Rebels’ medical reports optimistic

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

There were plenty of reasons for UNLV trainer Jerry Koloskie to rejoice Monday. Three to be exact.

Keon Clark's knee injury is not season-threatening after all. Eric Lee's back was better and the 6-foot-10 soph omore center was able to work out with the Rebels. And despite a sprained ankle suffered in Monday's practice, point guard Mark Dickel was expected to start tonight against Jacksonville at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"Yeah, it was a busy day," said Koloskie. "Dickel should be OK. Eric was doing much better. And Keon's knee didn't have any structural damage."

Clark, who sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Saturday's 61-59 win over Cal State Northridge, had an MRI Monday and the tests were negative. The 6-11 junior center is expected to be out 2-3 weeks, though Koloskie said Clark could be ready by Dec. 7 when the 1-0 Rebels play at UC Irvine.

"I'm not ruling anything out," Koloskie said. "A lot depends on how Keon feels and how hard he works on his rehab. We'll be aggressive with the treatment and the next couple of weeks will be critical. He has a lot of hard work ahead of him."

Clark said he's up to the task.

"I'm not big on looking from the sidelines," he said. "Just hearing that it wasn't serious was a big relief.

"Knowing I can come back soon will give me plenty of incentive to work hard."

Lee, who landed hard on his back just 18 seconds after Clark limped off the floor Saturday, said most of the stiffness was gone. There's still some pain, but Lee, who had surgery on his back last December and wound up redshirting, said he's going to play through it.

"It's doing a lot better," he said. "But I was scared when I first hurt it. I'll be ready to go."

So will Dickel, who turned his right ankle trying to run back down the court during a drill in Monday's practice. Koloskie iced down the ankle to prevent it from swelling and Dickel was only limping slightly as he left the building.

When asked if he would be able to go tonight, the freshman from New Zealand said, "Hell, yeah. It's not that serious."

Still, coach Bill Bayno won't start Lee and he will try and limit Dickel's minutes against Jacksonville, which is 0-1.

"We can't play Mark 33 minutes every night," he said. "I just hope he'll be able to give us 20-25 minutes."

Dolphins in town

Jacksonville comes to town tonight looking for a split on its two-game western road swing. The Dolphins lost their season opener Saturday at Arizona State by a 111-69 count as the Sun Devils shot 57 percent from the field.

Third-year coach George Scholz said his young team is still trying to figure things out.

"We're in a learning process," he said. "We've got high expectations, but I like our guys. We'll get better and better.

"Consistency is the key. We've got to get mentally and physically tough. It's not a question of effort. It's the effort they can give when they're ready to go. We've got to play like men."

Tonight is the first meeting between the two schools. Jacksonville went 15-13 last season and finished third in the Sun Belt Conference at 10-8.

Hoop du jour

* THANKSGIVING HELPERS: UNLV team members will spend part of Thanksgiving Thursday helping others enjoy the holiday as the players and coaches will visit the Kids Cafe at St. Paul's Church, 911 North G Street at 3:30 p.m. The Kids Cafe, co-sponsored by Harrah's, serves food to children under 14 years old Monday through Friday from 4-5 p.m. throughout the year. The Rebels will share the holiday meal with the youngsters and spend time with them during the afternoon.

* TV SHOW DEBUTS: "Game Time with UNLV Hoops," the weekly highlights show on KLAS Channel 8, begins its second season at 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The 30-minute show, featuring UNLV coach Bill Bayno and hosted by Dave McCann, will air weekly in the late-night time slot each Sunday throughout the season.