Columnist Dean Juipe: Bayno fired in stunning move today

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2000 | 10:45 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

Never in anyone's wildest dreams, or nightmares, was it expected that Bill Bayno would be fired -- as he was today -- as an outgrowth of the UNLV basketball program's troubles with the NCAA.

These were supposed to be minor violations. Slight transgressions. Mere pittances of mistakes of judgment.

The anticipated net result was that the NCAA would slap the Rebels' wrists, as it has certainly done before, and maybe throw a good scare into the coaching staff and administration.

The university was expected to take its medicine and move on.

Never, not once, was it believed Bayno would be fired. It just didn't seem the errors were that severe.

But he has been let go and the official announcement is scheduled for this afternoon.

It's shocking. Absolutely shocking.

And it's a dark day for UNLV, although Bayno's dismissal will certainly be trumpeted by some of the program's fans. His popularity has been in decline.

Having written just a day earlier that the coach was "on the hot seat" as the result of his team's shoddy and uneven play this season, particularly Saturday during a loss at Nevada-Reno, it still comes as a huge surprise to see him fired on such quick notice.

Truth is, no one in the media had a clue this was coming until this morning.

Interestingly, it can be hypothesized that most in the community will find it easier to accept Bayno's ouster simply because his team hasn't been playing too well. If the Rebels were 7-0 and sneaking up the top-25 poll, fans would be truly disappointed if not outraged.

But with the team 3-4 and spinning its wheels, the conclusion of the Bayno era is easier to tolerate. If he hadn't been fired today and if the Rebels had continued to play lousy all season, he was going to be fired anyway.

Left unclear is whether the NCAA will alter its imposed penalties on the Rebels now that Bayno is gone. The sanctions -- four years of probation is the big one, followed by a ban on postseason tournament play this season -- might, arguably, be reduced now that the university has taken the next step and sent its coaching packing.

The impact on the current team is bound to be interesting if not startling. Suddenly, the man who recruited them is out and assistant coach Max Good has been elevated to interim head coach.

The team could collapse or it could rally. Unfortunately, however, its first game under Good will be Saturday against 17th-ranked Cincinnati and the Bearcats will really take advantage of UNLV if the Rebels are in disarray.

Did Bayno deserve to be fired?

Apparently the answer is "yes" if university president Carol Harter -- who had been a supporter of his -- determined he needed to go.

But you know what? After seeing a quote from Bayno in the morning paper today in which he tried to justify his team's mediocre play by saying he couldn't attract quality recruits, that remark could stand as the last straw. His exact quote -- "It speaks to how hard it is to recruit here" -- was wrong at face value.

As has been proven in the past, there are talented young men out there who would love to play at UNLV.

Maybe the next coach won't scare them off.