Bayno likes what he sees in Epps

Steve Carp

Friday, Jan. 9, 1998 | 12:59 p.m.

When he looks at his four first-year players, UNLV coach Bill Bayno can point to each and have plenty to talk about.

He will tell you how pleased he is with Kaspars Kambala's ability to dominate offensively. He loves Greedy Daniels' competitiveness. He couldn't be happier with Donovan Stewart's consistency.

But his biggest smile comes when you mention the enormous progress Issiah Epps has made in his brief stint as a collegian.

Epps, the 6-foot-10 center who had to sit out the last year and a half while trying to become academically eligible, has made great strides in just six games. He has played solid defense and his offense has caught up, to where he is averaging nearly seven points in a reserve role.

And if teams think they're catching a breather when Epps subs for Kambala or Keon Clark, they're finding out quickly that isn't the case. When Air Force comes to the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday for UNLV's WAC opener, the Falcons will learn there is little dropoff when Bayno brings Epps off the bench.

"Issiah is our best defender, period," Bayno said. "He contests every pass. He challenges shots and he helps out everywhere."

In addition, Epps leads the team in blocked shots with 15 even though he has only appeared in six games. He's also the third-leading rebounder with a 6.5 average. And he's doing it playing an average of fewer than 20 minutes a game.

Bayno, who was Epps' staunchest supporter while the sophomore from Kingstree, S.C., was waiting to return to the court, always believed Epps could defend. But the offense he is providing has been the real surprise.

"The thing is, Issiah wasn't an offensive player in high school," Bayno said. "His coach (Max Good) would get upset with him because he refused to shoot. Here, he's being active on offense even though we don't run a lot of plays for him."

Epps said it was a matter of getting comfortable with his new teammates and learning the system. Because he was a partial (academic) qualifier, he wasn't allowed to practice with the team until the middle of December.

When you add he is trying to rebound from back surgery a year ago and has been dealing with some pain the past couple of weeks, it makes his performance even more remarkable.

"What he has done is unbelievable," Bayno said. "What Issiah has done, very few kids can do."

Hoop du jour

* LETDOWN WORRIES: Even though UNLV has picked up some momentum with the return of Keon Clark, coach Bill Bayno is concerned about a letdown Saturday against Air Force, which despite its 7-4 record, is considered one of the weak sisters in the WAC. "They're going to bang and screen," Bayno said of the Falcons, who are averaging 80 points a game. "It can't be another Irvine (a team the Rebels struggled with earlier this year). That's what I'm afraid of." ... UNLV leads the series with the Falcons, 4-1. The Rebels swept last year's set, winning 72-59 at Colorado Springs and 87-72 at the Thomas & Mack. ... The Falcons come to town on an up note, having defeated Wofford 59-51 Wednesday behind Jarmica Reese's 22 points.

* RPI BOOST: The latest Ratings Percentage Index figures are out and UNLV's win over Tulane Sunday helped boost the Rebels from 87th to 65th. Hawaii remains the WAC's top RPI team as the Rainbows are ninth. New Mexico, despite beating TCU handily dropped from 24th to 33rd. Utah, the nation's No. 3 team in the polls, slipped even further to 90th from 57. Air Force, Saturday's opponent, is No. 242, the worst among the WAC's 16 teams.