Daniels going home but focus clearly on game

Steve Carp

Friday, Jan. 2, 1998 | 10:05 a.m.

Like most freshmen, Greedy Daniels is excited about going home, especially given the circumstances.

But when he and his UNLV teammates arrive in New Orleans today for Sunday's game with Tulane, Daniels said business, not pleasure, is the No. 1 priority.

"I'm just looking forward to beating Tulane," said Daniels. "If we win the game, then it was a great trip."

Daniels, who grew up in the 11th ward of the Irish Channel area of New Orleans, led Cohen High School to back-to-back Louisiana state titles. His brother Dinno is a senior at Cohen, which plays Saturday. But Daniels isn't sure if he'll have time to get over to his alma mater or do a lot of running around with his friends this weekend.

"They're playing Saturday, so maybe," he said of seeing his old high school team. "But I'll be with my teammates, so I'm not too concerned about hanging out."

More than likely, Daniels' family and friends will be the ones doing the commuting to the team's hotel and to the game with the Green Wave at Fogleman Arena.

"I don't know how much free time I'm going to have," he said. "But I'm just focusing on the game."

Daniels said leaving home wasn't a tough adjustment. He had followed Tulane since he knew what basketball was so had he elected to remain in New Orleans, he knew what awaited him.

But he sought to broaden his horizons and he doesn't regret the decision.

"I miss my mom and my family," he said. "But that's about it. I mean, yeah, you miss the little things like food and a home-cooked meal. But I've had the freedom for the last three years so I'm used to doing things on my own."

It's not only a homecoming for Daniels this weekend, assistant coach Glynn Cyprien was a neighbor of Daniels' in Irish Channel and between the two, they can expect a lot of visitors from home the next couple of days.

But Daniels won't allow himself to be distracted. This is an important game for him for several reasons, the biggest being his need to rebound from a struggling performance Tuesday against Nevada-Reno.

In his first start at point guard, Daniels had a rough go of it, playing 12 minutes and scoring just two points while committing four turnovers.

Coach Bill Bayno said Daniels will start Sunday and Daniels has put the game behind him and moved on to the Tulane contest.

"I grew up watching Tulane when they had LeVeldro Simmons, the Posse," he said. "I used to like it too. But now I've got my own posse and I'm bringing them with me."

Hoop du jour

* GREEN WAVE STRUGGLING: It has been an up and down season for Tulane, which comes into Sunday's game 5-6 after snapping a two-game losing streak with a 70-61 win Tuesday over North Carolina A&T. The Green Wave had lost five of its last six prior to beating A&T. ... Only one Tulane player is averaging double figures, 6-6 freshman swingman Byron Mouton, who leads the team with a 16.8 scoring average. ... Sunday's game is the back end of a home-and-home series which began last year when Tulane played in the inaugural Las Vegas Shootout. This is the third meeting between the two schools with the series tied at 1-1. UNLV is 19-3 vs. opponents from Conference USA. ... Because of the Tulane game, "Game Time with UNLV Hoops" will not air Sunday. The half-hour TV coaches' show featuring Bill Bayno returns at its regular time of 5:30 p.m. next Sunday on KLAS Channel 8.