Thursday, Dec. 28, 2000 | 10:25 a.m.
The Rebels have waited a year for Lou Kelly to catch up to the hype.
The race is on, and Kelly is charging hard on the backstretch.
By scoring a team-high 14 points in 20 minutes last Friday in a home victory over Pepperdine, Kelly finally made his first splash with the Rebels after being set back with two foot injuries.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard from San Bernardino, Calif., will probably see similar duty tonight when UNLV (5-5) plays Monmouth (6-2) at the Thomas & Mack Center. It will be the first time Kelly has played three straight games since his celebrated arrival last season.
Though he made his season debut last Monday against Alaska-Anchorage, scoring five points in eight minutes, Kelly's breakout game against Pepperdine gave Rebel fans their first meaningful look at his considerable skills.
It could not have happened at a better time, either. When Kelly was inserted in the first half, Pepperdine was in the midst of a 13-3 run for a 22-8 lead and boos were raining down. But Kelly quickly went to work, scoring 12 points to fuel a 19-7 spurt that got UNLV within two.
Kelly made two 3-pointers, four free throws and a one-handed bank shot from seven feet, the latter cutting the deficit to 29-27 with a minute left in the half.
"That was my first real game here, the first time I've been able to get some minutes and break a good sweat," Kelly said. "The longer I play, the better I play. Last year I only played a couple of minutes. This is the first time I'm really getting in there with my foot healthy."
Kelly's brief UNLV career has been full of twists and turns, almost none of them happy.
Last season, his transfer from L.A. City College (where he didn't play) was constantly delayed, and by the time Kelly became eligible in January, Rebel fans' curiosity had gradually developed into unfair expectations. The general vibe was: our savior has arrived.
But Kelly was out for the season soon after he debuted. He scored four points in 23 minutes in his first two games, but broke his right foot Jan. 17 at New Mexico. He underwent summer surgery after the foot was stubborn to heal.
While Kelly was playing into shape in training camp this season, he broke the same foot in a different place Nov. 13 and was shelved again, with a predicted return of Jan. 8. But Kelly beat that timetable by three weeks with his Dec. 18 debut against Alaska-Anchorage.
"He's ahead of where we thought he would be," coach Max Good said. "He's not ahead of the original plan, of course, but in view of the second injury, he's ahead."
Kelly says his running ability is back to 100 percent, but that his jumping isn't quite there yet. Against Pepperdine, he demonstrated that both facets are good enough to get him on the court.
With the score tied 46-46 with 8:30 to go, Kelly sprinted back after a turnover and blocked a dunk by Waves guard Brandon Armstrong. Though he fouled Armstrong, who hit both free throws, the play prevented a momentum-changing dunk and seemed to buoy the Rebels.
"Back in the day (pre-injury), he wouldn't even have gotten that high on me," Kelly said with a confident chuckle.
Good called Kelly's block the play of the game.
"Lou is a surprising shot-blocker, because he's got good timing and long arms," Good said. "When he gets in good physical shape, he might really help us in that regard."
But despite Good's eagerness to exploit Kelly's wide-ranging skills, he didn't hesitate to yank Kelly with a minute left when he tried a behind-the-back pass in traffic with UNLV leading by three. Good razzed him about it after the game, but the message was clear: no silly stuff.
"I want to contribute on both ends of the court," Kelly said. "But as long as we win, that is the only thing that matters."
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