Spoonhour hires 2 assistant coaches

Steve Addy

Thursday, April 5, 2001 | 11:44 a.m.

Born: Sept. 6, 1966

Hometown: Marshall, Texas

High School: Hickman Mills '84, Kansas City, Mo.

Education: Mo.-St. Louis, B.S., 1989; Southwest Mo. State, M.S., 1991

Coaching Experience: Mo.-St. Louis, 1988-89; Southwest Mo. State, 1989-91; Saint Louis, 1991-92; CBC H.S., St. Louis, Mo., 1992-95; Saint Louis, 1995-99; Minnesota, 1999-2000; Illinois, 2000

Collegiate Playing Experience: Mo.-St. Louis, 1986-88; Johnson County (Kan.) CC, 1984-86

Born: Oct. 14, 1970

Hometown: Springfield, Mo.

High School: Glendale '90, Springfield, Mo.

Education: Pittsburg State '94

Coaching Experience: Central Mo. State 1994-96 Saint Louis, 1996-99 Valparaiso, 2000 Wabash Valley College, 2000-01

Collegiate Playing Experience: Pittsburg State 1990-94

New Rebels coach Charlie Spoonhour got down to work Wednesday, hiring two assistants and drawing up plans to restock UNLV's roster.

Spoonhour hired his son, Jay, the national junior college coach of the year, and Derek Thomas, who has nine years as a Division I assistant. They'll divide the recruiting duties starting Friday, the first day of the spring contact period.

"Our first priority is to keep the players we have, and that includes the recruits," Charlie Spoonhour said. "We're working on that now. We're going to sit down and talk with everybody."

UNLV signed three players in the November period, but center Simplice Njoya from Cameroon has been released from his letter of intent by mutual agreement. That leaves two guards -- Marcus Banks from Las Vegas and Dixie College, and Ernest Turner from Sterling HS in Somerdale, N.J.

Spoonhour has spoken with Banks and Turner and hopes to convince them to come to UNLV, though both were loyal to former coach Max Good.

The loss of Njoya leaves the Rebels in clear need of a frontcourt player, and that will be their recruiting focus. The spring signing period begins Wednesday.

"I have a good idea of which (JC) players are available," Jay Spoonhour said from Mount Carmel, Ill. "We're starting a little late, but there are always players out there. You just have to find them. We need to get out and piece together a couple of positions."

Jay Spoonhour, 30, coached Wabash Valley College to a 37-1 record and the national junior college championship last month. He coached under his father at Saint Louis from 1996-99.

"It's good to go somewhere where you're familiar with your boss," he said with a laugh, though he'll answer to AD Charlie Cavagnaro to avoid violating State of Nevada nepotism rules.

Thomas, 34, was an assistant to Spoonhour at Southwest Missouri State (1989-91) and Saint Louis (1995-99), and was instrumental in recruiting McDonald's All-American Larry Hughes to Saint Louis in 1997. Thomas spent this season scouting for the Atlanta Hawks.

"I wasn't really looking to leave the NBA, but it had to be the right situation," he said. "Charlie is great to work for. He gives you a lot of latitude, but he expects you to get your work done."