It’s rare for a college basketball program to land a McDonald’s All-American (past, not future) in January, but that’s exactly what UNLV did Monday night.
Pittsburgh Transfer Khem Birch Headed To UNLV
Former McDonald’s All-American Khem Birch announced Monday night that he plans to spend the rest of his college career at UNLV.
Khem Birch, a 6-foot-9 power forward who began the season at Pittsburgh, has announced that he plans to be a Runnin' Rebel. He chose UNLV over Florida.
“I really like UNLV,” Birch told TheRecruitScoop.com. “It was a very tough decision but UNLV is a good fit for me because of the coaches, players and facilities. I will be able to train during my time off. Also, I can develop under a great, young coach in Dave Rice. He and the entire staff made me feel very comfortable in Las Vegas.”
A native of Montreal, Birch averaged 4.4 points and five rebounds in 10 games at Pittsburgh. He started six games but left because he said he didn’t feel like he fit with the Panthers’ offensive system.
The landing of Birch is a coup for a UNLV program that has had success with transfers in recent years. One of the most notable examples is Mike Moser, who currently leads the team in rebounding (11.1 rpg) and is second in scoring (14.2) in his first season since transferring from UCLA.
It’s also worth noting that the last 6-foot-9 Montreal native to play at UNLV - Joel Anthony - left the school ranked second in career blocked shots and is currently in his fifth season with the Miami Heat.
For more updates on this story, be sure to check out Mountain West Connection.
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