Players ‘believe’ in winning

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Dec. 5, 2003 | 10:14 a.m.

Their starting center has yet to play a minute. Another key big man has played in just two games. And most of the top players were either in high school, junior college or injured a year ago.

Toss in a rugged schedule that included games against two upper echelon Pac-10 schools and preseason WAC favorite Nevada-Reno and you could say things looked kind of bleak for Charlie Spoonhour's UNLV Runnin' Rebels for the start of the 2003-04 season.

But evidentally someone forgot to tell the players that.

The Rebels bring a 4-1 record into Saturday night's game at unbeaten Loyola Marymount (5-0), including back-to-back victories against California and USC.

"We believe," senior guard Demetrius Hunter, who scored a game-high 21 points in Wednesday night's 92-83 overtime victory against the Trojans, said. "We're a bunch of believers. We're going to push that this year.

"We've got to make people believe in us again. Not too many people right now believe in us but we'll make them believe. We just have to keep winning."

Sounds simple, doesn't it?

"Nobody thought we had a chance (at USC) and we proved them wrong," Hunter continued. "And we will continue to prove them wrong."

"Our guys worked so hard during the summer after the letdown at the end of Colorado State," junior forward Odartey Blankson, a transfer from Marquette who is averaging a double-double (18.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg), said. "We kind of expected to do well and get to the (NCAA) tournament."

What has made the quick start even more remarkable is the fact the Rebels' top returning post man, powerful 6-foot-8 senior center J.K. Edwards, has been on the sidelines serving a NCAA mandated six-game suspension for his part in the school's Phonegate probe. Another returning starter, forward James Peters, missed the first three games for the same reason.

"Even with J.K. out we still have a lot of good players who have to step up and they have," Blankson said. "We've been coming together and pulling out victories."

Spoonhour claims he isn't surprised by the impressive start.

"Oh, no," he said. "It's been fun. Guys have not complained about things and have handled our situation very well. And that's about all you can ask of them. But we've still got a lot of room to grow and improve. We'll see where it takes us."

Next stop is a Saturday night date at unbeaten Loyola Marymount (5-0), which is off to its best start in 51 years. And the Lions have the size and beef in 6-foot-10 sophomore center Chris Ayer and 6-foot-7 senior forward Sherman Gay, who had a school record 60 blocked shots a year ago, that could give the Rebels some problems.

"They've got some good size inside and they do some of the high-low stuff that caused us problems (Wednesday night at USC)," Spoonhour said. "They're well coached and they're really playing well together."

Following back-to-back wins over Pac-10 teams and with Stanford on deck, it would seem to be the kind of scheduling spot where a team could get caught looking ahead.

"I don't see a letdown coming at all," Blankson said. "We're going to come out focused and hungry and come out with another victory."