Steve Carp: Rebel roster beginning to thin out

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Depth, like fame, can be fleeting.

One day, there's not enough minutes to go around to please everyone. The next, there aren't enough players to give any time to and the starters are playing 35-36 minutes a night.

Thanks to injuries, academics and defections, the latest being center Eric Lee's decision to quit the team Sunday, UNLV coach Bill Bayno suddenly has a big problem on his hands. Whereas he had a deep roster prior to classes beginning in August, he is down to 10 healthy bodies now that finals have concluded for the fall semester.

"We're one injury away from big trouble," he said Monday. "I was concerned about our depth with Eric. We were thin with him."

Now they're even thinner, literally, without the 6-foot-10 skinny center from Indianola, Miss. If Keon Clark goes down again, it means 6-6 Tony Lane plays the post and 6-5 Warren Rosegreen plays power forward. If Tyrone Nesby gets hurt, who plays the small forward spot? Remember, Donovan Stewart, who would have backed up Nesby, is out for the season after having back surgery last month.

And don't even think about what transpires should point guard Mark Dickel fall by the wayside. Chancellor Davis' broken foot has him sidelined and it means Kevin James has to really step up. So far, he has been up and down, but lately, it's more up than down.

There's no depth anywhere to speak of, except at the shooting guard spot. And with Damian Smith struggling, Corky Ausborne yet to get untracked and Grant Rice backing up the backups, it's almost a moot point. Sunshine Smith will be the man, barring foul trouble or his sore knee giving out.

The Bayno Bunch is shrinking, and there'll be no letup for the second-year coach.

But if the remaining Rebels can tough it out and find some offense while maintaining their stout defense, this season will be far from a write-off. And just because Lee and Ben Sanders gave up on the team doesn't mean you should. These were two frustrated young men who felt they deserved more of a chance, even though their play in practice didn't warrant it.

Frankly, I wasn't surprised to see Lee pack it in. He was unhappy and it showed. He and Bayno never connected, unlike Sunshine and Damian Smith, the other holdovers from the Rollie Massimino era who have improved under Bayno's guidance.

At this level, toughness counts. And Lee, as nice a kid as you'd ever want to meet, couldn't or wouldn't display the necessary toughness to survive, much less thrive.

He struggled with his rehab following back surgery last December. He battled assorted injuries throughout his career and it had to affect his confidence. And not surprisingly, his game was stagnant. He never found his rhythm and Bayno wasn't going to give him more minutes when he was often missing practice and not competing when he would show up.

It's a shame it came to this for Lee and for the Rebels. They could have helped each other. But maybe it's not too late for both to get to where they want to go.