Cameroon center commits to UNLV

Steve Addy

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2000 | 10:25 a.m.

The Rebels already have a centerpiece for their 2001 basketball recruiting class.

Simplice Njoya, a 6-foot-10 center from Cameroon, has made an oral commitment to UNLV, quickly ending a recruiting process that had gained steam after his strong showing on the summer camp circuit.

Njoya, who has played organized basketball for only four years, will sign with UNLV in November, according to Dominic Malandro, his coach at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

At 235 pounds, Njoya is still regarded as a raw talent, but in July he played exceptionally at the ABCD Camp in New Jersey and the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas. Last year, the African averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds at The Berkshire School in Homestead, Fla. One recruiting service ranks him No. 10 among high school center prospects for 2001.

Njoya declined to be interviewed about his decision.

"He's a shy kid," Malandro said Tuesday. "He said he just wants to be a regular guy. He doesn't want people to make a big deal over him. He's humble. That's the way he is.

"But Simplice said he is committed to UNLV. That's definitely where he wants to go. He's really excited, and I'm excited for him."

Rebels coach Bill Bayno declined comment about Njoya, in keeping with NCAA rules regarding recruits.

Bayno also couldn't comment on former Cimarron-Memorial guard Marcus Banks, the 1999 UNLV recruit who is expected to reaffirm his commitment to the Rebels this weekend. Banks, preparing for his second season at Dixie College in St. George, Utah, will have two years of UNLV eligibility.

The recruiting developments are significant because the Rebels are still dealing with the uncertainty of an NCAA rules violation case. They will go before the NCAA Infractions Committee next Friday in Dallas to defend themselves against alleged major violations. Some sanctions are virtually certain in November.

Nevertheless, Bayno and his staff have pressed on. UNLV remains high on the list of several other high-profile recruits.

On Sunday, Bayno and new assistant coach Charles Cunningham visited Njoya at his school.

"It went very well," said Malandro, who attended the meeting. "UNLV's coaches were honest and they made Simplice feel comfortable. They will make him part of the family at UNLV. If anything (bad) happens to him basketball-wise, they won't abandon him."

NCAA champion Michigan State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech also heavily recruited Njoya.

Oddly enough, Malandro has not seen Njoya play in person. Njoya transferred to The Masters School this month after The Berkshire School was handed a five-year "death penalty" by Florida's state athletic association for recruiting violations ("undue influence").

Due to his late transfer, Njoya will be ineligible for league games for The Masters School, so he'll play only half of its 24-game schedule, plus the state private school playoffs in New York City.

"I wish he was eligible all season, but half a season is better than none," Malandro said. "We're lucky that a player of his caliber chose our school. Based on what I've been told by other coaches who saw him at ABCD, he's going to be an exciting player."

Malandro said Njoya passed his SAT entrance exam and should have no eligibility problems.

"He's very adamant about academics," Malandro said. "And his English is getting better. It's not bad. I know he also speaks three other languages. UNLV is getting a great kid."

Njoya has been in the U.S. less than two years. He and 10 other international players enrolled at The Berkshire School through an exchange program in 1999, and an investigation of the alleged recruitment led to the mothballing of Berkshire's athletic program in February.

Jevon Banks, cousin of former Rebels guard Freddie Banks, has joined the team as a walk-on point guard, and he's likely to be in the rotation behind freshman Lafonte Johnson. Banks, who prepped at Valley High, started eight games for Texas Tech in 1998-99.