UNLV halts recruitment of Brunner

Steve Addy

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2000 | 9:31 a.m.

UNLV is strongly pursuing a handful of point guard prospects and hopes to sign two, but former Fresno State problem child Kenny Brunner almost certainly won't be one of them.

Basketball recruiting sources said that the Rebels have scouted Brunner at College of Southern Idaho, but he was suspended indefinitely by the school last week, which will likely end UNLV's pursuit. An undisclosed violation of team rules brought on the suspension.

Instead, having already signed small forward Omari Pearson from Indianapolis in November, the Rebels are said to be focusing on three backcourt prospects. They are: Maurice Baker (6-foot-0) from Dixie College in Utah, Brandon Brooks (5-foot-11) of Portland (Ore.) Jefferson High School and Scott Scoggins (6-foot) from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei HS.

Rebels coach Bill Bayno can't comment on recruits, but said he has been heavily scouting point guards. UNLV starter Mark Dickel is a senior and will have to be replaced next season.

"We'd like to bring in two (point guards)," Bayno said.

Baker, who's also considering Saint Louis and Oklahoma State, is said to be the Rebels' foremost target. Their coaches have maintained a semi-regular presence at his games at Dixie. Brooks is viewed as one of the leading prep point guards in the West, but some schools backed off of him because of fears about his academic credentials.

As for Scoggins, one Eastern recruiting expert said the Rebels plan to offer him a scholarship this week, but that couldn't be confirmed.

The most intriguing prospect is the 5-foot-11 Brunner, who starred at Georgetown as a freshman two seasons ago before his career was sidetracked by legal problems. He quit Georgetown midway through the 1997-98 season and transferred to Fresno State to play for coach Jerry Tarkanian.

But before he became eligible at Fresno State, Brunner was charged with four felony counts for allegedly threatening a man with a samurai sword. Two months later he was charged with robbery and attempted murder in an incident involving a coach at Los Angeles City College.

Brunner spent four months in jail awaiting trial, but all of the charges were dropped in both cases. Brunner sat out last season before winding up at College of South Idaho this year. By all accounts, he had been a model player and student until last week, averaging 17 points and nine rebounds.

But even before his suspension, the chances of UNLV signing Brunner were remote because of his track record. Recruiting experts regard San Diego State as the likeliest landing spot for him.

* KELLY IN A CAST: Lou Kelly's fractured right foot will be placed in a hard cast today, but surgery isn't needed. That's about the only good news the transfer has received since becoming eligible Jan. 13. He'll undergo swim therapy and electric stimulation on the foot, but could be out for the season.

"I'm hoping to be out of the cast in a couple of weeks," Kelly said Monday. "Maybe that second or third week of February, I'll be able to practice again."

Bayno said Kelly has had a positive effect on the team, though he played only two games.

"Lou really helped. In practice, his passing and unselfishness were contagious," Bayno said. "All of the sudden, it got our guys thinking the same way, thinking about the extra pass."

* THREE-PEAT FOR KAMBALA: UNLV center Kaspars Kambala was chosen Mountain West player of the week for the third time this season, the fourth such honor for the Rebels. Dickel received the award opening week, while Kambala was also chosen Dec. 6 and Dec. 21. No one else has won the award more than once this season.

Kambala was honored mainly on the strength of his 32 points and 18 rebounds, both career highs, last Monday in UNLV's 85-73 win at New Mexico. In Saturday's 83-55 home rout of San Diego State, the Latvian big man had 13 points and nine rebounds. He has seven double-doubles.

Kambala leads the conference in rebounding (9.4) and is tied for second in scoring (18.9).