UNLV basketball notebook: Rebels’ recruits play waiting game

Steve Addy

Friday, Jan. 26, 2001 | 12:11 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- UNLV's early basketball recruits have said they are keeping their options open in case coach Max Good isn't brought back next season.

But despite Internet rumors claiming otherwise, none of the three November signees has asked to be released from his national letter of intent.

Simplice Njoya, a 6-foot-10 prep school center from Cameroon, is standing behind his commitment at least until he sees if Good and his staff are retained, university sources said. An Internet recruiting report hinted that Njoya had requested a release, but the sources chalked it up as rumor.

Coaches aren't allowed to comment on recruits, but often when a staff appears vulnerable, other schools try to persuade early signees to back out. (It's not just a basketball phenomenon. When Ohio State fired football coach John Cooper on Jan. 2, Michigan State phoned every OSU signee within 24 hours.)

Njoya couldn't be reached Thursday, nor could Dominic Malandro, his coach at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

The Rebels' other recruits, shooting guard Ernest Turner from Somerdale, N.J., and guard Marcus Banks of Dixie College (via Cimarron-Memorial HS), are also awaiting resolution of the coaching situation.

Turner has said he signed with UNLV mainly because of Good and that he probably would not want to play for potential coach Rick Pitino. He fears Pitino might "recruit over him" in the backcourt, leaving him to fight for playing time against favored recruits.

Good and Cunningham flew here ahead of the Rebels on Tuesday so they could attend Turner's game in New Jersey. He had 31 points and nine assists in a Somerdale loss.

About two weeks after Diggs claimed Kambala "quit" on the Rebels at BYU, they interacted well on the court in Thursday's 79-62 loss to Georgetown at the MCI Center.

Both of Diggs' assists resulted in Kambala baskets in the Rebels' opening salvo. Diggs fed Kambala for a dunk to make it 7-2, then threw him a post pass for a layup to make it 15-5. They also traded congratulatory pats on the rear.

Afterward, Diggs made sure to point out that Kambala played hard, but was overwhelmed by the Hoyas' superior size and frontcourt depth. Kambala had 12 points and 10 rebounds, but shot only 6-of-18. Many layups and tips fell off the rim.

"That team is so big," Diggs said. "Nobody quit out there. Everyone left it on the court."