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LOCATION: Las Vegas, NV
CONFERENCE: Mountain West
LAST SEASON: 16-13 (.552)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-5 (t-1st, WAC Mountain)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Runnin' Rebels
COLORS: Scarlet & Gray
HOMECOURT: Thomas & Mack Center (18,500)
COACH: Bill Bayno (Sacred Heart '85)
record at school 68-52 (4 years)
career record 68-52 (4 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Glynn Cyprien (Texas-SA '90)
Dave Rice (UNLV '91)
Max Good (Eastern Kentucky '69)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 12-10-22-20-16
RPI (last 5 years) 170-222-55-47-82
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in NIT first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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This is the true test for Bill Bayno. He doesn't have the star player, the top-rated recruiting class or the go-to veterans to lean on this season. He's going to have to earn this one. Two years ago, Bayno figured out which lineup worked best (the one without Keon Clark) to get the Runnin' Rebels playing well. It worked for a stretch of three weeks when UNLV finished with a homecourt winning streak that took it through the WAC Tournament and into the NCAAs. Last season, an injury to Kaspars Kambala and overall inconsistency prevented the Rebels from doing anything more than winning an average WAC Mountain Division. UNLV's best non-conference victory came over Weber State. A week after losing by nine to Arizona State at home, the Rebels nearly beat UCLA in Westwood. Five days after shocking Tulsa on the road, SMU and TCU swept the Rebels at home. They may have had Shawn Marion as their go-to player, but the Rebels could never figure out what speed to play, who should shoot and how intense they needed to play on defense. Bayno didn't land the impact recruit he has in the past. But that's OK. He got the coach he wanted. Bayno hired 58-year-old Max Good, a former mentor and the mind behind the success at Maine Central Institute. Good is expected to bring a calming influence to Bayno, who tends to overcoach. Bayno has the right ideas, but can get flustered in the heat of the moment. Good should give the right mix of tactical advice and composure to settle an exuberant Bayno.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C+ BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES B-
Bill Bayno has another tough schedule with some point-to games like Georgetown, Princeton and either North Carolina or College of Charleston, Oklahoma State and at Cincinnati. UNLV has to win two of these games to have a worthy resume going into the MWC, which doesn't have an automatic bid. The backcourt is decent, but the wings still need to prove themselves. Kaspars Kambala has to put together a consistent season to be taken seriously as an all-league player. Not having Louis Kelly for the first semester will hurt the chemistry and the Rebels' ability to score from the wing. Bayno, Max Good, Dave Rice and Glynn Cyprien can mesh this group into being pests at home to pull off some victories over Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. It could be a tough go on the road where so many junior college transfers will have to mature fast. This team is probably a year away from getting back into the NCAA Tournament. It'll be a year too late for Dickel, but shooting guard, small forward and center are too inexperienced to bank on an NCAA bid. |
"The timing was right for this," Bayno said. "I'm a young coach and this will help me and the program." Bayno's energy and enthusiasm for the game, if harnessed, can make him a coach with longevity. He has proved he can recruit. Two years ago, he showed he could adapt. Now, he's got to see if he can blend. The Rebels have the pieces to make this a respectable team that can contend in the Mountain West for second place and, as a result, for an NCAA Tournament berth. "There's nothing more fun than having a group of guys and getting them to overachieve," Bayno said. "It's the year when you're not supposed to win. We had those meetings and put in things and taught it. In our four years, the second year, when we won only 10 games, may have been the most gratifying." Bayno isn't down on this team, but he knows it will be hard work. At least, he doesn't have to mess with the point with 6-2 junior Mark Dickel as his starter. Greedy Daniels is gone after causing turmoil on the floor and bench by being unhappy with his time. He transferred to TCU, leaving Dickel (6.5 ppg, 6.6 apg) alone at the point for the first time in three years. Dickel played with more control last season, committing just 66 turnovers, 26 in 14 WAC games. Five times he