Friendly foe

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002 | 10:02 a.m.

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What: Tenn.-Martin at UNLV

When: Today, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Thomas & Mack

TV: None

Radio: KBAD 920-AM

Line: Rebels by 19 1/2

UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour didn't have to look far to get a good scouting report on tonight's opponent at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks.

Rebel assistant coach Deane Martin spent two years at Tennessee-Martin, including the final one as associate head coach, before joining Spoonhour's staff at UNLV last season. In fact, it was Martin who helped set up tonight's game with the Ohio Valley Conference school.

"When I came here, (Tennessee-Martin head coach Bret Campbell) told me he wanted to come out here and play a game," Martin said after the Rebels' two-hour practice on Monday afternoon at Cox Pavilion. "I told (UNLV director of basketball operations) David Rice they'd like to come out here and he arranged it so they could come out here this year."

Martin and Campbell have been friends for more than a decade and talk several times a week. When Spoonhour decided to retire as head coach at Saint Louis University after the 1998-99 season, Martin decided to head to the city that matches his last name.

"I was there for two years," Martin said. "A lot of the players who were there when I was there are gone now. There's only about three guys there who were there when I was there. I recruited (forward) Okechi Egbe. (Guard) Jon Roos was there. It'll be kind of fun to see those guys."

Just how much fun will depend on how the Rebels (5-1) will play tonight against a Tennessee-Martin squad that is 6-1 and has quality wins over Saint Louis and Central Florida, which earlier had beaten Great Alaska Shootout winner College of Charleston.

"You don't win six by accident," Spoonhour said. "I know because we haven't gotten to six yet.

"They beat my old school (Saint Louis) and they beat Central Florida, which had beaten College of Charleston, which I think was ranked 25th at the time," Spoonhour said. "I think it's going to be a very hard game. In terms of athleticism, it will be a lot like UAB. They're very athletic."

UNLV struggled to defeat UAB, 84-75, on Nov. 27 at the Thomas & Mack.

"A lot of the main stuff they do is similar to what we were doing when I was there," Martin said. "But (Campbell) will probably come in here and do everything completely different. You watch."

Tonight's game tips off a six-game homestand for the Rebels, who host 20th-ranked Stanford on Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. in the second game of the Las Vegas Shootout. UNLV doesn't play another road game until Jan. 11 when it travels to DePaul.

Johnson scored a season-high 26 points on 9-of-19 field goals at Bradley, including 5-of-6 3-pointers and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

It's the third time in his career that the 6-foot-9 forward has earned the honor and the second time in a three-week span that a UNLV player won the award. Point guard Marcus Banks won the award on Dec. 2.

Fans who bring a new unwrapped toy to the game will receive a free balcony level ticket.

Representatives from the U.S. Marines along with student-athletes from various UNLV teams will be on hand to collect the toys outside the main entrance to the Thomas & Mack Center beginning at 6 p.m.

"He did fine," Spoonhour said. "He just hasn't practiced. He has less practices than anybody (on the team)."

So can all that talk about Amundson possibly being redshirted be shelved?

"He's still checking with the doctor on some stuff," Spoonhour said. "We may or may not play him (tonight). I wouldn't be afraid to play him in terms of his hustle and his effort. (But) I'm not sure he's ready to play a game."