UNLV must ease load on Kambala

Steve Addy

Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2000 | 9:31 a.m.

Center Kaspars Kambala has been more than UNLV's best player this season. He has been the Rebels' bellwether.

When the Latvian big man excels, they usually win. When he struggles, they're in trouble.

The statistics do not fib. Kambala is averaging 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the Rebels' 12 wins, but those averages dip to 14.0 and 6.2 in their four losses. He has seven double-doubles and UNLV has won all seven of those games.

"If he comes to play, I don't think there's anyone who can stop him," point guard Mark Dickel said. "I'm sure (opposing teams) have a plan to stop him, but I don't see anything they can do to combat what he brings.

"There've been times when teams took him out of what he wanted to do, but it wasn't because he wasn't ready. Sometimes you come to play, but you just don't play well. That's when the rest of us have to step it up."

But though Kambala receives most of the defensive attention -- he is routinely double-teamed -- and he will soon be written up in Sports Illustrated, the perception of the Rebels as a one-man team doesn't do them justice. They have proven that they can thrive with or without Kambala.

Want an example? In their most recent game, Saturday's 83-55 home rout of San Diego State, they took command in the first half while Kambala was on the bench after committing a flagrant foul. They were ahead by six when he exited, then scored 11 straight points in a 1:11 span. They made three straight 3-pointers and another jumper, fueled by two Dickel steals, to jump ahead 30-13.

Granted, the opponent was the weakest team in the Mountain West Conference and the Rebels were snuggled in the bosom of their home arena. But there was no dropoff when Kambala left the game, and that's the important part.

It's that sort of desired balance that should come in handy as the MWC season gets interesting, especially on UNLV's tough upcoming trip to Colorado State (Saturday) and Wyoming (Monday). The Rebels (12-4 overall, 3-1 MWC) will be realistically hoping for a split, but they can't rely on Kambala to carry all of the load.

On their last road trip, a sweep of Air Force and New Mexico, Trevor Diggs scored 28 and Dalron Johnson 22 against Air Force -- both season highs -- before Kambala took control with 32 points and 18 rebounds at New Mexico.

"We can go on good runs with Kas on the bench or me on the bench," Dickel said. "We've got a good bench, and we've got talent in our starting lineup, even though not everyone has played to their potential yet. We're a good team when Kas plays well, but it's a team game.

"I don't know if people see us that way (as a one-man team). The teams we are playing don't, I know that. But I'm sure perception is 90 percent of it, so maybe people think that way. But who cares? We know we have a good team."

Kambala's supporting cast will be especially important on the road trip, coach Bill Bayno said.

"We'll need to reverse the ball, find the open man and make (outside) shots," he said. "Both teams will double-team (Kambala) and try to get him frustrated. But he has not let double-teams frustrate him. He's done what we have needed for us to win."

* REBEL NOTES: Dickel missed practice Tuesday due to a sore back, but it was only a precaution. He said he expects to be at full strength for Saturday. In his absence, Donovan Stewart ran the first-team offense. ... Lou Kelly's broken right foot was placed in a cast, as expected, and he will continue to rehab. ... Point guard Brandon Brooks, a UNLV recruiting target from Portland, Ore., said he's considering six other schools, including UCLA, Cincinnati, Kansas and Oklahoma.