Spoonhour ready for introduction to UNR rivalry

Steve Addy

Thursday, Dec. 20, 2001 | 9:42 a.m.

Charlie Spoonhour is about to get his first taste of the UNLV-UNR rivalry, but others have tried to clue him in since he became the Rebels' coach nine months ago.

"There have been a lot of little comments at luncheons and things like that," he said. "I've gotten a pretty good idea of what it means.

"It's not like Duke and North Carolina, where the schools are seven miles apart, and we're in different leagues, but I think there's a real city-to-city (rivalry)."

Spoonhour will find out first-hand tonight when the Rebels (4-3) host UNR (7-2) in the 63rd meeting between the schools.

UNLV holds a hefty 46-16 edge in the series, but the Rebels' most recent rivalry memories are bitter. Last year at Reno, UNLV absorbed an 80-71 loss as Las Vegas native James Bayless scored 24 points for the Wolf Pack.

The Rebels were even taunted in the second half by a group of UNR football players behind the bench, and the game was stopped for a moment while security broomed the offenders.

"All we could do was sit there and listen to it, and get our butts kicked," senior guard Vince Booker recalled. "It was a sickening game."

"None of us has forgotten that game," senior forward Chris Richardson said. "Reno and UNLV don't like each other."

Aside from being at home, where they are 3-0 but haven't played in 19 days, the Rebels will be entering in their best frame of mind all season. Saturday's rally from a 16-point halftime deficit for a 70-68 win at Loyola Marymount produced an obvious confidence boost.

It was clearly the Rebels' best half of team basketball since Spoonhour took over.

"That was the game when we stopped talking about playing together and started doing it," forward Dalron Johnson said. "Everyone was a factor. We got good production off the bench. We started running plays like we do in practice. I think we took a big burden off our backs."

Just being home should add to the Rebels' comfort. Wednesday's practice was their first time on the Thomas & Mack court since Dec. 1, and now they'll play five straight home games through Jan. 5: UNR, Texas (Saturday), Tennessee State, Old Dominion and Wyoming.

"Playing at home will be good for us," Spoonhour said. "Being away has been hard for our guys, but they did the best they could and they didn't complain."

UNR has won three straight, but is 2-2 on the road. The Wolf Pack gets most of its scoring from three starting guards. Garry Hill-Thomas averages 19.2 points, Terrance Green 14.3 and point guard Andre Hazel 11.9.