Shawn is gone, but life goes on for Rebels basketball team

Steve Carp

Monday, April 26, 1999 | 10:19 a.m.

When news that Shawn Marion wasn't returning to UNLV for his senior season leaked out last week, the public response was as predictable as the Boston Red Sox fading from the pennant race.

The phone calls and the e-mails all had a "sky-is-falling" feel: Without Marion, this team is doomed for failure. Who's going to score? Who's going to rebound? Who is going to lead this team in its first year in the Mountain West Conference?

Throw in that Greedy Daniels and Desmond Herod already had opted to transfer, redshirt freshman Matt Siebrandt likely is preparing to do the same (he wants to go to a junior college to jump start his basketball career) and walk-on Eugene Brennan has decided to head back East. Add the departure of seniors Kevin Simmons and Brian Keefe, and that list of a half-dozen or so Rebels flying Bill Bayno's coop which had been predicted at season's end is becoming reality.

And factor in that during the fall signing period and the first three weeks of the spring signing period UNLV has added just two players -- JC guard Trevor Diggs and high school senior forward Dalron Johnson.

So is it little wonder Rebel fans are acting like Chicken Little?

But before anyone loses their head over the latest developments, keep one thing in mind -- this is late April, not late November. A lot can happen between now and then. And Bayno promises a lot will. He just doesn't want to talk about it, for fear his already-damaged recruiting ship may take on more water in light of the NCAA's current probe of the program and that other schools will use it against the Rebels.

Granted, if the season started today, UNLV would be in big trouble. Not having Marion is going to hurt, no matter what happens. He was the most talented basketball player to wear a red and white uniform since J.R. Rider in 1993. Replacing him will not be easy.

But Bayno knew going in he might only have Marion for a year, so he better have a plan in place to replace the 18.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 54 blocked shots, 73 steals, 73-percent shooting from the foul line and 53-percent shooting from the floor.

More important, he better find a way to have some of Marion's unselfish play and desire to win rub off on those who remain and those coming in. In this case, the intangibles may be more important to the program's success than finding someone who can score 20 a game.

Marion made it official last Friday, announcing he was going pro. His reason? "I felt in my heart it was time."

With Marion, the Rebels still were going to be competitive in the new league. He would have been the morning-line favorite for Mountain West Player of the Year honors.

Without him, UNLV is a rudderless ship. Right now, there is no go-to guy to hit the big shot. At the moment, the Rebels are probably the fifth- or sixth-best team in the Mountain West. There are question marks galore.

Center Kaspars Kambala slowly is rehabbing his right knee and the goal is to get him ready by mid-October when practice starts. The junior-to-be's injury in February was more serious than anyone believed and his progress has not been swift.

But again, the season doesn't start tonight, so time is on Kambala's side. However, until he proves he's all the way back, that will be a question mark. Issiah Epps is going to find himself getting more minutes in what will be his final season. Is he ready to take on the added burden?

Mark Dickel wore down as the season went on. But as the point guard from New Zealand heads for what will be his senior season, he will find himself getting help from Diggs, who played the point in high school but wasn't neded at that spot at Kilgore (Texas) College.

If Dickel is limited to 20-25 minutes a night, he will be effective -- just as he was when he played his best basketball midway through the season.

As for the other returnees, both Donovan Stewart and Chris Richardson are going to get a full shot to grab some of Marion's minutes at wing forward.

When Stewart's confidence is high, he's an effective player. Richardson flashed some of his natural ability in those all-too-infrequent forays on the court. He came back knowing Marion wouldn't be here and he's playing the percentages that Bayno will give him a real chance to be a regular.

Nobody really knows what these two guys can do given starter's status. So it's premature to write off either Stewart or Richardson. What is known is that both have been working hard in the gym the past few weeks and their attitude has improved, especially Richardson's. Those can only be seen as positive signs.

And don't forget, former Durango High star Ra'oof Sadat will be eligible although the 6-foot-9 junior-to-be also is bouncing back from knee surgery. He has the ability to play at this level and he's hungry. Do not discount that he'll be a contributor. The 6-8 Johnson also may get a chance to step in as a freshman.

So where does that leave things? It all will center on these next three weeks as the spring signing period comes to a close. If the Rebels are able to bring in some talent, they will be competitive. If they don't, it's going to be a long season. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

Word is Lou Kelly finally signed his UNLV national letter of intent. Assuming it gets here from San Bernardino Valley (Calif.) College, the Rebels will have gone a long way toward addressing Marion's departure. The 6-5 Kelly is a shooter and he's a scorer. There's a distinct difference between the two, and it's rare you have a player who excels at both skills.

