his degree in university studies to prove it.

“This is no small feat for someone juggling both classes and athletics,” says Julie Johnson, Amundson’s academic advisor.

In 2003 the athletics department formed the Rebel Athletic Fund. The fund provides student-athletes like Amundson with the resources needed to excel in the classroom and stay athletically competitive on the court.

A donor-supported program, the fund provides academic support services, assists with summer school fees when needed to help student-athletes complete their graduation requirements, allows teams to travel to other cities, and helps UNLV build and maintain quality facilities.

Amundson is one of the 400 student-athletes who benefit from the Rebel Athletic Fund each year. Support for facilities is especially important to Amundson “because that’s where we spend most of our time.”

Amundson will graduate in four years, a rarity among student- athletes who, like many students with time-consuming responsibilities outside the classroom, usually take at least five years to finish their degrees.

Amundson says being a student-athlete has taught him endurance, discipline, and how to juggle responsibilities.

When he isn’t taking classes, attending his daily two-hour basketball practice, or lifting weights twice a week, you might find him at the computer lab provided by the Rebel Athletic Fund to help student-athletes stay on the ball with their homework.

“It’s just really convenient to be able to come to the lab on campus,” he says. “I like being productive in between classes so that I don’t have as much work to do when I get home.”

Academics have always been important to Amundson, and UNLV’s reputation in this area was one reason he chose to come here from Boulder, Colo., after finishing high school.

“I wanted to be a part of the UNLV tradition, and I like the playing style of the team,” Amundson says. “But, it was also important to me to go to a good academic institution.” Amundson says that after graduation he is considering getting a real estate license or going to medical school. — Regina Bacolas