UNLV guard free to find another school

Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004 | 9:16 a.m.

UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger confirmed Monday that he will release sophomore guard John Winston, as per the request Winston made last Tuesday and solidified with his family over the holiday weekend.

"John's asked for his release," Kruger said, "and we'll help him however we can to find a school that's a good fit (for him)."

Neither Winston, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, nor his parents, John Sr. and Tina, could be reached for comment.

Winston played sparingly in five games this season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds. He had made four of his six shots from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

Last season, he started in three of 31 appearances, averaging 1.4 points and 13 minutes of action. Winston did not play in home victories against Gardner-Webb last Tuesday and Florida Atlantic on Wednesday.

"He came (into my office) the day of the Gardner-Webb game and said that he thought he needed a fresh start, a new beginning," Kruger said. "Sometimes that's good for a young guy.

"I'm disappointed that it got to the point where he wasn't enjoying success, and I'm disappointed for him; you always want every young guy to play well and do well."

He has been eligible to practice, but academic demands have required Williams to spend all of his time getting his grades in order. It appears his chances of playing for UNLV are slim.

"We're still kind of waiting to see what happens there," Kruger said. "He's contemplating different options. I'm not sure what's going to happen there."

Student privacy laws prohibit Kruger from saying anything more about Williams' status or his possible future with the Rebels.

However, he liked what he saw in separate runs Monday morning and then late Monday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"I thought we had a real good day today," Kruger said early Monday night. "(Sunday) wasn't at the same level of enthusiasm and competition, being the first day back from the break. But this morning they responded with a real good practice and they had another one in the afternoon.

The Rebels play host to Texas-Pan American, which gave Kruger his first job as a head coach in 1982, on Wednesday night, then head to Texas for a game against the Longhorns on Sunday.

"Two or three days off in the middle of the season are always good," Kruger said. "It kind of gets 'em away to re-energize and freshen up a little bit."