had no turnovers and seven times he had only one despite being third on the team in minutes played (30.5). Mike Garrett was supposed to be Dickel's backup, but the Fresno City College point guard didn't make it academically. Instead, don't be surprised to see either 6-3 junior Trevor Diggs (Kilgore College/Kilgore, Texas) or 6-3 junior Kenny Dye (Connors State/Connors, Okla.) handling the ball off the bench. Either way, Dye and Diggs will play because they can score. Dye led Connors State in scoring with 24.5 ppg, shooting .387 on three-point attempts and .722 at the free-throw line. "Kenny's an extremely talented scoring guard who can beat the opponent off the dribble," Bayno said. "He's got deep range, but he's got to get stronger. He can play pressure defense and put points on the board in a hurry." Diggs averaged 18.9 ppg and shot .418 on three-point attempts, .871 from the line last season. Bayno said he could play any of the three perimeter positions. To start the season, though, 6-4 junior Donovan Stewart will probably be next to Dickel. Stewart has started 16 of 62 games in three years. Last season, he played in all 29 games, averaging 4.5 ppg and 2.4 rpg off the bench. Injuries have slowed Stewart, but Bayno said he thinks he'll be the most improved player on the team. Stewart has decent range, but his athleticism can get him to the basket. He's become one of the better defenders. Look for Stewart to be in the lineup with either Dye or Diggs, or 6-6 sophomore Chris Richardson. Richardson (1.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg) got in trouble last season when he mouthed off about playing time. It cost him game time and limited his role when he came off a brief doghouse stint. Desmond Herod felt that wrath when he said his peace, too, and eventually took his act to Seton Hall. Richardson was expected to bolt, but decided to stay. Bayno said he couldn't be happier with Richardson's attitude. He had the talent coming out of Corpus Christi, Texas, and could add that slashing versatility as a big guard or small forward. His time may get cut in December, though, when 6-5 junior Louis Kelly (San Bernardino CC/San Bernadino, Calif.) becomes eligible. Kelly didn't earn his degree in time last summer, but decided to come in December instead of going back to a junior college. That's good news for the Rebels. Kelly could be the wing scorer, albeit not as productive as Marion and Tyrone Nesby of the past two seasons. He averaged 25.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg for San Bernardino last season. Kelly is a .516 shooter (lots of dunks) and shoots .415 on three-point attempts. Kelly led the California JUCOs in scoring. He is a lefty who can beat a player off the dribble, like Marion, and pop a three-pointer over an outstretched arm. When Kelly is eligible, he will open up more shots for 6-9 junior Kaspars Kambala (12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and 6-10 senior center Issiah Epps (2.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg). Kambala missed the final six games of the season with a knee injury. The Rebels went 1-5 during that stretch and lost by an average of 4.6 points. Kambala could be the low-post threat the Rebels missed last season if he plays up to his potential. He had a decent August when he returned to Pete Newell's Big Man Camp. Kambala's improvement will go a long way toward determining how far the Rebels can climb in the Mountain West. Epps gives the Rebels a shot-blocking presence and helps out defensively by allowing Kambala to defend a power forward instead of a true center. Epps doesn't give the Rebels too much offensively. His season high was 10 points in the NIT loss to Nebraska. Support may come off the bench where Bayno has options: 6-7 junior Sylvester Dotson (Kilgore College/Kilgore, Texas); 6-6 junior Chris Popoola (Los Angeles City College); 6-9 freshman Dalron Johnson (Verbum Dei HS/Los Angeles, Calif.); 6-8 redshirt junior transfer Ra'oof Sadat (San Francisco); and 6-7 freshman Oscar Garcia (Notre Dame Prep/Fitchburg, Mass.). Dotson and Diggs were teammates. Dotson averaged 9.3 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season. Popoola averaged 14 ppg and nine rpg at L.A. City. Johnson averaged 18.9 ppg and 12.6 rpg and 3.5 bpg and was a high-major recruit for the Rebels. Sadat is a wide-body who can add some beef while Garcia may be a project. The other reserves: 6-2 freshman Marcus Banks (Cimarron-Memorial HS/Las Vegas, Nev.), 6-1 sophomore Vince Booker (Cheyenne HS/Las Vegas, Nev.) and 6-3 junior Danny Brotherson (Utah Valley State College) will struggle to get time. Brotherson averaged 16.7 ppg and could be a spot shooter.
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