Kevin Simmons is anxious to make UNLV debut

Steve Carp

Friday, Jan. 16, 1998 | 11:55 a.m.

In a season where a third of UNLV's basketball team has played the waiting game, no one has waited longer than Kevin Simmons.

He last played in a game in March of 1996, when he and his UC Irvine teammates were being bounced from the Big West tournament by San Jose State. Since then, the 6-foot-8 junior power forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., has transferred to UNLV, sat out the mandatory year, took a trip to Florida last March which was financed by a longtime friend, David Rodriguez, -- who happened to be a sports agent -- and got busted for the first 14 games of this season by the NCAA.

That's a long time away from basketball. And a lot of time to think.

What Simmons thought was that maybe it was time to put his trust in someone who truly had his best interests at heart. He found that someone in Rebels coach Bill Bayno, who has stood solidly behind Simmons through his year and a half wait, and has encouraged him to raise his game, his work habits and helped him mature.

So when Simmons finally makes his UNLV debut Saturday against Texas-El Paso, he will do so with peace of mind and a feeling of being loved and wanted.

"I personally think I have to prove I can stll play," Simmons said. "I've been through a lot of stuff. But if we have a good year and go to the (NCAA) tournament, it would take some of the load off it."

Before Simmons could focus on basketball, he needed to focus on himself. When he left Irvine in '96 to join assistant Greg Vetrone at UNLV, he knew he'd have to wait a year to play. That was tough enough. But at least he could deal with it, because he knew his time was coming.

The NCAA suspension was another matter. He felt betrayed by Rodriguez, who along with Mark Nejame, paid for Simmons and Keon Clark to come to Orlando during spring break late last March.

When Bayno learned of the trip, he called the players back to Las Vegas. The school reported the violation and the NCAA meted out its punishment. Simmons would miss half the season and Clark 11 games.

Clark returned Jan. 4 and has looked like his former self. That is encouraging to Simmons, who had to wait another two weeks to join his friend on the court.

"It really hit me when Keon came back," Simmons said. "I realized my time was coming."

But what about that newfound trust?

"Growing up in New York, it's tough to trust anybody," Simmons said. "At one point, I had to trust somebody."

That somebody was Bayno. Simmons already had a close bond with Vetrone, who had known Simmons since the player was 8 years old. But Vetrone said it was important that Simmons and Bayno connected.

"Coach Bayno, being the head coach, sets the tone for the program," Vetrone said. "And when Kevin trusted Coach Bayno, that Coach Bayno had his best interests as heart -- not just in basketball, but as a person -- everything changed.

"He worked harder than he ever has. You can't even compare what he has done here to what he did at Irvine. He's at a level now where his leadership, his attitude and his willingness to work is unbelievable."

Bayno said: "I think Kevin realized we're there for him. But he deserves the credit. He's worked so hard to get better and it has been a gradual progression. But I'm really proud of what he has done."

Bayno has said on more than one occasion that Simmons and Clark have consistently been UNLV's best players in practice and Simmons' improvement will be noticeable right away.

"I think Kev's really matured," Bayno said. "The incident (in Florida) really helped him. It opened his eyes to what's out there, who he can trust, who he can't trust.

"But he also learned how important basketball is to him. He has embraced how important practicing hard is to his future."

Simmons said by treating practice as a game, he raised his intensity level.

"I trusted Coach Bayno and Shoes (Vetrone)," he said. "I knew the hard work would make me a better player. All those practices going up and down, I treated it like it was a game."

Now that he's ready to return to the game, Simmons said he's not going to rush things. He just wants to fit in with his teammates.

"Sitting on the bench, you learn a lot about how he coaches," Simmons said of Bayno. "I've been watching him for two years now, so I know when I come in I can't force shots, I have to play defense and I have to be unselfish. Otherwise, he's going to sit me down and I'll be back where I started.

"I think I can help with the scoring and rebounding and defending against bigger guys and I'll look to pass the ball. But I'm not worried about where I play. I'm just comfortable playing anywhere."

Bayno said: "The pressure on Kev isn't to play great, it's to play hard and play unselfish. That's all I'm asking of him."

Height: 6-foot-8

Weight: 230 lbs.

Home: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Honors: Big West Conference Freshman of the Year (1994-95 at UC Irvine)

Simmons says: "Growing up in New York, it's tough to trust anybody."