Wayland White and Trevor Parmer visited over the weekend and supposedly the visits went well. White, a 6-6 forward from Iowa Western CC, would give the Rebels added toughness on the floor. The 6-2 Parmer, who plays with Johnson at Verbum Dei High, is a talented ballhandler with a good shooting touch. If UNLV gets one or both to sign, that improves things.

And Jason Kapono still is considering UNLV despite all the rumors that he is Missouri-bound. The 6-8 star from Artesia High in Lakewood, Calif., may have seen Marion's departure as a chance to play right away, something he wants to do. He may or may not get that opportunity at Missouri. Plus, the kid seems to like Las Vegas.

Kapono is expected to finally announce his decision this weekend.

Those are the recruits everyone has read and heard about. What you don't know is that UNLV has also been courting three or four players on the sly. The reason is because every time a kid's name gets in the papers, other schools tell him UNLV's going on probation and won't be able to play in the NCAA Tournament.

It's bogus information being touted by the other schools. First, the NCAA investigation is going to be going on for a while so it will not affect this coming season. In fact, don't be surprised if this probe lasts a year or longer. The enforcement staff is shorthanded with the NCAA's pending move from Kansas City to Indianapolis and there simply aren't enough bodies to do all the required work.

And if you thought UNLV is the only school the NCAA has questions for, you're mistaken. There are look-sees in every part of the country, some major, some minor. But make no mistake about it, the enforcement staff is plenty busy.

Probation does not mean you don't get to play in the Big Dance. Probation means the NCAA has its eye on you and you better keep your nose clean. Sanctions are a different matter. If you are sanctioned to be banned from the NCAA Tournament, that means you're out.

Cincinnati and Louisville are both on probation, but neither was barred from the tourney, which is why both played this past year. Same with New Mexico State.

There's a huge difference between being put on probation or being sanctioned from playing in the Big Dance. UNLV is not even close to being at the sanction stage. As the NCAA itself said last month when the initial exploratory investigation began, it has some questions and is looking for some answers. That's where things are.

If and when the NCAA's committee on infractions gets involved, that's when you can start sweating and squirming.

That's why Bayno has gone underground with recruiting.

If he's blowing smoke and he doesn't have anyone lined up, he's going to get taken to task by media and fans alike. But word is the recruiting ploy is legitimate, that there are guys being talked to and once they sign, you'll find out about them.

It's not the best way to do business. There are a lot of fans who live for this recruiting stuff. One guy calls from Portland, Ore., just about every week, wanting to know what's up on the recruiting front.

So let's see how things pan out over the next three weeks before Bayno is graded on the future. In recruiting, you're going to win some battles and you'll lose a few. He got Diggs and it appears he got Kelly. He didn't get Danny Walker, who went to Nebraska; Jim Roban, who went to San Diego State; and Raitis Grafs, the 7-footer from Latvia who opted to go to Valparaiso.

That's how it goes. Every school goes through it. Guys stay, guys leave. It may sound simplistic but UNLV isn't the only school where players depart. Have you checked out Indiana over the years? Even mighty Duke lost Elton Brand and William Avery and likely will lose freshman star Corey Maggette. And Chris Burgess is likely to transfer. That's four guys.

Does that mean the Dookies are in total disarray? No one's comparing Duke and UNLV. It's just that UNLV's problems aren't unique. As the head coach, you assess the damage, you figure how to rebuild the house and you go about doing it.

That's what Bayno's attempting to do. He knew his house needed alteration. Just because it didn't happen in one day isn't reason to panic. Let's see how things look in November when the house is cast in a different light. It may look great. Or it may look just as bad as it did in late April.

Bayno knows he's on notice, that this town will not accept a repeat of last season. A 16-13 record and a trip to the NIT won't cut it. He claims it's unacceptable to him as well, and he said he accepts the responsibility of what happened and seeing that it doesn't happen again.

One thing is certain. Whether UNLV bounces back or not won't be from a lack of trying. Consider that a year ago at this time, Bayno was in Louisville, partying at the Kentucky Derby. When asked if he was going to the Derby this Saturday, Bayno shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "Too much work to do."

That in itself is a positive sign.

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