Simmons covets his role as co-captain

Steve Carp

Friday, Oct. 16, 1998 | 11:09 a.m.

The rebound had come long and there was a scramble for the loose ball. The referee's whistle blew as time was running out.

Kevin Simmons expected the worst. And why shouldn't he? His career seemed to be marked by one bad break after another.

But maybe 18 months in Las Vegas taught him that sometimes the odds even out, if only for a brief while. So when the call went against Air Force's David Schuck with one second to go and Simmons dropped a pair of free throws to give UNLV a hard-fought 59-57 win, little did he realize that his life had turned the corner.

No longer would he be regarded as just another talented guy who wanted to make sure he got his stats. Suddenly, he was thrust into the role of team leader, someone who could be counted on.

Someone who could be trusted.

To Simmons, trust was just another word on a coin. It wasn't part of his lexicon. Bouncing around as a kid in Brooklyn, it was more like don't trust anyone.

From that cold night in Colorado Springs emerged a person who had earned the trust of his coaches and teammates and who, in turn, trusted them. His skepticism of others has been reduced to the size of a New York subway token.

"I think it was up to me to earn their trust," he said of his teammates and coaches. "I have to earn their respect."

Apparently, the 6-foot-8 senior who previously played at UC Irvine, has. Because when UNLV gathers in the North Gym at noon Saturday to begin fall practice for the 1998-99 season, Simmons will be on the floor as co-captain along with Brian Keefe.

"The captaincy is very important to me," he said.

"I remember as a kid watching Willis Reed with the Knicks and how when he was captain, everyone respected him. I see myself in that same role. Not that I'm Willis Reed or anything like that."

Coach Bill Bayno has watched Simmons grow up in the last 18 months and said making him co-captain was a no-brainer.

"Kevin may be my biggest source of pride in my coaching career," Bayno said. "He's been through so much. A lot of kids would have gone down the wrong road. But Kevin has shown a lot of fortitude.

"He's been the first to everything. He shows up early for his workouts. He's worked hard in the weight room. He's in the best shape of his life. And I think Kevin knows what a strong senior season can mean to his future."

The NBA is never far from Simmons' mind. But his proposed route to getting there is different from a lot of players.

"If we don't have a successful season, that other stuff won't matter," he said. "We need to win games. Stats aren't what's going to get you to the NBA. They want guys from successful programs.

"I want to do well. But if I do well and the team doesn't, what good is it?"

When his friends talk about the NBA, Simmons politely tunes them out.

"Right now, my focus is on having a great senior season," he said.

He says he's ready. Simmons spent the summer in Los Angeles, playing competitive ball in the gym against other collegians, lifting weights and running. He weighs 232 pounds and there's little body fat.

Most of all, his mind is where he says it needs to be. He says he has his priorities straight -- graduating next spring and finishing up strong on the court.

The lesson learned from his 14-game suspension last season (for accepting a free trip to Florida in 1997 from his friend, sports agent David Rodriguez) was a costly one.

"You're judged by the company you keep," Simmons said. "I made a bad decision. I trusted someone and it cost me. But the one good thing that came of that is hopefully I can tell these younger guys what to do if they ever are faced with a situation like I was."

He talks to freshmen Desmond Herod and Chris Richardson. He's never far from sophomore Greedy Daniels' ear. He has become good friends with prized recruit Shawn Marion in a short amount of time.

"This might be the best group of guys we've had here," he said. "If we can continue to do what we did at the end of last season, there's no reason we can't go back to the (NCAA) tournament and win a couple of games."

He averaged 11.5 points and 6.4 rebounds in 19 games. Starting with that Air Force game, where he scored 15 points, he was in double figures in 10 of his last 13 games, including a UNLV career-best 22 against Utah Feb. 23.

And in the NCAAs, he posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards against Princeton.

Now that he is a leader, Simmons said it's time to do just that.

"We have to set the tone from the first day," he said. "It's important we get the new guys on the same page and that we continue what we finished last year."

Practice schedule

For UNLV, there will be no Midnight Madness. Instead, the Rebels will work out for four straight days, beginning Saturday in the North Gym. Saturday's practice is from noon to 3 p.m., while Sunday's workout is 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, the team goes from 4:30-7:30 p.m. and Tuesday's practice is from 4-7 p.m. Practices are closed to the public. The first chance to see the team will be Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the UNLV Fan Jam at the Thomas & Mack Center. The team will hold its Scarlet and Gray scrimmage as well as a 3-point and slam dunk contest. The festivities get under way at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

New faces

You're probably familiar with Shawn Marion, Chris Richardson, Desmond Herod and Matt Siebrandt, UNLV's high-profile recruiting class. But there are two other newcomers -- Myron Piggie, a 6-0 freshman guard from Hargrave Military Academy, and Eugene Brennan, a 6-5 freshman forward from Rockaway, N.Y. Keith Long, a 6-foot guard from New Jersey who walked on last year before redshirting, also is back.