Richardson to stay at UNLV; Herod headed to Seton Hall

Steve Carp

Wednesday, April 7, 1999 | 10:24 a.m.

You can put two rumors to rest regarding the future of Bill Bayno's UNLV basketball program.

Desmond Herod is leaving and Chris Richardson is staying. As for the zillion other rumors that seem to surround this team like stars in the galaxy, well, stay tuned.

Herod is headed to Seton Hall after receiving his release from UNLV. The 6-foot-3 freshman guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., wanted to get closer to home, and despite starting the last four games and averaging 15 minutes, 5.5 points and 1.3 rebounds, Herod didn't want to wage another battle for playing time.

"Hopefully, being close to home will be good for him and he'll have a great career," Bayno said of Herod, who was traveling back to Las Vegas Tuesday night and couldn't be reached for comment. "I wish him all the best.

"Des always had a smile on his face, a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm. I think if he accepts the coaching (of Tommy Amaker) at Seton Hall and works hard, he'll be successful. He's got a ton of potential."

Richardson met with Bayno Tuesday afternoon. It was agreed the 6-6 freshman from Corpus Christi, Texas, would make the necessary adjustments, both on and off the floor, to remain part of the team.

"We had a good talk and Chris is willing to accept his role and accept the coaching," Bayno said of Richardson, who appeared in 21 games but averaged fewer than seven minutes. "I think he can still help us. But a lot of it is up to Chris."

There were reports that Richardson was headed to the University of Texas and that he had spoken to Longhorns coach Rick Barnes about transferring. However, Richardson never asked for his release from UNLV, and Bayno said Richardson told him he had never talked to Barnes.

"That came from someone who thought they were representing Chris," Bayno said. "But Chris never talked to Rick Barnes."

There was some news to report from Texas Tuesday. It appears JC guard Trevor Diggs has changed his mind and will sign with UNLV today after all, and take his official visit next weekend. Diggs, a 6-3 guard from Kilgore College, was supposed to visit this weekend and sign after the visit.

Bayno said he was still planning on having Lou Kelly of San Bernardino Valley (Calif.) Community College and Danny Walker of Compton (Calif.) College visit this weekend.