UNLV to appeal basketball postseason ban

Steve Addy

Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000 | 9:20 a.m.

UNLV has decided to appeal the basketball postseason ban handed down by the NCAA in the school's infractions case.

The university was put on four years probation and banned from postseason play this season in the sanctions levied Tuesday. But UNLV believes the ban is "unduly harsh" toward this year's team, particularly its six seniors.

Barring a successful appeal, UNLV is also prohibited by the Mountain West Conference from playing in the MWC tournament March 8-10 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"We believe the postseason ban is unduly harsh (toward) our current student-athletes, who have nothing to do with any of this," UNLV president Dr. Carol Harter said. "They are, in fact, innocent victims of this situation. They were not part of this case."

"Our current (players) had no involvement in the violations that occurred," athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro said.

The school isn't appealing the findings of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, only the ban on postseason play. UNLV will base its appeal on the fact that ex-recruit Lamar Odom, the central figure in the allegations, never played for the Rebels.

Odom was the recipient of cash and improper benefits from booster David Chapman.

"We feel the lack of consideration of the fact we received no competitive advantage (from Odom's recruitment) warrants an appeal," Cavagnaro said. "Since we withdrew the scholarship from (Odom) prior to his full-time enrollment, we received no competitive advantage."

The deadline to file the appeal had been Dec. 27, but now the university says it will have until Jan. 15.

In the aftermath of the sanctions, UNLV fired head coach Bill Bayno and replaced him with assistant Max Good. The Rebels (3-4) host 17th-ranked Cincinnati (4-2) at 9 p.m. Saturday in the Las Vegas Showdown (ESPN).