THE OPENING LINE

Monday, Nov. 5, 2007 | 7:19 a.m.

He just might be the best "player to be named later" to ever lace up a pair of high-tops.

But not in the traditional sense.

Armon Gilliam was nearing the end of his 13-year NBA career when he changed his first name from Armon, which is how it is spelled on his birth certificate, to Armen, which is how it is spelled in the 1999-2000 Utah Jazz media guide.

"Most people pronounced it Ar-MON," Gilliam said. "I've been correcting it for a long time, and I just got tired of it. I just thought that if I put the 'e' in there, it would make it a lot easier.

"I'm not a Muslim. It's not religious or anything like that."

But during the late 1980s UNLV fans had total faith in Armon or Armen or just plain "Hammer," the nickname he earned for the physical way he played and because his first name - regardless of how it is spelled - sounds like the famous baking soda.

During his UNLV career the Pittsburgh native cleaned and deodorized everything in sight, leading the Rebels to the 1987 NCAA Final Four where he scored 32 points in a defeat against Indiana.

A second-team All-America selection in 1987, Gilliam is sixth on the all-time UNLV scoring list with 1,855 points and holds the school record for most points in a season with 903 in 1986. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1987 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns.

At halftime of Tuesday night's UNLV exhibition game against Washburn, he will have his No. 35 jersey retired - as Armon Gilliam - and hoisted to the rafters of the Thomas & Mack Center.

His will be the eighth UNLV jersey retired. But the first to require a spell check.

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

UNLV alumni basketball game, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Thomas & Mack Center

Get to Tuesday's UNLV vs. Washburn game early and see a lot of ex-Rebels hoop it up. And huff and puff.

TICKETS: $28, $12 ON THE WEB: www.unlvtickets.com

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

San Diego State at UNLV, 8 p.m. Saturday, Sam Boyd Stadium

OK, so it's only worth a small look. If that.

TICKETS: $26, $13 ON THE WEB: www.unlvtickets.com