Changes accepted by Bayno

Steve Carp

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The changes have come slowly and only have partially addressed the problems. But UNLV coach Bill Bayno welcomed the NCAA's decision to restore a fourth year of eligibility to partial qualifiers and allow student-athletes a chance to hold a part-time job during the basketball season.

"I think it's long overdue," he said. "Restoring the fourth year is something I've always thought was huge. What it does is send the message that the NCAA has the kids' best interests at heart."

What will happen is those who fail to meet the freshman eligibility standards would regain their lost first year if they complete their degree over a four-year period. As it stands, those who are partial or non-qualifiers have only three years of eligibility instead of the normal four.

The ruling takes effect Aug. 1 and could impact Rebel recruit Issiah Epps, who signed a national letter of intent in November and who is still trying to qualify on the standardized test. Epps, who nearly qualified on the ACT a couple of weeks ago, will take the SAT a week from Saturday. If he can score 840 or higher, he'll be eligible next season.

But if Epps never passes the test, he could still get his fourth year back under the new rule if he completes his degree in the four-year time span. He currently is attending UNLV part time.

The new rule won't have any effect on Greedy Daniels, the UNLV recruit point guard from New Orleans. Daniels passed his SAT and need only graduate and meet the core requirements at Cohen High School to be eligible this fall.

As for the in-season job rule, Bayno said it will only bolster what has been an effective recruiting tool.

"We sell Las Vegas as a place where a player can get settled in the workforce after he graduates, so this will help," he said. "The opportunities here are always good."

While a couple thousand dollars a semester is not a lot of money, the fact UNLV athletes will get a chance to earn some extra pocket cash and make some business contacts in the community can only help the Rebels when it comes to recruiting.

Bayno was hoping the NCAA would restore a 14th full scholarship for men's basketball. But that proposal was voted down and UNLV, like all the Division I programs, will have to make do with 13. The women have 15 full rides.

Hoop du jour

* REBELS RATE: UNLV's Keon Clark ranks among the WAC leaders in several statistical categories and has some national numbers as well. The 6-foot-11 junior center leads the conference in blocked shots with an average of 4.5 and is second to Air Force's Mike Freeman in field goal percentage at .636. Freeman leads the WAC at .645. Clark also is fourth in rebounding (9.4). Nationally, Clark is sixth in field goal percentage and eighth in blocked shots. Tyrone Nesby is 13th in the WAC in scoring at 16.6 points per game while Sunshine Smith is fourth in free-throw percentage at 85 percent and Mark Dickel is tied for sixth in assists at 4.8 per contest.

* COWBOYS TUNE UP: Oklahoma State gets to prep for Saturday's nationally televised game with UNLV tonight as it travels to Boulder for a Big 12 game against Colorado. The Cowboys, 8-5 overall, are off to a 1-2 start in the Big 12, beating Missouri 68-67 at the buzzer last Saturday for their first win after losses to Texas and Texas Tech.

* ON, OFF THE AIR: Saturday's game will be televised regionally on CBS and shown live in Las Vegas at 1 p.m. on KLAS Channel 8. Ted Robinson and Jon Sunvold will call the action. ... Because of the road trip to Fresno following Saturday's game in Stillwater, "Game Time With UNLV Hoops" will not be aired Sunday night. The show will return at its usual 11:30 p.m. time slot Jan. 26.