Wednesday, April 10, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Verbal commitments are all well and good. But until a kid signs on the dotted line, there's little reason to rejoice.
So don't be surprised if Bill Bayno raises a glass in triumph this evening after the fax machine at the UNLV basketball office has produced national letters of intent from Tyrone Nesby, Corky Ausborne, Mark Dickel and Fred Williams, the latest members of what has become an impressive 1996 recruiting class.
The signing period began today and runs through May 15. Although the faxes are binding, Bayno will wait until the actual letters of intent arrive on his desk before commenting about the new Rebels.
"We'll do it all in one shot," he said.
He'll have a lot to talk about. He's getting two of the nation's top JC forwards in Nesby and Williams. He's picking up another perimeter scorer in Ausborne and he's getting a point guard with international experience in Dickel.
Couple that with the early signings last November of 6-11 forward Keon Clark, 6-9 center Issiah Epps and 6-5 swingman Donovan Stewart, along with the return of medical redshirt veterans Eric Lee and Damian Smith, and the Rebels should not only end their two-year run of losing seasons, they should be competitive in their inaugural year in the Western Athletic Conference.
The recruits certainly are thinking that way.
Nesby ready
"I'm ready to come out there and do what I gotta do to get that ring," said the 6-7 Nesby, who averaged 23.2 points and 9.6 rebounds as a JC All-America at Vincennes (Ind.) University. "It's a big opportunity for me. It's a big step."
Nesby still was being recruited hard by Louisville right up to the end. But he said the opportunity to start at UNLV put him in Rebel red.
"I'm real happy," he said. "I'm going to try to help the team win and help myself get better."
Nesby, who has recovered from a stress fracture in his foot suffered in February, said he will be in Las Vegas in early May. He graduates from Vincennes later this month.
Accurate Ausborne
Ausborne, who began his collegiate career at New Mexico before transferring to Tyler (Texas) Junior College, averaged 16.7 points and 5.2 assists in leading Tyler to a 27-9 record and a berth in the national JC tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., last month.
The 6-2 Ausborne played both the point and off-guard spots, shooting 43 percent from the 3-point arc and 82 percent from the free-throw line. Those numbers alone make him a valuable commodity to the Rebels.
"He'll do well in their system; it's a good fit," said Tyler coach Fred Reich. "It's a great move for Corky and he's a big-time shooter. If he gets his feet set, it's going in."
Ausborne said having the freedom to shoot was a big part of his decision to become a Rebel.
"I've always played my best when the coach had confidence in me to shoot," he said. "Coach Bayno told me they need someone who can score from the perimeter and that's my game.
"I believe I can help the team because with all the big guys they're bringing in, it'll open things up for me outside when they get double-teamed in the post. I should get a lot of open looks."
Fatherly advice
Dickel, who becomes UNLV's first international recruit since Israel's Mickey Berkowitz in 1974, will be asked to get Ausborne and the other Rebels the ball. The Dunedin, New Zealand native's solid working knowledge of the game can be traced to the fact Dickel's dad Carl has been a basketball coach Down Under and is the New Zealand women's national team coach.
"Coach Bayno told me he wants someone to run the team and I believe I can do that," Dickel said. "My dad has coached for a long time and I've learned a lot from him."
Dickel said Bayno's youthful enthusiasm was a big part in his decision to attend UNLV.
"I couldn't believe how young he was," the 19-year-old Dickel said of the 33-year-old Bayno. "I think I'll relate very well to him."
Worth the wait
Williams, a 6-7 forward from Spartanburg Methodist Community College in South Carolina, said he's willing to wait a year to show his stuff.
"I'd like to redshirt for a year," he said. "I need to get physically stronger and I can use the year to adjust academically to college.
"A lot of guys want to rush it. I want to let it come to me."
Williams' candor makes Bayno's job easier. It will give Stewart a chance to play the wing, backing up Nesby. Freshman Ben Sanders also may see some time at the "3" spot after playing in the backcourt this season.
Williams, who averaged 13 points and 8.8 rebounds, also was being recruited by Georgia, Pittsburgh and South Alabama. He said as long as he'll get a chance to play a year from now, he's willing to wait.
"I know they've got a lot of guys coming in," he said. "But I just want to make sure that I'll be able to play in a year. That's real important to me."
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