UNLV Banks one home

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 | 9:59 a.m.

RENO --- Yo, Wooden Award officials. You blew it by not including UNLV point guard Marcus Banks on your 50-player "watch list" this season.

Just ask the Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack.

The 6-foot-2 senior from Cheyenne High School, who was named the Mountain West Conference's Player of the Week on Monday for his play in wins over UAB and Washington last week, took his show on the road to the Lawlor Center here Wednesday night.

Banks scored a game-high 35 points, including a short floater in the lane with four-tenths of a second remaining to win it, as UNLV (4-0) rallied to defeat its in-state rival, 82-80, before an enthusiastic but well-behaved crowd of 7,888.

With the other Rebel starters struggling offensively most of the night, Banks took charge, connecting on 12-of-19 shots from the floor, including 6-of- 9 3- pointers. In fact, he hit three consecutive treys in a 70-second span in the first half.

But Banks saved his best for last.

With the game tied, 80-80, Wolf Pack guard Terranace Green missed an 18-foot jumper and Dalron Johnson got the rebound with about 10 seconds to go and passed it out to Banks.

UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour decided against using his final timeout because he didn't want to give Nevada-Reno a chance to set its defense. Instead, he waved Banks wildly to push the ball up the court.

Instead, Banks calmly walked the ball to the top of the key and, with only about three seconds left, drove to the basket, pulled up and calmly floated in about a five-foot shot over Wolf Pack 6-foot-6 forward Kirk Snyder for the game-winner.

So what was going through Banks' mind during the game-winning play?

"You know what?" Banks said. "I do that all the time. Every day Coach (Spoonhour) will be like (saying), 'Ten seconds on the clock and we need a bucket. What play we going to run?' "

Turns out it's a play called "Flat."

"He goes as far as he can and either gets a shot or passes the ball to someone else," Spoonhour said. "He's pretty good at it. And the thing is they don't want to foul you in that situation."

To hear Marcus tell it, it was money in the Banks.

"I've been in that situation so many times," said Banks, who had game-winning baskets against Utah and San Diego State last season. "I burn as much time as I can off the clock. I don't need that much time to get to the basket at all."

Banks also had five steals and five assists to go with his 35 points.

"Marcus carried us tonight," said backcourt mate Demetrius Hunter, who finished with 11 points and seven turnovers. "It's a good feeling to get out of here with a win tonight."

"He's got to be the best player I've seen by far," Wolf Pack senior point guard Jerry Petty said. "There are good players in the WAC and everything, but he's the best I've seen."

"I think he's real good," added Green. "You've got to give him a lot of credit. He came out here tonight and stepped it up and did the things he needed to do to get them a (win). He's one of the best guards I've played against."