Fans get early treat at annual jam

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002 | 10:31 a.m.

Swingman Lamar Bigby won the dunk contest, guard Jermaine Lewis finished first in the 3-point challenge, and Ernest Turner gave incumbent Marcus Banks a run at the point in the scrimmage.

When the UNLV Fan Jam was finished at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday night, though, Banks flashed a senior smile that said it all.

"Just trying to get my teammates involved," said the Mountain West Conference's defensive player of the year in 2001-02. "Me and Ernest, we're making each other better every day in practice. I want him to push me, and I'm making him improve his handles and decision-making.

"Tonight, we wanted to have fun for the fans, then get down to work."

Senior forward Dalron Johnson and Turner led the scarlet team to victories over Banks and the gray team in both 10-minute scrimmages, and Johnson led everyone in scoring with 11 points.

Afterward, Rebels coach Charlie Spoonhour was asked what he would take from the evening, and he pointed to a row of tables where players from UNLV's men's and women's teams were busy signing autographs.

An estimated crowd of about 2,500 exceeded a figure that Spoonhour had hoped to attract to Fan Jam, in which the UNLV women's team also held a scrimmage and 3-point shooting contest.

"This right here," Spoonhour said. "For all these people to interact with the players, so they can see that they're more than just ball players. But it was good for them to get into game situations and hear people yell."

According to Spoonhour, the longest the Rebels had scrimmaged in two weeks of practice had been for four minutes. That changed Wednesday, and Spoonhour said scrimmages will be much more common through Friday.

"Believe me, practice is hard," Turner said. "To just play in front of fans, you can't beat that."

Turner, a sophomore, is a shooter who is being groomed for backup duty at the point. He made a nifty assist to Johnson early, forced the issue on a hesitation dribble, helped out on defending others when he could and tossed an in-bounds pass to Johnson, who sank the jumper.

"Marcus is a very good player," Turner said, "but I'm trying to make him better and he's trying to make me better."

Amundson them missed one of his two dunks in the finale, while Bigby converted a hook dunk and a windmill jam from the left side.

"I'm expecting to be a leader, and I'm expecting my teammates to listen, just to play hard and play together," Johnson said. "I want to average a double-double, at least, and try to get about five assists and get out and get some steals. I want to contribute all-around, and I want my line to be superb."

Spoonhour wants the Rebels to be tougher on defense this season, and Johnson said he has already seen that improvement in two weeks of practice.

"We do have a better (defensive) unit," Johnson said. "We're quicker, we think better and we talk more. Therefore, on defense, we're able to rotate a little quicker and a little better. I think it will make our defense a lot more efficient."

He said tendinitis is the latest concern, which will likely force him to red-shirt this season.