Canada trip will keep Rebels busy

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Sept. 3, 2004 | 10:06 a.m.

Labor Day weekend will really be a weekend of labor for new UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger and his squad. The Rebels leave today for Vancouver, British Columbia, for a four-game foreign tour. And there will be little if any time for sightseeing.

"No, we don't have that much time," Kruger said. "We get there (tonight) and then we play on Saturday."

The Rebels face Simon Fraser University at 5 p.m. Saturday, then come right back for a 11 a.m. game Sunday against Fraser Valley College. They'll barely have time to eat a late lunch before getting ready to play the University of British Columbia at 7 p.m. Sunday.

The tour concludes with a game at noon Monday against Langara College. The team flies back to Las Vegas that night in plenty of time to rest before returning to classes on Tuesday.

Kruger says the trip is a big plus for his program because it's a head start on preseason practice. Most NCAA Division I-A teams will begin practice on Oct. 16 this year. A school is allowed one foreign tour every four years.

"When you combine the 10 days of practice that are allowed by the NCAA for the trip along with the four games we'll play in Vancouver, it kind of lays the foundation," Kruger said.

It also gives junior college newcomers such as 6-foot-9 center Joel Anthony, 6-foot-9 forward Dustin Villepigue and 6-foot guard Ricky Morgan a chance to mesh under game conditions with the team's veterans.

Kruger doesn't know much about the teams the Rebels will be facing but wasn't worried.

"Actually I'm a lot more concerned about our team transferring what we've done in practice to game conditions," he said.

Kruger said he will experiment with different lineups during the tour.

"The guys have been really working hard in our practices," Kruger said. "They've been eager to make progress, which has been good to see."