Will Bayno alter assistants?

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, March 3, 1998 | 9:45 a.m.

Despite the fact his basketball team has won six of its last eight games and is playing as well as it has all season, rumors persist that UNLV head coach Bill Bayno remains interested in altering his staff during the offseason.

It's said Bayno wants to add an "X's and O's" guy to augment assistant Dave Rice.

But to add a man means Bayno would have to subtract a man. Of the three remaining assistants, Glynn Cyprien appears safe. That leaves Barry Rohrssen, who could be looking elsewhere on his own, and Greg Vetrone, whose name was run through the muck by Sports Illustrated during its story on UNLV's botched recruitment of Lamar Odom.

The best guess is obvious, isn't it?

It's also a good guess that this week's Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center will outdraw last year's event at the same site. At least it should do better than last year -- when the average attendance was 8,776 and the championship game drew an unspectacular 10,101 -- simply because the league is stronger and the top teams (TCU, Utah and New Mexico) are very interesting. ... New Mexico, however, hasn't quite been the same since losing outside scoring threat Royce Olney to injury. ... The WAC certainly is a class league and it really tries to do everything right. Those who deal with the conference on a regular basis are appreciative. ... Former UNLV baseball coach Fred Dallimore was spotted over the weekend. He's recovering from knee surgery and is taking a one-year sabbatical from his job as pitching coach with Rochester (AAA) of the Baltimore Orioles' organization. ... No one goes to more on-campus sporting events at UNLV than head football coach Jeff Horton and his wife, Teri. It's a distinction they have held for several years.

The NCAA is going to "monitor" the practice of football players wearing bandanas this season and may legislate their removal by next year. The reason: gang connotations. ... The Madison Square Garden television network apparently is going to take back disgraced broadcaster Marv Albert in the near future. ... Salaries of current NBA players with Las Vegas ties: Larry Johnson, Knicks, $8,460,000; J.R. Rider, Blazers, $4,210,000; Brian Williams, Pistons, $4,060,000; Stacey Augmon, Blazers, $2,800,000; Armon Gilliam, Bucks, $2,750,000; Greg Anthony, Sonics, $272,250; and Kebu Stewart, 76ers, $242,000. ... Most overpaid NBA player: Horace Grant of Orlando at an almost embarrassing $14 million -- third in the league behind Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing. ... Speaking of big money, caddies at the exclusive Shadow Creek golf course are now allowed to accept tips. ... The NHL is considering an annual one-week break in play, a similar although shortened version of this season's 17-day break for the Olympics. ... NHL referees were told to start calling obstruction penalties, and, as anyone who has watched a game since play resumed knows, now they're calling everything.

Pro golfer John Daly on ESPN's Up Close show last week: "I once played Vegas (1991) and shot 21 under par and never was sober the entire tournament." ... UNLV basketball recruit Shawn Marion may not make it to Las Vegas. He's currently at Vincennes (Ind.) Junior College but is considering going pro even though he signed a letter of intent with the Rebels. The 6-7, 210-pound Marion has some similarities to Scottie Pippen, and he told Sports Illustrated last week "there's a big chance" he'll bypass UNLV and jump to the NBA. ... Pitchers with the Milwaukee Brewers are not only spending spring training getting their arms in shape, they're having to learn how to hit. The Brewers were switched during the offseason from the American to the National League, which, of course, does not have the designated hitter. Of the 13 pitchers on the Brewers' staff, only two have more than five career at-bats and the staff's collective batting average is a lowly .103. ... The NHL is within one of matching last season's total of 24 penalty shots. Thus far, shooters have made good on 12 of 23 chances. ... Nice to see PGA Tour veteran Mark Wiebe finish strong Sunday and take home $13,650 for coming in 29th in the Nissan Open in Los Angeles. He has been under a doctor's care for a malady that caused him to have shaking hands.

Did Utah coach Butch Goring plant the seed that resulted in Las Vegas Thunder coach Chris McSorley wondering about his job status last week? Word is Goring -- the former Thunder coach -- concocted the story and told a reporter McSorley was on the hot seat. One thing led to another until McSorley had to be reassured by the Thunder brass that he wasn't about to be replaced. ... Two rare white lion cubs donated to the Cincinnati Zoo by Las Vegas entertainers Siegfried & Roy have been "adopted" by Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott. She has already asked if the cubs can make a home-plate appearance on Opening Day. ... Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon became only the fourth player in NBA history to play his first 1,000 games with the same team when he reached that standard last week. The others: John Havlicek with Boston; and John Stockton and Karl Malone with Utah. ... While it will be summer in Australia when Sydney hosts the Summer Olympics in the year 2000, the actual dates are Sept. 15 to Oct. 1. ... Not to completely diminish the risk involved, but when Robbie Knievel jumped 230 feet last week outside the Tropicana hotel, he really was only jumping from one long platform to another. It wasn't particularly impressive.

DEAN JUIPE is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His office phone number is 259-4084. He can be reached on the Internet at juipe@lasvegassun.com