Spoonhour signs JC guard Bigby, adding backcourt depth

Steve Addy

Wednesday, May 2, 2001 | 11 a.m.

UNLV's signing of junior college guard Lamar Bigby on Tuesday was out of necessity as much as desire.

New coach Charlie Spoonhour had little choice but to complete his recruiting class by adding backcourt help, because the Rebels were starting to look a little thin at shooting guard.

Returning starter Jermaine Lewis will undergo knee surgery this month, possibly keeping him out all of next season, and recruit Ernest Turner has not yet met NCAA academic standards.

Especially with UNLV minus two scholarships because of NCAA sanctions, Spoonhour felt he had to bolster the Rebels' depth. He did that by signing Bigby, a 6-foot-5 guard from Detroit who sat out last season after playing two years (1998-00) at Schoolcraft CC in Livonia, Mich.

Bigby averaged 17 points and six rebounds as Schoolcraft went 50-12 during his career.

"I'm excited about the guys we have coming in, but we're not overly deep," Spoonhour said. "Jermaine's injury affects us more than in a normal year because we're at 11 scholarships. Injuries and sickness are going to be a concern. We can't afford too many."

Because Bigby was the Rebels' fifth signee, they'll be allowed only three new scholarships next season. This is the first year of the NCAA's so-called 5/8 rule, allowing schools eight new scholarships over two years, with a maximum of five in one year.

Rather than saving another scholarship for next year, when Spoonhour and his staff won't be getting a late start on recruiting, their hand was forced by Lewis' torn ACL, suffered two weeks ago in a pickup game.

The other members of UNLV's recruiting class are: point guard Marcus Banks of Las Vegas and Dixie College in St. George, Utah; Turner, from Sterling High School in Somerdale, N.J.; power forward Jamal Holden from Westark (Ark.) College; and forward Louis Amundson from Monarch High in Louisville, Colo.

As long as Turner passes his SAT test next month and sophomore forward Dalron Johnson doesn't transfer -- he continues to weigh his options -- the Rebels' core is set for next season.

The other expected returnees are senior forward Chris Richardson, sophomore forward Omari Pearson, sophomore point guard Lafonte Johnson, senior small forward Lou Kelly and senior point guards Vince Booker and Jevon Banks. Lewis, also a senior, might be an injury redshirt.

"If this is our team next year, I would be comfortable with that," Spoonhour said. "We have some good athletes. I'm happy with how guys are working during the individual workouts and the weightlifting."

But if Johnson or anyone else transfers, "That might throw us into a little spiral," Spoonhour conceded.

Bigby wasn't a widely recruited signee, partly because he didn't play this year while completing his Juco academic work at San Francisco City College. He had been recruited by San Jose State, DePaul and Toledo until UNLV contacted him.

"When a player's been sitting out, sometimes he can fall through the cracks," Spoonhour said. "In the film we saw, (Bigby) shot the ball well, handled the ball well and got to the basket. He's got skills. He also has a chance to be a really good defender."

In 1998, Bigby planned to attend the University of Detroit, but didn't qualify academically. He was honorable mention all-state at Detroit Northern High after averaging 21.2 points as a senior.

Bigby, 21, took an official recruiting visit to UNLV on Sunday and wasted little time commiting to the Rebels.

"I liked the coaching staff and the guys on the team," he said from Oakland, Calif., where he lives with fiancee Lonyae Thomas (they'll be married in August). "I had never been to Las Vegas before. It looks like a great place and a great situation for me.

"I never pictured myself at UNLV. They were one of my favorite teams -- along with the Fab Five -- and I grew up watching Anderson Hunt in Detroit. But I never thought I'd get to play there."

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