LAS VEGAS -- On the same day Baylor announced it had launched an investigation of its men's basketball team, head coach Dave Bliss was supposed to be in a Las Vegas high school gymnasium watching a potential recruit play for the Houston Superstars.

Bliss' wife, Claudia, daughter Berkeley, a senior at Texas A&M, and son, Jeff, a junior at Midway High School in Waco, were in the stands. Jeff actually took the court later in the day to play on the Superstars' younger AAU team.

	Nothing in his 27 years of coaching could prepare Baylor head coach Dave Bliss for the past two months.

But Bliss was tied up all afternoon in his car, on his cell phone, speaking with Baylor officials. He missed the recruit, Marshall Brown, play his latest game at the adidas Big Time Tournament. But Bliss' absence alongside fellow coaches on the recruiting trail has been the norm throughout his week-long stay in Las Vegas.

While Bliss caught up with his family in time to watch his son's game Thursday afternoon at another gym in this steamy desert city, trying to serve as a cheering father, and recruiting coach, has been anything but easy this week.

Bliss is naturally consumed with the investigation into the disappearance of redshirt junior Patrick Dennehy, and this week's arrest of former Baylor player Carlton Dotson, who is charged with Dennehy's murder. But as officials try to solve a six-week mystery, another investigation into allegations of NCAA violations dealing with Dennehy begins.

It's clear, the hurricane that has tossed the Baylor basketball program upside down isn't subsiding.

Imagine the juggling act being performed by Bliss. Is recruiting really a plausible option? Bliss has been told by the university not to go on the record during the latest turbulent chapter since Dennehy went missing on June 14. But the 59-year-old coach remains resolute. Resigning isn't an option. He will soldier on to get the Baylor program back to respectability.

The assumption by a number of coaching colleagues is that coaches usually take the fall when there is trouble in their programs. But trying to deal with the fallout from a possible murder is unprecedented.

Yet, the Baylor coaching staff was allowed to go on the road to recruit during the July open evaluation period. Along with Bliss, assistants Doug Ash and Rodney Belcher have been on the road, and according to Superstars coach John Eurey, the Bears are a finalist with Missouri for Brown (Austin LBJ H.S., Texas).

And, know this: Baylor president Robert Sloan and athletic director Tom Stanton are huge fans of Bliss and Ash. Stanton and Bliss are good friends. Baylor is also a private school in a small town, usually out of the long reach of a major media market. So, if there is pressure to make any kind of coaching change, it would likely have to come from influential Baylor alumni, and so far that doesn't seem to be occurring. Making any change at this point of both investigations wouldn't make sense, either, considering the police and NCAA investigations will continue for months to come.

Problems, however, may still be on the horizon. At some point in August, the Bears staff will have to focus on the team. And, the reality is that the Bears will return to school in less than a month to begin preparing for a season that could still be clouded by unanswered questions.

Baylor will put a team on the floor that is expected to be competitive in the Big 12. Lawrence Roberts is a potential All-Big 12 player after over 15 points and 10 rebounds a game last season. Highly-rated recruit Harvey Thomas will also help anchor the frontcourt.

Bliss has professed Thomas' innocence in the Dennehy case and the school is expecting the Waco police to exonerate him. (Thomas took a polygraph test over the weekend, according to one source, and passed.) Once Thomas is cleared, Baylor is a team that needs to begin the process of bonding in spite of the losses suffered.

Make no mistake, Bliss is visibly shaken by the events of the past two months. The stress that he's under is obvious. His wife said he hasn't slept, but yet he must continue to be a coach, a father, a husband and a sounding board for investigators from the Waco police and the university. It's a list of chores that are nearly impossible. Not just for a coach, but any man caught in the middle of a impossible situation to understand.

