Two Rebels still mulling transfers

Steve Addy

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001 | 10:58 a.m.

The Rebels will bid farewell to six seniors and probably most of their basketball coaches this week.

But as UNLV closes its contentious season at home Thursday against Colorado State and Saturday against Wyoming, a couple of other players might be making their final appearances.

Freshmen Lafonte Johnson and Omari Pearson, former prep school teammates in York, Pa., are still undecided on whether they will transfer or return to the Rebels' next season.

Johnson, a point guard from Baltimore, and Pearson, a power forward from Chicago, said they will decide after the Rebels coaching situation is settled. Though neither is openly rooting for Rick Pitino, in deference to coach Max Good, they are trying to keep open minds.

"It's going to depend on the coaching decision," Johnson said. "If a new coach comes in or even if coach Good gets the job, there's still a good chance I could transfer. I'm just going to wait and see what happens."

Johnson has played in all 27 games, but has experienced typical freshman inconsistency. The 5-foot-10 point guard has averaged 17.4 minutes, 4.3 points and 2.2 assists, highlighted by a 17-point game against BYU on Feb. 10.

After starting the first 11 games, Johnson was moved into a reserve role behind Vince Booker and seemed to relax and play better.

But he feels his progress was stunted by the turmoil around the team. For him, the upheaval began in August when assistant coach Glynn Cyprien left the Rebels to join Oklahoma State's staff. After coach Bill Bayno was removed in December, Johnson really felt orphaned.

"They are the coaches who recruited me," he said. "Sometimes I feel lost, like I'm out here by myself, far away from home. It's been a crazy year, with all the things that have happened. It's really hard, especially for a freshman."

Pearson, who has played mostly mop-up minutes in 12 games, said he also had trouble adjusting to the absence of Cyprien and Bayno.

"Cyp was the main coach who recruited me, and there was a big gap when he left," Pearson said. "Then when Bayno left, there was an even bigger gap. It was a real adjustment. I miss both of them deeply. I had to mature faster without them around."

If Pitino takes over, Pearson sounds like he would want to stay. He is the only Rebel with a prior relationship with Pitino, such as it is.

"I met him on my recruiting trip to Providence (in 1999)," Pearson said. "(The Celtics) were playing a preseason game there against the Hawks and I got a chance to talk to him. He showed me around the locker room and talked to me about going to Providence.

"Based on those 15 minutes, he struck me as a professional -- someone who takes what he does seriously. He would be a good guy to have here. It would be good for us."

The Rebels have already lost one player to transfer -- freshman guard Steve Scoggin, who left at the semester break -- but among their other underclassmen, no transfers are likely. Though there's no guarantee that the new coach will want everyone back, the NCAA recently made it harder for coaches to make wholesale roster changes.

A new rule limits schools to eight new scholarships over a two-year period and no more than five in one year. The Rebels will be down two scholarships for the next two years due to NCAA sanctions, so even a coach with Pitino's recruiting record might need to retain as many players as possible.