No rap against Dye

Victoria Sun

Tuesday, Nov. 23, 1999 | 10:25 a.m.

Rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg has corn rows. So does UNLV basketball player Kenny Dye.

Dye looks enough like the boastful rapper that folks in his hometown of Arlington, Tenn., often call him Snoop.

But that's where the similarities end.

Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, writes songs detailing his exploits with women and his self-perceived dominance in the rap game ending.

Dye, one of the top five junior college prospects in the country, who averaged 24.5 points a game at Connors State last season, says he doesn't enjoy the attention that goes along with being a collegiate athlete.

He did offer that there are numerous perks about attending UNLV.

"I'm happy here," Dye said. "The players who didn't go to junior college, they don't know what it's like.

"Going to junior college, it makes you respect this right here," he said of the Thomas & Mack Center. "You appreciate everything because in junior college, you don't get as much."

At Connors State, Dye said he "never" liked talking about himself and didn't oblige the local media unless he was forced.

Luckily for the writers, his exploits on the court were enough to fill up a good chunk of space and fill up the family scrapbook.

"Yeah, I read them," Dye said of the articles. "But I mean you don't let that get to you because you know, most people's heads swell up.

"All that recognition, that don't mean nothing if you don't produce. They (my family) all collect it. It's big to them, but it's nothing big to me. I'm just happy I'm making it."

If Dye continues to improve the way UNLV head coach Bill Bayno says he has since the start of practice, he better get used to the attention.

During the Rebels' 92-68 victory over Fairfield on Sunday night, Dye scored 15 points, had three rebounds and dished out four assists.

In the Rebels' season-opener against Mississippi Valley State on Friday, Dye made only 2-of-6 shots en route to seven points, but when Bayno challenged him to help out on defense, he responded with some key rebounds.

Because Dye's roommate Trevor Diggs is a prolific scorer who adds some firepower to the Rebels' lineup, Bayno has asked Dye to focus on other parts of his game to help the team. And Bayno is pleased with the results so far.

"Kenny came here with the right attitude," Bayno said. "He came here willing to learn and willing to work.

"He's been unselfish and accepted his role coming off the bench helping us win. He's given us great minutes every night and he's gotten better from game to to game."

It wasn't easy for Dye to abandon his "score first, think later" mentality that he thrived on most of his life.

Once he did, however, he says he realized that he's on his way to becoming a more complete player.

"When I first got out here, I was just looking to score and shoot a lot," Dye admitted. "But you know, now I learned to be a good player, you have to be a defensive and offensive player.

"I try to go up against Trevor every day because I know he's a good player. I know one-on-one, I feel if I can hold Trevor than I can hold anybody because he's a tough offensive player."

* DICKEL DAZZLES: UNLV point guard Mark Dickel, a senior from Dunedin, New Zealand, was named the first Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday after leading the Rebels to a 2-0 start.

Dickel recorded the first MWC triple-double Friday with 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in UNLV's 99-73 victory over Mississippi Valley State in the opener.