What else we're hearing
At Wyoming and in the Mountain West ... Mountain West conference commissioner Craig Thompson made a selfish move when he prevented Wyoming from playing in the Bracket Buster Event next February. Thompson, through a spokesperson in the Mountain West, said he didn't want the Cowboys to play in what is perceived as a "mid-major event." Yet, the Cowboys were going to get a guaranteed home game against one of the highest-rated teams in the event, possibly from the WAC, Missouri Valley, MAC or Horizon League. Wyoming coach Steve McClain wasn't too pleased, considering he struggles to get a non-conference home game on ESPN or ESPN2. McClain said he doesn't remember getting a nationally televised non-conference home game during his tenure in Laramie. He also said he's miffed by Thompson's ability to block the schedule, since the conference office has no jurisdiction over a member's non-conference scheduling. Thompson contends that the Mountain West doesn't need to be involved in such an event considering it was rated "higher than the Pac-10" in the RPI last season. (The MWC finished sixed in conference RPI, while the Pac-10 was ranked seventh.) But that logic is foolish when considering that Wyoming would be better served to play a highly-rated Butler out of the Horizon than a lower-rated team like Nebraska out of the Big 12, regardless of conference affiliation. Meanwhile, SMU got squeezed out of the 2004 Bracket Buster from the WAC. WAC members Nevada, Tulsa, Hawaii, Rice and Fresno State were tabbed for the event. But SMU could have the best player in the league in guard Bryan Hopkins.

At New Mexico State ... The Sun Belt conference is taking up the case to get New Mexico State coach Lou Henson 18 wins that were removed from his record during his first season with the Aggies, when an ineligible player (Loui Richardson) was used. Richardson was a Neil McCarthy recruit and his ineligibility wasn't determined until he had played under Henson. If Henson, who is now battling cancer, gets the 18 wins back then he would have 780 and need only 20 to get to 800 career wins. Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said the appeal to the NCAA's infraction committee to get the wins back for Henson was denied. But he is continuing to pursue the case and asked the NCAA's David Berst to re-examine the case. Waters called Henson one of the "good guys" for taking over a program rocked by scandal and leading it back to respectability. The violations occurred while New Mexico State was a member of the Big West, but the Sun Belt was present during the NCAA hearings. Waters said he hasn't spoken to Big West commissioner Dennis Farrell, but anticipates that he would support the Sun Belt's case for Henson. Henson plans on coaching next season and is undergoing cancer treatment in Houston. But more responsibilities will be placed on associate head coach Tony Stubblefield, who would be in line to become the interim coach if Henson had to take a leave of absence.

At Cal ... Incoming freshman Leon Powe added 15 pounds to bulk up to 245, and he also added four to five inches on his vertical jump to raise it to 36 inches, according to coach Ben Braun. Powe, the highest-rated recruit to actually attend Cal under Braun (remember Dirk Nowitzki never made it to Berkeley) is coming off an ACL tear a year ago. Braun said Powe continues to add strength to both legs and isn't favoring one over the other anymore. But Braun was quick to quell any thoughts that Powe could have a "Carmelo Anthony-like freshman season." He said he needs Powe to be a rebounder for the Bears and not necessarily a scorer for him to deliver on his top billing.

At Illinois ... New coach Bruce Weber already had four practices with his team, minus guards Dee Brown and Deron Williams, in anticipation of a trip to Finland, Estonia and Sweden (Aug. 9-19). Brown and Williams were with the U.S. Junior World Championship team in Dallas and Greece for the past six weeks. Weber, who is hoping this trip will be a bonding experience since arriving from Southern Illinois, told Brown and Williams that this won't be as intense a trip as the one with USA Basketball. He told Brown and Williams to head home and relax before another trip to Europe a few weeks later. Weber's top recruit this summer was keeping Wayne McClain as an assistant. The Peoria native will be instrumental in the Illini's chances of landing top-10 player and point guard Shaun Livingston from Peoria.

At Ohio State ... Don't be surprised if the Buckeyes have two transfers in the starting lineup. Coach Jim O'Brien is raving about former Arkansas guard J.J. Sullinger's athleticism and ex-Clemson guard Tony Stockman's shooting. The Buckeyes could be the surprise team in the Big Ten and are the marquee team in the Maui Invitational. The key for Ohio State remains replacing the scoring and leadership of departed guard Brent Darby.

On the foreign tour scene ... SMU, New Mexico and Oral Roberts are following Duke's lead of a year ago and taking a fall trip in October, which will allow each team to practice before anyone else in the country. All three schools have a fall break, like Duke did a year ago. Duke went to London in October, practiced 10 days before everyone else was allowed to start, and played five games against professionals before the season. The experienced helped the Blue Devils get their freshmen ready, considering they can't go on foreign trips in the spring or the summer. The games also allowed Duke to get an understanding of a playing rotation. SMU, New Mexico and Oral Roberts are all going to Vancouver, B.C., but not at the same time. They are expected to get some club games during the long weekend trips.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball is updated Fridays throughout the year.