Rebels guard quits

Steve Carp

Friday, Nov. 8, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

If Ben Sanders is going to reach the expectations everyone had for him coming out of high school two years ago it will have to be somewhere else.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from Los Angeles has quit the UNLV basketball team, frustrated with playing time in the rotation of coach Bill Bayno.

"I didn't feel like I got a fair shake," Sanders said Thursday. "I thought I had a good off-season. I felt I was a better player than last year and I was getting a little confidence.

"But when I was the fourth-string point guard, I knew I wasn't going to play. And that was frustrating."

Sanders left the team last week, but Bayno didn't want to make the decision public until he had a chance to talk to Sanders' parents Thursday night. Bayno did leave open the possibility of Sanders returning to the Rebels, an option he discussed with Sanders' parents.

"I'm disappointed he's leaving," Bayno said. "Ben's a great kid. Basically, he had made his mind up that he wanted to explore other avenues. But if he changes his mind, we can talk."

When asked if Sanders got squeezed by the added depth to this year's roster, Bayno said, "Yeah, he got caught in the numbers game. With Kevin (James) coming on, Chancellor (Davis) coming to fall practice in shape and playing better and (Mark) Dickel here, it was going to be tough for Ben to get minutes."

Sanders said: "It came down to working as hard as I could and not seeing anything come from it. I thought I had gotten better and I'm a fourth-string point guard."

But Bayno thought Sanders didn't work as hard as he should have, especially in the weight room.

"After the season, we talked about how important lifting was and I don't think he ever believed in the weights," he said. "It's something that, wherever he goes, he's not going to reach his potential unless he gets stronger."

Sanders appeared in 25 games last year, starting in four. He averaged 2.5 points and just over one assist a game. His best effort came against Southern Cal when he scored 14 points and had five steals in 32 minutes.

But Sanders was squeezed for minutes last year as Sunshine Smith, Davis and James played the point. However, as a freshman, he understood. He believed things would get better from a playing time standpoint this year.

"I thought I got a fairer shake last year than I was getting this year," he said.

Bayno said: "I should have figured out earlier that his true position was point guard."

Sanders, who was the co-player of the year in Los Angeles in 1995 after starring at Westchester High School, said he was keeping his options open regarding his future.

"There's a lot of ways I can go," he said. "I might go straight to another Division I school. Or I may go to junior college and get my degree. I'm going to sit down with my parents and we'll make a decision together."

Bayno said: "If he gets with the right program, he can be a hell of a player. But he's got to go somewhere where he knows he's going to get some minutes."

Hoop du jour

* PROBATION ENDS: There won't be a parade, or even a ceremony to mark the occasion, but Saturday is a big day at UNLV as the basketball program's three-year NCAA probation ends. When asked for a comment, UNLV President Dr. Carol Harter said: "Will 'hooray' do? I consider it the beginning of a new era and I'm delighted that it's happening." Athletic director Charles Cavagnaro said: "It's not a day for celebration, but the school can stand back and hold its head up proud. When you look in the educational publications and there's the list of schools with sanctions, UNLV's name is not on that list."

* RECRUITS VISIT: Two of the nation's top players are making their official recruiting visits to UNLV this weekend. Lamar Odom, a 6-foot-9 forward who was at Christ the King in Queens before recently transferring to Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, N.Y., arrived in town early today and will be joined by Greedy Daniels, the 6-1 point guard from Cohen High in New Orleans. Daniels verbally committed to the Rebels in late September and is expecting to sign his national letter of intent Wednesday. Odom, who has become good friends with Daniels, is considering Syracuse, Michigan and St. John's along with UNLV. ... Word is Javares Anderson, the 6-10 forward from Gulf Coast Junior College in Florida, has narrowed his choices to UNLV and Southern Cal and is expected to make a decision by the end of the weekend. Anderson was in Las Vegas last month and supposedly had a very good visit.