Rebels’ successful season signals upbeat future

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 21, 2002 | 11:18 a.m.

Rebels highlights

-- Steve Addy

As long as the Rebels are able to ignore the sting of their season-ending NIT loss, their recent past doesn't seem so sad and their future looks promising.

Though they intended to go deeper in the NIT than the second round, where they suffered a 75-65 loss at South Carolina on Tuesday, their disappointment was quickly replaced by satisfaction. Going 13-4 over the last two months (after being 8-7) made that an easy swap.

Considering that UNLV was picked fifth in the Mountain West preseason poll -- with a new coach, retired from the game for two years, taking over a team of intriguing but undeveloped talent -- the Rebels happily regard their 21-11 record as a success for themselves and the program.

"I'm definitely pleased with the season," said senior guard Jevon Banks, who took the crucial sixth-man role and made it his own. "We got to the finals of the conference tournament and we were only three points away from making the NCAA Tournament. That's not too bad."

"More than anything, I'm happy we played so hard," coach Charlie Spoonhour said. "There were times we didn't do things right, but there was never anything wrong with our effort. I kind of liked that about this team."

"We're proud that we showed perseverance all season," said senior Lou Kelly, whose 15.6 scoring average proved him worthy of the immense hype of 1999. "We came back almost every time we were down. I think if we had one more big guy inside, that would've taken away three to five losses."

Had the Rebels reached the NIT semifinals in New York, Dalron Johnson felt they would've gotten some votes in next preseason's Top 25 poll.

"That probably won't happen now, but it gives us something to shoot for," the Rebels' scoring and rebounding leader said. "We all have to get in the weight room this summer and work hard in the preseason. If we come out strong, we can make some noise."

But before then, the roster will undergo vast changes. Five seniors played their final games -- Chris Richardson, Vince Booker, Jevon Banks, Kelly and walk-on Noel Bloom. Kelly and Banks will be hardest to replace, Kelly for his offensive courage and inventiveness and Banks for his sturdy two-way play off the bench. Richardson and Booker were undersized but competent starters.

There will be some shuffling in the backcourt. Transfer guard Demetrius Hunter from Georgetown will become eligible next season and the junior will probably start alongside Marcus Banks. That Las Vegas twosome should give UNLV the best set of guards in the league, easily the most athletically explosive.

Also, senior swingman Jermaine Lewis will return after sitting out this season to rehab his knee, so a capable replacement for Kelly is at arm's reach. He averaged 9.3 points last season.

With those established players ahead of them, fellow guards Lafonte Johnson and Ernest Turner are candidates to redshirt or transfer. Both have said they will sit down with Spoonhour in the next few weeks to discuss their options.

"I want to see if I'm in his plans," sophomore Johnson said. "If I redshirt, I could take the year and get stronger and have a better career here. I haven't looked at other schools yet, but if I transfer, it will be closer to home (Baltimore)."

Turner was used sporadically for most of the season, but Spoonhour began playing him more in the last month, occassionally with exciting results. Turner has been noncommital about his plans, but with Hunter and Lewis joining the perimeter corps, Spoonhour probably won't be able to give Turner the playing time assurances his guardian Rick Barrett has been seeking.

If either player transfers, it would free up a scholarship for the spring signing period, which begins April 10. The Rebels are limited to 11 next season because of NCAA sanctions, and all are spoken for at the moment, assuming Lewis gets the scholarship vacated when center Jamal Holden left UNLV in December.

Aside from Hunter, the Rebels' November signees were junior college forwards James Peters (6-8, 210) from Butler County (Kan.) CC and J.K. Edwards (6-8, 250) from Indian Hills CC in Ottumwa, Iowa. Juco scouting gurus had Edwards ranked among their top five big men last year, but he averaged only 12 points and seven rebounds this season and didn't always start.

In case a scholarship becomes available, Spoonhour has continued to recruit. This week, he and his assistants will scout the national Juco tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.