Rebels are sitting pretty at midway point

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999 | 10:52 a.m.

Who's Left

The remaining games on the Rebels' schedule:

Saturday: -- at Air Force

Feb 13: -- at Rice

Feb 15: -- at Tulsa

Feb. 20: -- vs. SMU

Feb. 22: -- vs. TCU

Feb. 25: -- at Colorado State

Feb. 27: -- at Wyoming

You know things have to be going well for Bill Bayno to leave his cellular phone turned off. Even if it was only for a few hours.

But when his team is winning, playing well and sitting atop the WAC Mountain Division at 6-1 (13-7 overall), Bayno can afford to give himself and his players a couple of days off.

Bayno spent Super Bowl Sunday playing a round of uninterrupted golf with his dad, Joe, then heading over to the Mirage with friends to watch the Denver Broncos make it two straight Super Bowl titles.

So, how does it feel to be king? Even if the throne is precariously placed and could topple at any time?

"Being in first is where we want to be," Bayno said. "But we know we've got a lot of work ahead of us."

Save for a flat spot against Southern Methodist, it has been a very positive first half for UNLV. And even that bad game against SMU turned out to be a plus from Bayno's perspective.

"It made us understand how we play, where our mind set needs to be," he said of the 72-62 loss to the Mustangs on Jan. 21. "We were getting too comfortable and thinking we could just show up and win.

"It reinforced what we need to do to be successful."

The first half of conference play, UNLV's last in the WAC, saw a return to the unselfish play, hard-nosed, man-to-man defense and teamwork that sparked the Rebels to a strong second-half run last year, the WAC tournament championship and the school's first NCAA Tournament berth in seven years.

In virtually all six wins, UNLV didn't rely on just one person. It was a combination effort that got the Rebels to the finish line first, save Saturday's 80-77 win over Colorado State where Shawn Marion exploded for a career-high 30 points and 15 rebounds to carry his team.

But Bayno knows if Marion has to score 30 a night during the second half of WAC play, UNLV will not be as successful as it was the first time around.

"It was nice with other guys struggling to see Shawn step up," he said. "But for us to be successful night in and night out, we need everyone to contribute."

And that includes the bench.

UNLV's play from its reserves has been inconsistent. With five of the final seven games on the road, beginning Saturday at slumping Air Force, Bayno knows he has to get more reliable efforts from Greedy Daniels, Donovan Stewart, Issiah Epps and Desmond Herod.

"Our bench is going to be very important to us with each game we play," Bayno said. "Especially the road games. We need people to step up and make plays."

He knows the calls UNLV sometimes gets at the Thomas & Mack Center won't necessarily materialize away from home. That means the potential for more fouls and a need to give others minutes.

In UNLV's loss to SMU, it committed a season-high 24 fouls. That night, the bench provided just eight points.

But the starters have been the key to the recent run of good fortune that has seen the Rebels win nine of their last 10. Marion has been consistent since Day One and he's averaging 18 points and 8.6 rebounds.

However, the improved play of Kevin Simmons and Mark Dickel has provided the much-needed boost Bayno was looking for. They are this team's leaders and have taken on the responsibility that comes with being a leader.

"Kevin has made some major adjustments in his personal game to help the team," Bayno said. "He's stepped up his defense and his rebounding and he has sacrificed scoring to do the other things you need to do to win."

As for Dickel, Bayno couldn't be prouder of anyone in his program. The 6-2 junior from New Zealand leads the WAC in assists with 7.2 a game and had an incredible first half of conference play with 50 assists to just eight turnovers, while averaging seven points a game.

"Mark's just a tough-minded kid who loves the game," Bayno said. "He doesn't worry about what people think of him. He just goes out and competes every night and runs the team the way I want him to."

Two key wins stand out from the first half: One was the 73-55 trouncing of Tulsa at the T&M Jan. 16. The Golden Hurricane had the people to match up with UNLV's formidable front line of Marion, Simmons and Kaspars Kambala, but the Rebels completely dominated the head-to-head confrontation.

The other key win was at Texas Christian, an emotional game that had tempers rising. In the first minute, Dickel tried to grab the ball from TCU star Lee Nailon after Nailon turned it over, only to get socked in the face.

Nailon was ejected, but teammate Marquise Gainous stepped into the breach and scored a career-high 41 points. The Rebels, however, rallied in the second half, built a 14-point lead with just over four minutes to go, let that lead get away, and then wound up bouncing back to win in overtime, 95-88.

TCU, the preseason favorite to win the Mountain Division, has lost two more since to fall to 3-4. The rematch is Feb. 22 at the Thomas & Mack.

"The thing I liked about our first half was our resiliency," Bayno said. "There were times we fell behind, like against Rice, TCU and the other night against Colorado State, and we found ways to win.

"And for us to come back from the loss at SMU to win at TCU said a lot about our character."

So with his team ready to make the turn and play the back nine, Bayno said there's only one way to go at it -- one shot at a time.

"My only thoughts are about Air Force," he said. "I know I've said it a hundred times, but we're not going to get caught looking ahead. The next game is the most important one."

From Bayno's standpoint, it's the only way to become king. And to remain atop the throne.

Hoop du jour

Last week's wins over Wyoming and Colorado state gave UNLV a significant boost in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) poll. When Monday's numbers came out, the Rebels had jumped from 71 to 49. Actually, UNLV was 47 when Sunday's RPI list was posted. When told of his team's climb in the RPI, Bayno said, "It's nice to move up. But it doesn't mean a whole lot right now." ... After two days off, the team returned to practice today in the North Gym to begin preparations for Air Force. The Rebels leave Friday for Colorado Springs. ... There's a change in the schedule for the Rebel Athletic Club luncheons at the Si Redd Room. The fourth and final luncheon, originally scheduled for March 2, has been switched to Wednesday, Feb. 17 because of a conflict with the WAC tournament.