Rebels need Rosegreen

Steve Carp

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

To the best of anyone's knowledge, breaking a rim on a basket isn't supposed to be bad luck.

Then again, try telling that to Warren Rosegreen. Given the way he began his senior season at UNLV, he might as well have walked under a ladder, passed a black cat and worn No. 13.

Rosegreen, who busted the rim during Saturday's shootaround at the Thomas & Mack Center, would like to put his 6-point, 2-rebound performance against Cal State Northridge behind him. Coach Bill Bayno said Rosegreen will and he expects the old No. 42 to be on display tonight at 7:35 when the 1-0 Rebels host Jacksonville.

"He's had two very good practices the past couple of days," Bayno said of the 6-foot-4 senior. "He's using his legs."

Bayno thought Rosegreen's problems were upstairs, which were causing problems downstairs with his legs.

"He said he was in a funk," Bayno said. "Maybe I didn't recognize it in practice."

Rosegreen has had something on his mind. For the past couple of weeks, he has been trying to play through the pain of a dislocated middle finger on his right hand. And it seemed to preoccupy him in Saturday's opener. He wasn't his usual aggressive self. Instead of attacking the basket, he stood around and watched, something which had Bayno seething after the game.

"Our Dennis Rodman gets two rebounds?" he asked rhetorically. "That's unacceptable."

Rosegreen agreed.

"I was a little intimidated with the pain in my finger," he said. "It's worse than being broken. I was using only one arm to jump because I didn't want any contact on my hand.

"But I've got to play through it. I'm not going to worry about the pain. I'm just going to block it out and play the way I'm supposed to."

The Rebels are going to need their leading rebounder from last year to return to form. With 6-11 center Keon Clark out for at least the next two weeks with a knee injury and 6-10 center Eric Lee's back bothering him after a hard fall in the second half Saturday, Rosegreen will have to give Tony Lane and Tyrone Nesby help on the glass.

In addition, Rosegreen will have to try to check Micah Ross, Jacksonville's 6-3 junior forward, who is the Dolphins' version of Rosegreen. Ross debuted Saturday with 37 points and 16 rebounds in a losing effort against Arizona State. But like Rosegreen, Ross plays much bigger than his size, and he is a tenacious rebounder.

"I'll be ready for the challenge," Rosegreen said. "I can't have another game like I had the other night."