Brotherson’s true grit is his greatest asset

Steve Addy

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2000 | 10:02 a.m.

If Rebels coach Bill Bayno didn't bail on Danny Brotherson after the Maui Invitational, he sure isn't going to bail now.

Bayno long ago decided that he'll gladly accept Brotherson's offensive shortcomings because of the assets he supplies at small forward, like defense, determination and fearlessness.

So even though Brotherson played poorly in three games in Maui two weeks ago, Bayno hasn't hesitated to leave him in the starting lineup.

And despite Brotherson's reach-in foul that cost the Rebels a victory Saturday at Oklahoma State, Bayno remains solidly in his corner.

After all, Brotherson was the Rebels' best player down the stretch, scoring their last six points in regulation, and they were rudderless in overtime after he fouled out.

Backup small forward Jermaine Lewis has become UNLV's No. 2 scorer with 14.2 points per game, but will likely remain a reserve as long as Brotherson keeps doing what he does best.

"Danny has been playing exactly the way I want him to play. That's why he is in there," Bayno said.

In three games in Maui, Brotherson was in nonstop foul trouble and couldn't get untracked. He started every game, but played only 44 minutes and piled up more fouls (11) than points (eight) or rebounds (seven).

Though Bayno conceded that Brotherson "wasn't there" for most of the Maui tournament, he said his confidence wasn't shaken in the 6-foot-4 senior from Bunkerville.

"Danny and I talked after Hawaii, so that there was no confusion about his role and what I needed from him," Bayno said. "He's been great since we got back from Maui. He's playing the way we need him to play."

Foul trouble continues to nag Brotherson -- he has 22 in 124 minutes -- but he was able to play over it in the last two games. Against Cal State Northridge, he had eight rebounds in 23 minutes. Against Oklahoma State, he had 12 points and five rebounds in 31 minutes.

Yes, he had five turnovers against the Cowboys, including an offensive foul that wiped out his tie-breaking layup with 2:03 left in regulation. But Bayno doesn't want to squelch Brotherson's aggressiveness, so he's willing to overlook errors of commission.

"Danny is struggling a little with the (tighter officiating), but I would rather have him foul out than change the way he plays," Bayno said. "He's got to get a feel for how the refs are calling it. But I'll trade a little foul trouble as long as he is giving us effort and energy."

Because of the loss, Brotherson wasn't buoyed by his effort against Oklahoma State. But the Rebels' rally from a 13-point deficit left him optimistic.

"I don't think it was just me," he said. "I think all of the guys decided at halftime that we had to come out and get some things done. We showed a lot of heart to come back like that."