Mountain West schools successful on recruiting trails

Steve Carp

Thursday, May 27, 1999 | 10:24 a.m.

Bill Bayno wasn't the only person who had a busy spring.

The UNLV coach had plenty of company as his Mountain West Conference colleagues retooled and restocked their basketball rosters in preparation for the league's inaugural season in November.

Some teams, such as Wyoming, were in pretty good shape and didn't need a lot. New Mexico and San Diego State brought in new coaches late in the recruiting game and grabbed what they could in the short time allowed. Brigham Young continued its rebuilding process while Utah tried to find someone to fill the huge void left by Andre Miller's departure.

In one respect, everyone has the same objective -- get the best players possible and as many as you can. But need plays a big part in recruiting. One team may need a point guard, another a center, still another, a perimeter shooter.

So how did the rest of the Mountain West do? Here's a team-by-team breakdown:

* UTAH: Rick Majerus knows no one individual is going to replace Miller, who is expected to go high in the lottery at next month's NBA Draft. But if Trent Whiting is as good as people say, Majerus won't be sweating it as much as you think.

Whiting, a 6-foot-1, 180 pound guard, averaged 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists at Snow College. The junior already has served his Mormon mission and his maturity will no doubt help him blend in right away.

"He is exactly the type of player we have had great success with," Majerus said. "I like his maturity, his work ethic, his commitment to basketball as well as his commitment to academics."

The Utes also beefed up their front line by signing 6-10 forward Lance Allred from Salt Lake City East High School and 6-5 forward Nick Jacobsen from Roseville (Minn.) High.

But the future really got brighter as Duke transfer Chris Burgess announced he was enrolling at the U. The 6-10 Burgess will have to sit out a year. But upon his return he figures to be one of Utah's best players, playing power forward for the Utes instead of center, where he played at Duke.

* NEW MEXICO: Fran Fraschilla didn't have a lot of time when he took over for Dave Bliss in early April. He convinced two kids UNLV was recruiting -- Marlon Parmer and Wayland White -- that they'd be better off in Albuquerque than Las Vegas.

Parmer, a 6-2 point guard from Verbum Dei High, will provide quality depth for sophomore point man John Robinson. The 6-6 White, who starred at Iowa Western Community College, will pick up some of the rebounding slack left by Kenny Thomas' departure.

New Mexico had received earlier commitments from two other big men -- 6-9 Rafael Berumen from Simi Valley High School and R.T. Guinn, a 6-9 forward from Valley High in Albuquerque.

But Fraschilla's biggest coup was something he really didn't have a lot to do with, that being Lamont Long's decision to pass on the NBA and return to school for his senior year. The team's leading scorer decided to withdraw his name after seeing the flood of players who opted to declare early.

"I've never been one -- and I have signed some very good recruiting classes -- to talk about recruiting classes. Because I know until they get on the court, they haven't really done anything," Fraschilla said. "However, I'm excited about the fact that it's a solid group and potentially, a very good group.

"We've got a good mix of perimeter and inside guys and we've built some depth for ourselves. That was important."

* COLORADO STATE: People found out last year that Ritchie McKay can coach. This year, they're learning he can recruit a little, too.

McKay came in late a year ago after Stew Morrill bolted for Utah State, so he didn't have time to show what he could do as a recruiter. But with a full year to run at it, McKay did pretty well.

His main objectives were to replace his stellar backcourt of Milt Palacio and Andre McKanstry while getting some size up front to help Ceedric Goodwyn. The Rams have a good mix of incoming freshmen, junior college guys and Division I transfers, which should make them competitive from the get-go.

The backcourt was addressed with Ron Grady, a 6-3 shooting guard who played at Oregon State; Aki Palmer, a 5-10 point guard who came from Eastern Wyoming JC via Northern Arizona; and 6-1 Derrick Mansell, who starred at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif., coming on board.

Up front, 6-4 swingman Andy Birley was a standout prep player at Battle Ground High in Vancouver, Wash., as was 6-9 Brian Green, at Horizon High in Thornton, Colo. Both signed early in November to get the recruiting ball rolling. R'Cell Harris, a 6-8 leaper from West Valley (Calif.) College, should help Goodwyn with the scoring and rebounding.

* WYOMING: The Cowboys have virtually everyone back. As long as they can stay injury-free, Steve McClain's team is going to contend in the Mountain West.

McClain's lineup of Ugo Udezue, LeDarion Jones, Josh Davis, Chris McMillian and Anthony Blakes figures to stay intact. So McClain basically recruited for depth. He's looking for a little more help on the perimeter and in the backcourt.

Aaron Abrams averaged 20 points and eight rebounds at Rancho Buena Vista High in San Diego. The 6-foot-4 swingman plays hard and should fit in nicely with the Cowboys.

Wyoming also signed the state's leading scorer, Cheyenne East's Marc Bailey, who averaged 28.4 points, shot 53 percent from 3-point range and led his team to third place in the state tournament.

"He has all the traits -- he's athletic, he can shoot, and the trait I love the best, he grew up wanting to play at the University of Wyoming," McClain said of Bailey, whose father and uncle played for the Pokes.

* BRIGHAM YOUNG: Steve Cleveland continues to go back to his Fresno City College roots. This time, he's bringing 6-foot-3 guard Terrell Lyday, who led Fresno City in scoring, averaging 17.5 points. He also shot 42 percent from 3-point land, which should fit right in with the rest of the Cougars, who love to bomb away from the arc.

The Cougars also are boasting they signed the best high school point guard in the state of Utah in Orem's Shawn Opunui. He was a 91-percent shooter from the foul line and averaged 21.7 points and 6.2 assists.

Opunui will play as a freshman, then go on his two-year Mormon mission.

"We're excited Shawn will be part of our program next season," Cleveland said. "He is a true point guard who has great court vision and outstanding passing skills. He can push the ball, break down defenses and I love Shawn's passion for the game and his work ethic."

* SAN DIEGO STATE: Like Fraschilla, Steve Fisher didn't have a great deal of time to try to revamp a roster that is in desperate need of an overhaul. The Aztecs need a lot of things, beginning with scoring.

Perhaps former Bishop Gorman star Jim Roban will provide that.

Roban opted for San Diego State over UNLV and averaged 14 points a game at Dixie College in St. George, Utah. He'll get the chance to step in and start, which had a lot to do with his decision to attend SDSU.

Fisher also signed a point guard, 5-10 Bradley Jackson of Inglewood (Calif.) High and Bridgeton Academy in Maine. He averaged 15 points and six assists and like Roban, has an excellent opportunity of starting right away.

San Diego State signed forwards Michael Marion of Eastern Utah College and Eric Rowher of Burbank High in November. They also figure to get a long look.

"We're going to get it done," Fisher said. "It may take some time -- how long, I don't know. But we'll definitely get it done here."

* AIR FORCE: The Falcons don't release their recruiting list until July and virtually everyone Reggie Minton signs will play either junior varsity or for the Academy's prep school.