Gaston Essengue Starting center averaging 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for UNLV Center Gaston Essengue, shown against South Florida on Dec. 19, might be UNLV's most improved player from a year ago. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

On a night when UNLV's five seniors will be honored with family members at their side, Gaston Essengue's guest list is not quite as long as he hoped.

"I wish my mom could be here," he said, "but it's kind of difficult for her to come from Cameroon."

The journey to Las Vegas, where he has found a spot in the Rebels' starting lineup, was not so easy for Essengue, either. It began on the coast of Western Africa and went through Compton, Calif., and Weatherford, Texas.

Along the way, he had to learn to speak English and transform himself from a soccer player to a muscular 6-foot-8-inch college basketball center.

In the past four months alone, he has gone from an anonymous backup to arguably the most improved player on a UNLV team probably headed for the NCAA Tournament.

Essengue was on the bench when the season started, but at 6 p.m. today he will start his 25th game of the season as the Rebels, 24-6 and 11-4 in the Mountain West Conference, host Colorado State (16-11, 6-9) at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The seniors -- Essengue, Joel Anthony, Kevin Kruger, Michael Umeh and Wendell White -- who led a revival of UNLV basketball arrived from a variety of destinations.

"We all come from different areas, we all come from different backgrounds and we all got here a different way," said Kruger, who transferred from Arizona State last summer.

Only Umeh, from Houston, was recruited straight out of high school. Anthony, a native of Canada, came from a junior college in Florida, and White is from a junior college in California.

Essengue did not even pick up a basketball until eight years ago at age 15. He was a soccer star who also played handball, volleyball and ran track.

"I was a really good athlete, so I was doing almost everything in high school," he said.

He grew up in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, and in his senior year of high school he was named national Most Valuable Player and led his team to the national basketball championship, with some help from teammate Alfred Aboya, now at UCLA.

Essengue was guided to Compton Community College in 2003, but after coming to America, he found Compton to be a culture shock.

"I transferred because the environment wasn't really good if you wanted to stay focused," he said. "You always see gangs and fights and all that kind of stuff."

He moved to Weatherford College in Texas, signed with UNLV and spent his junior season as a reserve who averaged only 3.1 points and 11 minutes per game.

Essengue was expected to back up Anthony this season, but Rebels coach Lon Kruger promoted Essengue into a starting role Dec. 2 and the moved paid off as both centers flourished.

"Gaston and Joel inside have been really, really good, and some people appreciate what they have done, but I don't think enough," Lon Kruger said. "Gaston didn't have the type of year that he was hoping for last year, but he hung in there and made progress and really worked hard in the summer."

Essengue, a strong defender, has shown dramatic progress with his offensive skills. He is averaging 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 74 percent at the free-throw line. He leads the Rebels in the weight room with a 310-pound bench press.

"I was ready to have a big year," Essengue said. "When I was working in the summer, it was all about that."

He is on schedule to graduate in May with a major in university studies. He hopes to play professionally before returning to Cameroon to become a coach.

"I will go back to my country and try to see how I can use my experience to help all the young kids," he said.

The youngest of six brothers, Essengue will be far from home but not alone on Senior Night. His oldest brother made the trip from Germany to attend Friday's practice.