Rebels on target with Kambala posting up

Steve Addy

Monday, Jan. 31, 2000 | 9:53 a.m.

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- There is no doubt about the size of Kaspars Kambala's biceps, and no one has questioned the size of his heart since the 40-point Cincinnati debacle.

But even when UNLV's 6-foot-9, 250-pound center is the bulkiest player on the court, which is often, he does not always create an imposing target in the low post.

When Rebels guards are having problems finding Kambala with entry passes in scoring position, it's a safe bet that UNLV's offense is struggling mightily.

But when he's fighting harder for post position and making himself a bigger target for guards Mark Dickel and Trevor Diggs, the productivity of the Rebels' offense increases considerably.

In the case of Saturday's 78-75 win at Colorado State, it made a 28-point difference from the first half to the second. And the Rebels hope Kambala plays up to his size again tonight when they meet Wyoming here in search of their fifth straight Mountain West Conference victory.

It's more than just a game to extend their winning streak, however. The Rebels are 4-1 in the MWC, alone in second place, and suddenly first-place Utah (5-0) looks shaky on its perch. The 19th-ranked Utes come to the Thomas & Mack Center this Saturday after barely eluding an upset against Air Force, winning 64-63 on Alex Jensen's three-point play in the final seconds.

Both UNLV (13-4 overall) and Utah (16-3) have three road victories in the conference, but the Rebels hope to bag another by overcoming Wyoming's zesty 8-1 record at the Arena-Auditorium.

"This trip is not over yet. We have to finish it with a win," Diggs said. "Just because we beat Colorado State doesn't mean we can let up. We have to put another win in the bank. We'll take every win we can get."

"We're only halfway there," Dickel said. "We've got to be ready for Wyoming."

The Cowboys (12-8, 2-3) are trying to muddle through without their top player, Nigerian power forward Ugo Udezue, who's out for the season after undergoing knee surgery Dec. 13. He played only five games before the operation and his 9.8-point average was barely half of the 20.5 he averaged last year as a sophomore.

Without Udezue, the Cowboys are still strong across the middle with center Josh Davis, who is averaging 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds, and forward LeDarion Jones, who musters 12.2 and 4.3.

That duo should provide another challenge for Kambala, who went from horrid to torrid against Colorado State in the second half. He had only four points on 2-of-3 field goals in the first half, when foul trouble limited him to 12 minutes. He scored 19 in the second half on 8-of-9, with the Rams virtually helpless to stop him.

The Rebels scored only 25 points in the first half, but racked up 53 after the break when they started getting the ball to Kambala in the low post. They committed 11 turnovers in the first half, roughly half on misguided entry passes to Kambala. In the second half, the Rebels threw crisp bounce passes to their center and also used the lob effectively.

"Our offense revolves around Kas," said Diggs, who tallied five of his seven assists in the second half. "It was hard to get him the ball in the first half because they weren't letting passes get through. Our main focus in the second half was to get Kas involved, to get him the ball by any means necessary. He scored at will when he got the ball."

Kambala said he kept looking for the ball from Diggs, who played a solid floor game despite a 5-of-15 shooting performance.

"In the second half, Trevor said, 'Just get in the post and I'll get you every time.' That's what I did, and he kept giving me the ball," Kambala said. "I took it right at them."

But when Kambala's game breaks down, it's not always a matter of the guards making poor entry passes. It's just as important for Kambala to show himself and give them a good target.

"Kas did a great job in the second half of not letting them deny the pass," UNLV coach Bill Bayno said. "He was more focused on sealing off his man and getting to the ball. He wouldn't allow them to get in front of him."

Danny Brotherson said, "I think that Kas can post up on anybody in the nation. When he makes himself a big target, we're better able to get the ball to him."

"When Kas is that active, he's hard to stop," Dickel said.

* RPI UPDATE: Saturday's win boosted UNLV to 62nd in the RPI rankings, third among Mountain West teams. Utah is No. 29, while BYU is 50th.