Clark’s status uncertain

Steve Carp

Friday, Feb. 20, 1998 | 1:13 a.m.

PROVO, Utah -- What little that remains of Keon Clark's collegiate basketball future will be determined early next week.

The 6-foot-11 senior center has been suspended since Feb. 9 for violation of UNLV athletic department policy and team rules. He has not played in the last three games and will not make the final road trip of the regular season today as the 13-11 Rebels meet Brigham Young Saturday and No. 6 Utah Monday.

Coach Bill Bayno and athletic director Charles Cavagnaro said Thursday they will talk in the next few days about Clark's status and whether or not he will be reinstated for the final two home games of the season Thursday against Wyoming and Feb. 28 against Colorado State.

Clark, who missed the first 11 games of the year after being suspended by the NCAA for accepting a trip to Orlando from two Florida sports agents last spring, has appeared in 10 games and has averaged 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Rebels went 5-5 with Clark in the lineup and are 8-6 without him.

"Coach Bayno and I have not had any discussions regarding Keon's status," Cavagnaro said. "He remains indefinitely suspended and at the appropriate time, Coach Bayno and I will sit down and discuss the situation."

Initially, Clark was supposed to sit out 20 percent of the competition, or approximately five games. By missing the BYU-Utah trip, he will have missed the last five contests. Theoretically, then, he could be reinstated for the Wyoming game.

However, there is nothing to prevent UNLV officials from keeping him off the court next week. Or permanently.

"There is no real timetable for this," Cavagnaro said. "It's a departmental matter and that's how it will be handled."

Bayno, who talks to Clark every day, shed little light on the situation.

"I think he's hanging in there," Bayno said. "Right now, he's focused on trying to do the right thing. He's looking at his future and what he has to do to get back on track for the future."

Clark has been invited to the NBA's Desert Classic pre-draft camp in Phoenix April. 7-11. It's not clear if Clark will attend. Teammate Tyrone Nesby also was invited to Phoenix and plans to be there.

Clark has not practiced with the team since the day before his last appearance on the court Feb. 5 against Air Force.

"Keon's working out and lifting on his own," Bayno said.

Cavagnaro said Clark can practice with the team, but that's at Bayno's discretion.

"I'm not really worried about Keon and his role with the team," Bayno said. "I'm more concerned about Keon's personal well-being and his getting his life together."

In the first game against BYU on Jan. 22, Clark had one of his best games of his abbreviated senior season. In 29 minutes, he scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Rebels prevailed 76-63.

"He took that game over and he was the difference," said BYU coach Steve Cleveland, whose team comes into Saturday's rematch having snapped a nine-game losing streak by defeating Air Force 79-60 Thursday at the Marriott Center. "But UNLV may be better without him the way they've been playing."

The Cougars have switched things up offensively, playing a motion offense. But for BYU to be successful -- and judging by the 10-game losing streak, the Cougars haven't been -- they need Ron Selleaze and Danny Bower to have big games.

Selleaze leads the team in scoring at 14.9 and Bower, who was coming off the bench but now is starting, averages 11.5.

Hoop du jour

* BACK AT THE MARRIOTT: It has been a long time since UNLV last visited the Marriott Center. Nack in 1981, the Rebels prevailed 66-63. UNLV leads the series, 3-2.

* ROAD KILL: It has not been a good year for the Rebels, especially away from the Thomas & Mack Center. Going into the final two road games of the season, UNLV is 3-7 as the visitor, the wins coming at Southern Cal, Tulane and Air Force. The win Feb. 5 over the Falcons also represents the lone WAC road win for the Rebels. In its two seasons in the WAC, UNLV is 6-7 in conference road games.