Bayno: Academic woes led Daniels to enter draft

Steve Carp

Tuesday, May 25, 1999 | 10:28 a.m.

He was leaving UNLV, anyway. Now, it appears Greedy Daniels is leaving college basketball altogether in pursuit of a pro career.

The 6-foot sophomore guard from New Orleans was one of 39 players who declared themselves eligible for the June 30 NBA Draft in Washington, D.C. He joins former teammate Shawn Marion on that long list, which includes the likes of Rhode Island's Lamar Odom, Duke's Elton Brand, William Avery and Corey Maggette, Maryland's Steve Francis and UCLA's Baron Davis.

Daniels' decision raises several questions. Was he struggling in the classroom, which would have jeopardized his eligibility? Did Mississippi State, the school he planned on transferring to, opt not to offer him a scholarship? Does he need to make money now for personal reasons?

Daniels did not return phone calls seeking comment. But Rebels coach Bill Bayno said it was a combination of things that led to Daniels' decision.

"He's going through some personal stuff in his family that I don't want to get into," Bayno said. "He was also having some academic problems, so there was a question of his eligibility."

Mississippi State supposedly was still interested in Daniels, though it never officially offered him a spot. But even if MSU, or any other school, took Daniels, he still would have had to made up the work from UNLV in order to maintain his eligibility.

"I think he's frustrated," Bayno said. "Right now, he's dealing with a lot of things and he probably can't see any light at the end of the tunnel.

"I had a long talk with Greedy but he's made his decision. I just hope things work out for him."

Bayno said to the best of his knowledge, Daniels has not signed with an agent. If he has, he's through as a collegian. If he hasn't, he still can pull his name back up until a week before the draft.

bf * MARION'S AGENT: While Daniels may or may not have picked an agent, Shawn Marion apparently has settled on one, going with Dan Fegan of Los Angeles.

Fegan, who linked up with Marion approximately a week after Marion announced in late April he was turning pro, said he's looking forward to working with the 6-7 forward from North Chicago, Ill., who led the Rebels in five statistical categories this past season.

"Shawn's a special player," Fegan said. "He's a potential all-star at three (small forward) and a potential superstar at two (shooting guard). You're going to see a lot of interest in him (at the draft)."

* MAX STARTS IN JULY: Max Good will be joining Bayno's staff, but it won't be until July 1 at the earliest. The former Maine Central Institute coach will fill the vacancy left by Greg Vetrone, who won't be returning to UNLV. Bayno said he will not have an official announcement on Good for a while. Vetrone still is under contract to UNLV until the end of June and Bayno won't likely say anything until "Shoes" has left the school.

* NESBY TIES THE KNOT: Life is pretty good right now for former UNLV star Tyrone Nesby. He's coming off a solid rookie season in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers and he's expected to sign a long-term deal, either with the Clips or another NBA team.

And Nesby recently got married. He and longtime girlfriend Luanna Durden tied the knot May 9. The happy couple, who have a 6-month-old son, Tyrone III, will have a reception for family and friends Sunday at the Las Vegas Hilton.

"It's a nice life," Nesby said of the good things that have happened to him over the past few months, which included seeing his wife graduate from UNLV earlier this month. "It's what I always wanted. The best thing, though, is my son has a mother."

The Nesbys are building a home in Green Valley. Meanwhile, he is a free agent and his Dallas-based agent, George Bass, has had a lot of teams express interest in Nesby. One is the Clippers, who would like to lock him up long-term after he averaged 26 minutes, 10.1 points and 3.5 rebounds and led the team with 77 steals while playing in all 50 games.

"There's a lot of interest," Nesby said. "But I'm just going to keep myself in shape and let George handle it. But until the deal's done, you always worry."

* CAMP TIME: Registration is under way for the 1999 Bill Bayno Basketball School, which will have two day-camp sessions (June 21-24 and June 28-July 1) along with an overnight camp (July 25-29). The day camp is open to boys 7-17 and costs $195 per week. The overnight camp is for boys 10-17 and costs $310.

There will also be two high school team camp sessions -- June 18-20 and June 25-27. To register, call the basketball office at 895-3295.