Kambala defends his image

Steve Addy

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

Kaspars Kambala wants to know what all the fuss is about.

He doesn't think he is playing badly.

He doesn't think he did anything wrong by having dinner with a banned Rebels booster.

And he is adamant that he did not threaten violence last week at a Green Valley pizza parlor.

But UNLV's senior center from Latvia says he is baffled by the perception that he has lost his game, his intensity, his common sense and, most recently, his temper during the stormy first two months of the Rebels' season.

"People are making statements like, 'What's wrong with Kas? What happened to Kas?' Well, nothing has happened," Kambala said Tuesday. "Come to the (arena) on Thursday (against Monmouth) and you'll see.

"I have had games where I didn't play my best, but I've also had games that were pretty nice. I'm still averaging the same points and rebounds I averaged last year. Nothing is going tremendously bad.

"I'm not happy with the way I've played, but I'm not panicking. Basketball is one thing in my life that I know how to do. I'm not going to let anybody say I don't know how to play."

Kambala is correct about his stats. He is averaging 18.3 points, similar to last year's 18.5, and his rebounding is up to 9.6 from last year's 9.3. He is shooting 60 percent from the field, up from 52.7, and 78.1 at the foul line, up from 69.9.

He has also played terrific at times, scoring 37 points against Louisville on Nov. 21, when he looked like the dominant player who was named a preseason John Wooden Award candidate.

But other numbers show that Kambala's game isn't on track 10 games into the season. Other than Louisville, his only other 20-point games have come against Division II teams (29 points vs. Chaminade, 28 vs. Alaska-Anchorage). He is averaging four fouls a game (with three DQs) and has a team-high 34 turnovers.

Constantly double-teamed in the low post, Kambala has been unsuccessful at passing back to the perimeter, often traveling or throwing the ball away. Forced shots have resulted in misses or offensive fouls.

Because of his struggles, the Rebels have had to alter their offense. They had planned to use a high-low offense incorporating Dalron Johnson, but that never worked. Since Max Good took over as coach three games ago, the ball doesn't have to touch Kambala's hands on every possession.

Good wants to keep the Rebels out of situations where it's Kambala pounding the ball in the low post and four guys standing around.

"We are trying to get Kas to attack the basket before the double-team," Good said. "Part of the problem is that Kas is so strong, he thinks he can take on two or three guys. With the way (the officials) are calling it, he's going to get a charging foul."

Kambala said, "If I'm one-on-one and I have the ball, I don't think too many people can stop me. I'm getting fewer touches, but it is not like I'm shooting a bad percentage. And I have not had as many turnovers lately."

In the past week, Kambala's biggest bobbles came off the court.

Last Wednesday, he ate dinner at Pumi, a Henderson restaurant, with Dr. David Chapman, the UNLV booster who played a key role in NCAA sanctions levied against the program two weeks ago. The Rebels were put on four years probation, banned from this year's postseason, and coach Bill Bayno was reassigned, largely because of improper benefits given by Chapman to ex-Rebels recruit Lamar Odom.

The NCAA ordered UNLV to disassociate Chapman as a booster for seven years, but president Dr. Carol Harter said she was banning him permanently.

After Kambala ate with Chapman last week, a university investigation determined that Kambala had not broken any NCAA rules because he paid for his own meal. But it didn't look good to many Rebels supporters -- the star player hanging out with a persona non grata booster.

Though Kambala initially apologized for the appearance of wrongdoing, he said he did not do anything improper.

"I've been here four years, and (Chapman) has never done anything to damage my eligibility or tried to persuade me to do anything," Kambala said. "He is not trying to represent me (as an agent). We've never had any conversations about that.

"He's a friend. It was just two guys having some sushi. You know, sometimes you say to someone, 'Hey, let's go to dinner sometime.' Well, it just came up like that. But I don't think (Chapman) is trying to damage anybody. He's banned, but he's not out to get anybody, not that I know of."

Attempts to reach Chapman were unsuccessful.

After the university investigated the dinner, compliance officer Eric Toliver declared Chapman off-limits to all of the Rebels. Good says any further contact will bring "severe suspensions."

"They laid that law down after the fact, and I have not had any contact with (Chapman) since then," Kambala said. "I don't have any problem with (following) school rules or NCAA rules."

Kambala also said he did not have a problem with authority during an incident Thursday night at a Round Table pizza parlor in Green Valley. An assistant manager called police, saying that Kambala was threatening violence after a disagreement over a pizza.

Kambala was not ticketed and the disturbance ended quickly, but he said media reports intimated that he tried to bully his way into a free pizza.

"The last two days, they tried to make a criminal out of me," he said. "In this pizza thing, I didn't do anything wrong or bad. There was no violence, no threats, nothing in that area. I didn't try to beat anybody up in a pizza joint."

Kambala said he feels he is being singled out, partly because he's such a recognizable figure around town. His picture is in the newspaper a lot, and his height and shaved head make him easily recognizable.

"I just want to live a normal life like everybody else," he said. "I want to go with my family and get a pizza, or go out and have some sushi. Next thing you know, I'll be going to the movies and they'll say I threw popcorn at people.

"People try to get you in trouble. It's like they sit there waiting for you to do something, just so they can be the first one to call in and report it. But nobody's going to call in with the good stuff. They're not going to call to say I helped an old lady carry her packages to her car at the post office."