Rebels finally receive commitment from Kelly

Steve Carp

Monday, May 3, 1999 | 10:32 a.m.

For a while, it was looking like it was going to be basketball recruiting's answer to Al Capone's vault -- one big hoax.

Did Lou Kelly's national letter of intent to UNLV really exist? Every day, it was the same old song and dance -- it's in the mail -- when in fact, the paperwork for the San Bernardino Valley College freshman star was either at his house or coach Greg Winslow's office.

For almost three weeks, UNLV fans were wondering what was going on. Did the guy really sign with the Rebels? Or was he just leading everyone on and was this going to be an embarrassing disappointment for coach Bill Bayno?

Finally, the coveted letter arrived at the Thomas & Mack Center Friday afternoon. Kelly officially is the next great Rebel, ready to pick up where Shawn Marion left off.

"It was just a matter of making sure it was the right decision," Kelly said of why he procrastinated. "Once you sign the papers, there's no turning back.

"I talked it over with my family and they're behind me. So I put it in the mail."

It capped what may turn out to be a great weekend for the Rebels. Friday, Kenny Dye of Connors State (Okla.) College and Mike Garrett of Fresno City College visited UNLV and Bayno said Sunday he should hear something regarding their decisions in the next couple of days. Dye, a shooting guard, and Garrett, a point guard, would round out this recruiting class if both sign.

The Rebels did learn however that Verbum Dei point guard Marlon Parmer opted to go to New Mexico. Parmer made his decision official late Friday night on a Los Angeles radio talk show, so high school teammate Dalron Johnson will not have company at UNLV after all.

As for Jason Kapono, he's still figuring out what to do. But it appears he's not headed to UNLV. The 6-8 forward from Artesia High was said to be leaning toward Missouri over UNLV and Utah. But a report in Saturday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Kapono's wavering on that stance and Kentucky, which recently saw two players transfer, is suddenly in the picture along with Arizona, which has been make a strong late push for him.

But Kelly is the guy the Rebels really coveted. And what's good for UNLV is that it will have Kelly for three years. He did not play two years ago when he initially enrolled at Fresno City College (he left after one semester after not liking the environment) and he has built up his academic bank to where he can get his Associate in Arts degree this summer, so he can be eligible at UNLV.

Signing him was the big first step. And with his paperwork complete, the coaching staff can closely mointor his academic progress and work with him to see that he finishes up on time.

And now that the recruiting process is finished, the 6-foot-5 swingman said he's ready to be the go-to guy Bayno needs if this team is to make a serious run at an NCAA Tournament bid next March.

"I'm used to having the ball and making the big shots," said Kelly, who averaged 25.8 points per game this year at SBVC. "In high school, that was my job. I was scoring 40 a game (at Cajon High School). Here at San Bernardino, they wanted me to score."

The fact that Marion would not be back helped Kelly's decision to come to Las Vegas.

"I wanted to be in a situation where I was needed," he said. "I didn't want to be sitting and subbing for someone. So when they told me Shawn was leaving, that helped my decision."

And that's part of the reason why that paperwork stayed in California so long. The other part of the equation was the NCAA's current probe of the basketball program.

Everyone was telling Kelly UNLV was dead meat, that the Rebels were going to be barred from the Big Dance and why would he play for a school that couldn't go to the NCAA Tournament?

Arizona was pursuing him hard. Southern California was really after him. So was Utah State. They didn't have NCAA investigations into their programs and they told him so.

Bayno repeatedly assured Kelly all would be well. But Kelly wanted a second opinion.

Enter UNLV president Dr. Carol Harter.

Harter spoke to Kelly last week to assure him that what Bayno was saying was the truth. Kelly figured a president of a university wouldn't lie.

"That helped put my mind at ease when the president called me and told me what's really going on," he said. "I believed her."

Then it was just a matter of convincing his family, especially his mother. Once he got her blessing, he was headed to Las Vegas.

"It's a good situation for my family because it's only a 2-3 hour drive or a short flight from L.A.," he said. "I want them to be able to see me play. That's important to me."

It also was important that Kelly had no qualms once he signed that letter of intent. That's what ultimately took so long for him to put the pen to the paper.

So just what kind of player is UNLV getting?

Kelly is someone who can score from inside or long distance. He can run the floor, finish off chances and put pressure on opposing defenses.

Bayno wants to hold off on commenting on Kelly until after recruiting ends on the 15th, at which time he'll address the entire class of 1999. But you can bet he's going to make some adjustments in the way UNLV plays to accommodate Kelly's talents.

"Coach Bayno recruited me to play my game, so I don't think I'm going to change a lot of what I do," Kelly said.

And he is looking forward to getting out to Las Vegas in late July. But first, there is an important matter to take care of. He must still get his degree from San Bernardino Valley and he is eight credits shy, assuming he passes everything in the spring semester.

Without it, he cannot play at UNLV. A worst-case scenario would have him finish up in the fall and be eligibile in mid-December.