Bayno confident after showing in exhibition

Steve Carp

Monday, Nov. 3, 1997 | 8:47 a.m.

There were a few things UNLV coach Bill Bayno could count on when his team stepped on the Thomas & Mack Center court for its first exhibition game.

Bayno figured senior Tyrone Nesby would elevate his game against Upstate Developmental Basketball League, and he did, scoring 31 points in the Rebels' convincing 109-84 win. Bayno also figured two of his highly touted freshmen, Kaspars Kambala and Greedy Daniels, would more than hold their own, and they did, combining for 36 points, 17 rebounds and five steals.

But Bayno wasn't sure what Donovan Stewart would give him. He was Saturday night's X factor.

Trying to bounce back from back surgery, Stewart, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman from Rialto, Calif., hadn't played in nearly a year. There were question marks in his head as well as Bayno's.

Twenty-eight minutes, 19 points and eight rebounds later, the uncertainty disappeared. UNLV has a very nice player on its hands, the kind of player Bayno was counting on when he recruited Stewart two years ago at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut.

"Donovan was good," Bayno said. "I know Donovan can score. But I liked the way he rebounded and defended. He was talking and bouncing and that was good to see."

For Stewart, it was a huge relief.

"I felt great," he said. "The only thing holding me down are these heavy legs.

"I'm not totally into it. I'm still trying to get my legs into shape. I figure I won't be in full stride until midseason. But it was great just to be back out there again."

There were times during his lengthy rehabilitation that Stewart wondered if he would ever be the player he once was. He had surgery in early December and it was a long road back.

"I was scared at times," he said, "especially when I couldn't walk right away. But I wanted to play again so I just listened to the doctors and worked hard."

Stewart had played his senior season at Cheshire with the bad back and averaged 21 points and six rebounds. If he can put up numbers even close to that at UNLV, Bayno will be ecstatic.

"Donovan has to score for us," Bayno said.

Stewart, who was 8 of 14 from the field, said scoring won't be a problem.

"I thought my offense came easy for me," he said. "It's the defense I'm worried about. I got a little confused out there. One time, I'm the 3 (forward). The next, I'm the 4, and you have different responsibilities."

The Rebels had little difficulty handling USDBL, a collection of former college players which on this night included former UNLV guard Damian Smith. The only time the Rebels were in any danger was early in the second half when USDBL opened with a 21-9 run and turned a 49-38 deficit into a 59-59 contest.

But a 33-8 UNLV spurt, including a 19-0 run over a 4:46 span, ensured the victory and marked the first time in the Bayno era the Rebels cracked the century mark.

"I really thought we had a good chance to lose this game coming in," Bayno said. "But we did some good things."

And UNLV did them without Keon Clark, Kevin Simmons, Brian Keefe, Issiah Epps and Ali Kaba, all of whom sat out. But those who did play were impressive -- especially Stewart.

"It's been tough for Donovan coming off major surgery," Bayno said. "But he's worked very hard and as long as he continues to work hard, good things are going to happen for him and for the team."