Shortage of size could pop up to haunt UNLV

Steve Addy

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000 | 10:01 a.m.

The Rebels lost only two players from last season, and there is no question they will miss point guard Mark Dickel more than backup center Isaiah Epps.

But even with all of the bodies on UNLV's roster (18), the Rebels could sure use another big guy like Epps in case of emergency.

Though their starting front line will be one of the best in the Mountain West, with senior Kaspars Kambala at center and sophomore Dalron Johnson at power forward, the Rebels aren't deep at those spots. An injury to either starter could cause a major problem.

Senior Sylvester Dotson is the top backup at both positions, but is mostly a defensive plugger and not especially big (6-foot-7) or bulky (220). Coach Bill Bayno now regards junior Chris Richardson as a power forward, but he's only 6-6, 185, and will likely miss part of the season due to sanctions from the NCAA probe.

After that, Bayno's best option might be 6-8 freshman forward Omari Pearson, who has shown rebounding ability in practice.

The MWC is not loaded with great big guys, but even with Kambala and Johnson on the court, the Rebels will have their hands full with the front lines of Utah (6-11 Nate Althoff, 6-9 Chris Burgess, 6-9 Britton Johnsen) and Wyoming (245-pound center Ugo Udezue, 235-pound forward Josh Davis).

Epps was only an eight-minute backup last season, but he would come in handy now. He could have petitioned the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, but decided against it.

"I am concerned about missing Ike's presence defensively late in the game, where he could come in and shut people down," Bayno admitted. "Ike shut down (Utah's Hanno) Mottola and (Colorado State's) Ceedric Goodwyn, coming in cold off the bench.

"Dotson has to fill that role and Richardson, too. I might even use Richardson as a quick (center) if Kas gets in foul trouble."

If Kambala or Johnson has to exit, the Rebels should be better equipped to make up for the scoring shortfall. If swingman Lou Kelly, two-guard Jermaine Lewis and point guard Lafonte Johnson live up to their billing, UNLV won't have to rely on their big men as much as last season.

But defensively, a small lineup including Dotson or Richardson could create problems for the Rebels.

Bayno said he isn't worried, considering that only Epps is removed from the group that led the Mountain West in rebounds per game (42.4) last season. The Rebels were also second to Utah in rebound margin (+5.7).

"I thought we did OK last year, and we've got the same guys," Bayno said with a shrug.

Nevertheless, the players know if the Rebels don't defend and rebound consistently, their whole game could fall apart. After all, they want to run on offense, but you can't do that if you're taking the ball out of the basket or not getting enough transition possessions.

"The coaches don't even have to stress (rebounding)," Dalron Johnson said. "As big men, it's our duty to crash the boards and start the break. We get on each other in practice to get on the boards. When a guy comes in off the bench, he has to maintain that."

Kambala said the Rebels' transition game depends as much on Lafonte Johnson as rebounding.

"Last season, one of the reasons we scored so much (82.7 ppg) is because Dickel would get the ball and take off. That made everybody else run," Kambala said. "If (Johnson) can do that -- get the ball and go -- we will score a lot. If he doesn't go, the whole team isn't going to go."

"Some people will tell you that you're ready (for the NBA) and you should leave next year," Johnson said. "But the majority say you should stay in school and develop. That's what I think I should do -- wait until I mature a lot mentally and physically. Until then, I'll be right here."