Columnist Ron Kantowski: Foreign legion outnumbers UNLV locals

Thursday, April 18, 2002 | 10:07 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's insider notes column appears Tuesday and his Page One column appears Thursday. He can be reached at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

That UNLV has come to feature/depend on foreign-born athletes, especially within its non-revenue sports, is hardly news -- a 1998 story in the Sun listed 43 foreign-born athletes on its various rosters, compared to 45 today. But it should raise the question (again) of whether that's the right recruiting approach.

That's not to say the Rebels' foreign legion hasn't been an asset. Many, maybe even most, of the not-so-accidental tourists have excelled both on the field and in the classroom, even in the major and semi-major sports of men's and women's basketball. Kaspars Kambala (Latvia) and Mark Dickel (New Zealand) were headliners for the men and it could be argued (with apologies to California girl Pauline Jordan) that the two best players in Lady Rebels history were, as they say on the NASCAR circuit, "furriners."

Linda Frohlich, expected to become the property of the WNBA on Friday, matriculated to Las Vegas from Germany. Misty Thomas, who owned the Lady Rebels' career scoring record before Fraulein Frohlich's reign, was a Canadian. Still is, in fact.

Indeed, in the money-driven sports of basketball and football, I believe UNLV and every other school that has resources and frequent flier miles should continue to recruit the best athletes possible, even if they need to span the globe rather than an atlas to do it. After all, a basket still counts two points, regardless of whether it's made by Jim Bob or Serge. And chances are when Serge connects, it will count three points, owing to the Europeans' marksmanship from beyond the arc.

But if I were an athletic director/coach, I might be inclined to stick a little closer to home when it comes to seeking talent for the minor sports.

It's not that I'm xenophobic. Quite the contrary, for even though I drive a Chevy, I believe a Toyota will last longer, that Michael Schumacher is a better driver than Jeff Gordon, and that the Rolling Stones still rock better than any grunge band from Seattle.

It's just that UNLV has a lot to gain by recruiting more local athletes.

For starters, such a philosophy would create new relationships -- and patch up some frayed ones -- between the university and the local high schools. Those relationships have become more amicable since the engaging John Robinson took over as athletic director last January, but some of the holes in the fences Robinson has been mending are pretty large. For instance, I'll bet he didn't know that when hotshot running back Jamal Willis spurned UNLV to attend BYU several years ago, then-Rebels coach Jim Strong actually challenged Horrace Smith, Willis' coach at Bonanza, to a fistfight in the parking lot.

By recruiting locals, UNLV would also add to its fan base and create more interest in its athletic programs, both within the community as well as the local media. Maybe the bleachers wouldn't be filled for a tennis match, but at least there would be a smattering of parents and boyfriends and girlfriends in them.

You get the drift. I'm not saying that every non-revenue roster should be comprised solely of kids from Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City (although that's not the worst idea I've ever heard). But what about a compromise? For every scholarship that UNLV gives to a foreign-born athlete, why not offer one of similar value to a local kid?

While it might be wise to drive a Toyota, where's the harm in making your second car a Chevy?