Dye to transfer; shooting guard commits

Steve Addy

Wednesday, April 12, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

ROSTER REDUX

Changes to the Rebels' roster for next season:

COMING

GOING

The Rebels are losing a shooting guard with a bum shoulder, but gaining one with a broken foot.

It's a swap they were willing to make on the first day of the NCAA's spring signing period.

Kenny Dye, whose shoulder injury limited him to only five games this season, said he plans to transfer from UNLV to a Division II school where he will have two more years of eligibility.

But Dye's exit was quickly countered by an oral commitment from shooting guard Steve Scoggin, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound recruit from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. Scoggin had surgery last Tuesday to repair a stress fracture in his foot and will be in a cast for about a month.

Scoggin became the third member of UNLV's recruiting class, joining small forward Omari Pearson and point guard Lafonte Johnson, a twosome from Crispus Attucks Charter School in York, Pa. The Rebels hope to add another shooting guard and possibly a big man before the signing period ends May 15.

"I'd like to bring in another shooter-scorer," coach Bill Bayno said Tuesday.

NCAA rules prohibit Bayno from discussing specific recruits until they sign a letter of intent, but Scoggin and Johnson both said they'll sign with UNLV as soon as possible, likely this week.

Scoggin averaged 14 points, six assists and four rebounds at Mater Dei, one of the top programs in Southern California. He was hindered by the fractured foot most of the season. His injury is similar to the one that kept Lou Kelly out of the Rebels' lineup for the final two months.

"I'll be in a cast for three or four weeks," Scoggin said. "Coach Bayno wants me to be there around July 1 and I should be ready. I can't do any running for a while, but I can lift weights and shoot free throws."

Scoggin, who has played in various prep tournaments in Las Vegas, is a good 3-point shooter and solid ballhandler. He played point guard as a three-year starter at Mater Dei, but he will be a shooting guard at UNLV.

"They said I might play backup point guard, too," Scoggin said. "I know I'll have to earn my minutes as a freshman. I won't be mad if I'm not starting or anything like that."

Though Scoggin's only official recruiting trip was to UNLV, he also drew interest from Gonzaga, Utah and Clemson.

"I have been to Las Vegas a lot. I have relatives there. I really like the atmosphere there," he said.

Johnson (5-foot-10, 160) said Tuesday he was drawn to the Rebels by the prospect of being their primary ballhandler. Mark Dickel has played that role, but his eligibility is exhausted.

"I think I should be able to get a lot of playing time next year," said Johnson, who averaged 19 points and seven assists at Crispus Attucks, where he and Pearson led the team to victory in the national prep school invitational.

The optimism of Scoggin and Johnson is in stark contrast to Dye's brief, undistinguished Rebels career. He came to UNLV this season as one of the top junior college recruits in the nation, transferring from Connors State (Okla.) College, where he averaged 24.5 points as a sophomore.

But the 6-foot-2, 185 junior suffered a shoulder sprain against Princeton on Dec. 3 and did not play the rest of the season. He averaged 6.0 points and scored 15 against Fairfield on Nov. 21.

Reached for comment Tuesday night, Dye confirmed he is leaving UNLV and will transfer to a Division II school. He declined questions, but said, "I'm not sure where I'm going right now."

Bayno said he will help place Dye at a new school, with the likely landing spots being Kentucky Wesleyan, Life College (Ga.), Georgetown (Ky.) and Lincoln (Mo.). In Division II, Dye will have immediate eligibility and two seasons. If he went to a Division I school, he'd have to sit out one season, then have one year of eligibility.

"This was Kenny's decision. He came to me and said that he wanted to do it. I supported him," Bayno said. "Kenny had to do what's best for him. We are trying to find a place where he'll be able to get 20 shots a game and play 30 minutes. His injury here put him behind Trevor (Diggs), Danny (Brotherson) and Donovan (Stewart). It was hard for him."

Associate coach Glynn Cyprien said, "I'm sad Kenny's leaving, but I'm also happy he is going to find a situation that will better suit him. He's going to be a big-time player, but he needs minutes and he needs to be the No. 1 option in the offense."

Barring more scholarship juggling, the Rebels have one left to give; Vince Booker has been switched to a walk-on from a scholarship player. Bayno is recruiting swingmen Jermaine Lewis from Kilgore (Texas) JC and Immanuel McElroy, who averaged 20 points and eight rebounds at Tyler (Texas) JC. Lewis will visit UNLV this week. McElroy is visiting Cincinnati this weekend and UNLV next weekend.

* REBEL NOTES: Cyprien has yet to be interviewed for the Jacksonville (Ala.) State coaching job. The school formed a 13-member search committee, which meets for the first time Thursday, but it doesn't plan to hire anyone until month's end. Cyprien appears to be staying put.