Vetrone on his way out at UNLV

Steve Carp

Thursday, April 29, 1999 | 10:44 a.m.

As the rumors heat up that he's leaving, UNLV assistant basketball coach Greg Vetrone quietly goes about his business of deciding what his future will be.

And that's the way he would like it to be -- quiet.

The man known as "Shoes" hasn't walked yet. But it's no secret the 37-year-old New Yorker is looking to move to a program closer to his family back East. However, he has not yet landed a job and coach Bill Bayno made it clear that while a change is likely, Vetrone remains on the job at UNLV.

"Nothing's official at this point," Bayno said Wednesday. "When it happens, you'll know."

Steve Stein, Vetrone's attorney, said it's unlikely Vetrone will be in Las Vegas next season. "It's my understanding he's not planning on being back at UNLV," Stein said.

Vetrone had a major role in the recruitment of Lamar Odom, who signed with UNLV in 1997 but never played here after the NCAA questioned the validity of his standardized test score.

After refusing to cooperate with UNLV officials during their in-house investigation into the matter, Odom asked for and received his release from his letter of intent in late July that year and eventually enrolled at Rhode Island.

A story in Sports Illustrated a few weeks before Odom's departure alleged that Vetrone was part of a scheme to rig SAT and ACT scores for incoming freshmen. Vetrone denied the magazine's allegations and subsequently was cleared of any wrongdoing by the NCAA.

However, part of the NCAA's current investigation into the UNLV basketball program concerns the school's recruitment of Odom. Vetrone spoke to the enforcement staff members last month when they visited Las Vegas as part of the preliminary inquiry.

Bayno said Vetrone decided a few months ago to pursue another job.

"It's a decision he made midway through the season," Bayno said. "He has to do what's best for him and his family."

Vetrone was in New York Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

If Vetrone does leave, Bayno is hoping to bring veteran coach Max Good on board to join associate head coach Glynn Cyprien and assistant Dave Rice. Good, 58, has been the head coach at Maine Central Institute for the past 12 years. He and Bayno are very close, going back to Bayno's days as an assistant at Massachusetts.