Columnist Steve Carp: Keon, Rebels should split right now

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1998 | 9:46 a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Sometime today or possibly Wednesday, UNLV coach Bill Bayno will get together with athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro and have a discussion. The topic won't be a pleasant one.

UNLV has to decide what it is going to do about its best basketball player. Is the school going to allow Keon Clark to return to the court for the final two home games of the season and next week's WAC tournament? Or will Clark's indefinite suspension from Feb. 9 for violating team rules and athletic department policy become permanent?

Technically, Clark can come back from his recent five-game suspension and play against Wyoming Thursday. He will have served his minimum penance for breaking the rules.

Theoretically, who knows if he's ready to return? Has he been complying with the directives Bayno and Cavagnaro set forth for him when he was suspended? And even if he has, has he made enough progress to warrant reinstatement?

It's a tough call on many fronts. But if you care about Clark as a person and not just as a basketball player, and if you care about the overall state of the UNLV basketball program, it probably is best he move on.

He still has a future as a pro. He may not be the high lottery pick he was conceived to be prior to the NCAA busting him for 11 games in the fall (for accepting a trip from a sports agent) and seeing his 10-game season produce a player that only showed flashes of his former brilliance. But he has his NBA backers. And as they say, you only need one guy to like you. He probably still is a first-round pick.

By passing on what's left of his college career, Clark can focus on his future. Frankly, it's doubtful he can recapture the magic of last year in a couple of games this weekend or a couple of games next week.

And what of his teammates? The Rebels have been competitive without him, winning three times. If Clark were to come back, surely there will be speculation over whether he was trying to help the team or bolster his sagging NBA stock.

Does the team or Clark really need that kind of second-guessing at this point?

The social and academic matters Clark is trying to resolve need his full attention. Playing ball shouldn't be a priority. Getting his act together should be.

And this isn't about talking to or not talking to writers. This isn't about going or not going to class. It's about having a clear head and listening to the right people, who have your best interests at heart. It's about understanding where you've been, where you are at and where you're headed.

If Clark is committed to getting his priorities straight, UNLV should be equally committed to see that he gets there. By keeping him away from basketball, the school is keeping its end of the bargain, even if it disappoints the fans who would want to honor him at Saturday's Senior Night finale against Colorado State, or the NBA scouts who would have liked to have seen him play Monday night against the fifth-ranked Utes at the Huntsman Center.

You can argue that Clark shouldn't be allowed back because he has twice let down the university by being suspended for actions off the court. And you would be right. But that doesn't necessarily mean UNLV is teaching Clark a life lesson by permanently benching him.

Clark has a future in basketball. He will play somewhere next year, so it's not like he couldn't screw up again because UNLV kept him from playing out the string as a collegian.

It's his future as a person that is of concern. And that's why it wouldn't be surprising to see Bayno and Cavagnaro come to the conclusion that it's better for Clark to get on with his life.

Here's hoping that his UNLV career will be reminder enough of what can happen when you stray from the path.