Blankson eyes a fresh start with Rebels

Friday, Oct. 24, 2003 | 10:22 a.m.

A year and a half later, UNLV junior forward Odartey Blankson cannot cite specific reasons why he left Marquette.

A Chicago native, Blankson had started for the Golden Eagles as a freshman and sophomore. Then coach Tom Crean's program soared without him, making a run to the Final Four in New Orleans last spring.

Even after the Rebels had suffered another collapse in the Mountain West Conference title game and a listless NIT first-round loss, Blankson said he felt no regrets as he watched the Eagles reach college hoop's premier event.

"I don't know," he said. "People say I'm a strange kid. Somehow, things work out for a reason. God has me out here for a reason, and I'll try to fulfill his will. I can't really tell you why I'm out here.

"I'll tell you, if I was asking the same questions you're asking, I would say it's a tough situation, too."

That was why, after UNLV's season ended and before Marquette's splendid run, Blankson sat down after class one day and wrote Crean a two-page letter, mostly thanking him for his coaching and counsel.

Through a couple of Golden Eagles assistants and former teammate Dwyane Wade, with whom Blankson grew up on the South Side of Chicago, Blankson was told that Crean very much appreciated the letter.

Wade even told Blankson that Crean wanted to send Blankson a ring commemorating the team's Final Four run, because Blankson helped lay that foundation. The ring, Blankson said with a laugh, hasn't arrived.

"It wasn't Crean," he said. "We had a good relationship. And it wasn't Marquette. It was mostly me. I wanted to get away from home. I kind of had a lot of people in my ears, telling me different things.

"I kind of wanted to get away from all that and start over ... it made me hungrier this offseason to work hard and get to a situation where (UNLV) can be on the big, main stage."

Blankson's efforts will be vital to the Rebels early on, when they will not have center J.K. Edwards (for six games) or forward James Peters (for three), who will serve suspensions for using an unauthorized telephone calling card.

Without those two post players and possible starters, Blanks, at 6-feet-7 and 220 pounds, is the most imposing player on coach Charlie Spoonhour's roster.

Delaware State, Nevada-Reno and Western Illinois might not pose much of a low-post problem. Then comes California, Southern California and Stanford in three of UNLV's next four games.

"He has experience that will help us a lot in those games," said senior shooting guard Demetrius Hunter. "He brings toughness, defense and rebounding; he's one of the best rebounders I've seen since I've been in college."

UNLV assistant coaches remarked that Blankson, 23, showed up as one of the best-conditioned Rebels when individual workouts began.

As a freshman, Blankson led the Eagles with 5.5 boards a game. He was second in rebounds and third in scoring as a sophomore, when Marquette lost to Tulsa in the first round of the NCAAs.

"I don't even know if the guys know I've played in the NCAAs before," he said. "Personally, I think I know what it takes to get there. It takes hard work in practice, day in and day out. You can't take any plays off, you can't take any days off.

"Everything I learned at Marquette, I'll definitely try to pass on to my (UNLV) teammates."