UNLV steals away to defensive success

Steve Addy

Friday, Feb. 1, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

WHAT: DePaul (8-11) at UNLV (10-7)

WHEN: Sunday, 11 a.m.

WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center

TV: ABC (Cable 13)

RADIO: KBAD 920-AM

Quick hands and quick feet are putting the Rebels in fast company.

UNLV's reliance on ball-pressure defense under coach Charlie Spoonhour has produced an impressive 10.5 steals per game, a league-leading pace that would rank second in Rebels history. Since steals became an official NCAA statistic in 1975, only UNLV's 1990-91 team has averaged more (11.4).

The Rebels have 178 steals through 17 games, including two games with 16, two with 15 and one with 14. They have 41 steals over their last three games and have reached double-figures in nine of their last 12.

Those stats are more remarkable because the Rebels have played almost half of their games (eight) on the road. Scoring crews sometimes pay less attention to the visitors, especially for steals, which can be subjective. Would-be steals are often scored solely as a home turnover.

However, the Rebels are averaging virtually the same at home (10.6) and away (10.4), so they can't say they're being shafted by scoring crews. It is their opponents who must feel cheated, because UNLV is getting most of its steals from its base defense, not gimmicks.

The Rebels have forced a Mountain West-leading 318 turnovers despite having played fewer games than every other MWC team.

"We're committed to pressure defense, but we're not emphasizing steals as much as forcing turnovers," Spoonhour said. "We need to do a lot of things better to be the kind of defensive team I'd like us to be, but we're better than we were."

The improvement has come partly from taking fewer risks. Instead of trying to grab the ball from an opponent, an early-season method that resulted in rampant fouls, the Rebels are overplaying the passing lanes with active hands and darting moves.

"You're not going to steal it from good players who have the ball securely," Spoonhour said. "For every (steal) you get by reaching around, you'll have five bad plays. You have to be selective. Getting in the passing lanes is the ideal way."

"We're not trying to steal the ball 1-on-1. Our steals are coming more from off-the-ball (defenders)," said guard Jevon Banks, who had four of UNLV's 16 steals last Saturday at San Diego State.

"I was guilty of taking too many chances early in the season. Even in practice, I would overrun a ball and get beat off the dribble. Now we're playing it smarter, more conservative, and that has actually opened up more steals for us."

The Rebels are also outracing opponents to more loose balls. Spoonhour has put them through diving drills since practice began, hoping to turn their loose-ball reactions into a reflex, not a decision.

"(Diving) isn't a normal thing, so you have to break down some habits," he said. "If you have to think about diving on the floor, by the time you get there it's going to be too late. It needs to be more of a reaction. Some people are better at it than others."

But many Rebels are contributing. Marcus Banks leads the MWC in steals (39) and average (2.2), while Dalron Johnson is second (36, 2.1). Chris Richardson ranks 12th by average (1.5) and Jevon Banks 13th (1.4).

None of the Rebels is in position to break UNLV's individual season record of 106 by Greg Anthony in 1989-90. He and Stacey Augmon share the career mark with 275 apiece.

The Rebels also won't threaten the team record for total steals. The 1990-91 club swiped 399 in 35 games, and the 1989-90 NCAA champions stole 389 in 40 games (9.7 average). UNLV's other Final Four teams rank fourth (1977, 9.2) and fifth (1987, 9.1) by average.

Of course, the current Rebels (10-7) hardly compare with those star-laden squads. Frankly, this team needs the margin for error that 10 steals provides. Those extra possessions cushion the damage when their shot selection and ballhandling slacken.

But the Rebels have also gained confidence that their defense can sustain them in tough times, such as in overtime at SDSU.

"It took us a while to trust everything Coach was talking about early in the season," Jevon Banks said. "But I think everyone believes in our defense now. When we're down in a game, Coach isn't saying, 'We need to score.' He's saying, 'We need to play defense.' Now we all know what he's talking about."04