Rebels can’t rely solely on Marion

Steve Carp

Thursday, Feb. 25, 1999 | 10:49 a.m.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- For UNLV's sake, the Rebels better hope Shawn Marion doesn't have a repeat performance of Monday's career-high 34-point, 21-rebound effort tonight at Moby Arena.

If Marion is a one-man gang, Bill Bayno's team will likely fall out of first place in the WAC Mountain Division, and Colorado State will lock up a spot in next week's conference tournament.

While Marion was undeniably magnificent against TCU, the rest of the Rebels weren't. Say what you want about open looks and opportunities, the fact is the shots didn't drop. And if they don't drop, it still means UNLV comes out on the short end.

Better for Marion to get his average of 19 points and nine rebounds and have his teammates contribute, especially Brian Keefe and Desmond Herod, the two players who spend the majority of the time at the shooting guard spot. When UNLV spreads the scoring around and gets a balanced effort, the Rebels are a much better team.

"It's true," UNLV coach Bill Bayno said. "We need to have balance and we need to start hitting shots and making our free throws."

Marion doesn't disagree. He's doing whatever he can to help the 15-10 Rebels get back on track after losing three of their last four. But he thinks it would be better for everyone if the other guys stepped it up.

"Everybody's got to come to play," he said.

Keefe, who is having a nightmarish conclusion to his collegiate career, agrees.

"It's not fair to have to ask Shawn and Kevin (Simmons) to do it all," he said. "The rest of us have to step up."

The 6-foot-4 senior is a combined 3-for-22 from the field in his last four games. It has been frustrating to say the least, because Keefe's shooting was one of the catalysts of last year's WAC championship run.

"You can't give up," he said. "You just have to stay with it and hope they start dropping."

Herod, the 6-5 freshman, has fared only slightly better of late. He was 4-of-7 in the loss to SMU and his 3-pointer against Tulsa was a key in that victory. But he was just 1-for-4 against TCU (0-for-3 from the 3-point arc).

Fortunately, Herod has played solid defense and has been helping on the boards. But if UNLV is going to beat Colorado State tonight and Wyoming Saturday, and hang on to first place, both Herod and Keefe need to start making shots. And Greedy Daniels, Mark Dickel and Donovan Stewart have to also lend a hand, be it from the floor or the foul line.

CSU coach Ritchie McKay said he will not forget about either Keefe or Herod while trying to slow Marion down. In the first meeting Jan. 30 at the Thomas & Mack Center, Marion went for 30 and UNLV barely held on, 80-77.

The other thing McKay's worried about is UNLV's sense of urgency. The Rebels, who are tenuously perched atop the Mountain Division at 8-4 with a one-game lead over Tulsa, Rice and SMU, must win one of their remaining two games if they want to secure a first-round bye in the WAC tournament.

"I'm very nervous about UNLV," he said. "They're wounded right now and that makes them dangerous. They know they need a win."

Bayno said he doesn't have to remind his players of the predicament they've put themselves in.

"We've got to play like caged animals," he said. "We're fighting for our lives."

Hoop du jour

This critical trip didn't get off to a good start as the team's flight to Denver was delayed for more than two hours because of fog in San Francisco. The Rebels practiced Wednesday night in Fort Collins, going straight from Denver to Moby Arena. When asked if the long day will affect the team tonight, Bayno said, "Not if we don't talk about it. We just need to get a good night's rest and we'll be OK." ... Look for Issiah Epps to start tonight and Greedy Daniels to come off the bench for defensive tempo. Bayno believes going small is more effective during the game rather than at the start. ... Since UNLV joined the WAC, Colorado State has held a 3-2 edge in the series. Overall, UNLV leads the Rams 10-3. ... Since being held to three points in the first meeting with UNLV, CSU's Andre McKanstry has averaged 15 points a game over the Rams' last fiv e.