Rebels can smile despite loss

Steve Carp

Monday, Dec. 21, 1998 | 10:04 a.m.

The team may be sub.-500 and in the throes of a three-game losing streak, but discouragement doesn't get to linger in the UNLV locker room for very long.

Perhaps it's because despite coming up short in Saturday's 86-73 loss to Cincinnati in the Las Vegas Shootout, the Rebels continue to show signs they are getting better as a basketball team.

The good things the team did in the UCLA loss the week before continued against the No. 4-ranked Bearcats and more bright signs appeared on the horizon.

All that gives hope for ending the skid Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center against No. 18 Oklahoma State as a rugged stretch of three games against top-20 teams concludes.

Kaspars Kambala, rumored to be leaving the program a few days ago, may have played one of his best games at UNLV.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore from Latvia had 18 points, eight rebounds and played with newfound intensity and emotion. He looked like someone who wasn't going anywhere.

Mark Dickel, armed with the knowledge he is the team's starting point guard, dished out 11 assists and turned the ball over just four times against one of the nation's best defensive teams. Dickel has an outstanding assists-to-turnovers ratio of 3-to-1.

The offense, which has come under much criticism for a lack of continuity, was the best it had been over the first eight minutes.

Despite Shawn Marion's brief absence after scaring the heck out of the crowd of 15,424 when he hit the deck hard with what turned out to be a sprained right ankle, UNLV continued to make plays and get baskets as Kevin Simmons, Brian Keefe and Kambala found the mark.

Coach Bill Bayno continues to claim his 4-5 team is getting better in practice, and some of what he says is bearing itself out on game night.

When the Rebels were active in the 2-3 matchup zone, Cincinnati struggled. When the offense went stagnant and the Bearcats threatened to blow it wide open, Bayno brought Greedy Daniels and Chris Richardson off the bench and went to a press.

It helped get UNLV back in the game and after trailing by as many as 12, the Rebels cut it to three with six minutes to go and had a chance to tie, but Daniels' good look at an open 3-pointer rimmed out.

"The effort's there," Bayno said. "We're playing hard and we're looking for each other. I can't ask for much more.

"The kids are disappointed. There's a lot of tears in there," he said, pointing to the UNLV locker room. "But they're getting better and they know they're headed in the right direction."

Even if UNLV had been able to play virtually perfect basketball Saturday, it still may not have been enough to overtake a talented, athletic and determined Cincinnati squad. Along with Kentucky and Connecticut, Cincinnati is probably playing the best ball in the nation.

That didn't deter the 4-5 Rebels from trying to spring the upset. They knew they were in for a physical, up-and-down game and they tried to keep pace.

Kambala, who had been recruited by the Bearcats before opting to attend UNLV two years ago, relished the rare opportunity to have only one person guarding him and he took full advantage.

He had nine points and six rebounds in the first eight minutes as UNLV built a 20-12 lead. It was the first time all season Cincinnati had been down by that much. But suddenly, Kambala was pulled from the floor by Bayno for a momentary breather.

"Kas was getting tired," Bayno said of his decision, which partially opened the door for Cincinnati to get back into the game. "He had gone very hard the first eight minutes."

Kambala admitted he probably was in need of a brief respite. But he said he probably could have stayed out on the floor. His adrenaline was pumping pretty well.

"I was really hyped up to play Cincinnati," he said. "When I walked into the building and saw all the people in the stands, it pumped me up."

Kambala has played well through the three-game losing streak. He is showing more fire and emotion. He appears to be enjoying himself. And he is seeing the ball more as well as distributing it better.

He made an outstanding pass out of a double-team along the baseline to Keefe, who was camped out in the left corner for a wide-open 3. The shot didn't fall, but a year ago, Kambala never would have considered making such a play. He would have tried to bull his way through the double-team to the basket.

"I've been concentrating really hard in practice," he said. "I had a good week. I lifted four days this week and I felt good."

Kambala also sees the difference with his teammates. If dissension exists on this team as some claim, it doesn't appear to be between the players.

"The last two games proved we can play together," he said. "The guys are being unselfish.

"For me personally, this has been a wake-up call. I looked myself in the mirror and knew I could play better and have a better attitude."

And while there may not be results in the win column to show for it, the team is better for Kambala's newfound commitment.

"We've talked about me challenging him," Bayno said of Kambala. "He's really responded."