May 26, 1999

LAS VEGAS - UNLV Runnin' Rebel head coach Bill Bayno announced that Marcus Banks, Danny Brotherson, Trevor Diggs, Sylvester Dotson, Kenny Dye, Oscar Garcia, Mike Garrett, Dalron Johnson, Louis Kelly and Chris Popoola have signed national letters of intent to play at UNLV beginning in the 1999-2000 season.

Banks, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard, is a local product from Cimarron-Memorial High School and played for coach Hank Girardi. The Spartans, which compiled an overall record of 21-12, captured the 1999 State Championship. As a senior, he appeared in 33 games and averaged 19.0 points and 3.9 assists. He was named first-team All-Sunset Division.

"Marcus is a local player that will sit out to concentrate on his academics his first year," Bayno said. "He has a great future ahead of him. He has a tremendous body that can play the No. 1 or No. 2 positions. He has good range, finds the open man and plays tremendous defense on the ball and is an exciting player to watch for the future."

Brotherson, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound guard, played the past two seasons at Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah, for coach Jeff Reinert. As a sophomore, he appeared in 32 games and was the team's leading scorer with a 16.7 average (535 total points). He also averaged 7.2 rebounds (231 total), shot .500 from the field (191-for-382), .461 from 3-point range (47-for-102), and .631 from the free throw line (106-for-168). He was a first-team All-Region 18 selection.

"Danny is a tough and very athletic kid that can do a lot of things on the basketball court," Bayno said. "He is best suited in the uptempo and plays above the rim. He can shoot the ball and brings a winners attitude and a warriors attitude." Diggs, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard, played this past season at Kilgore (Texas) College for coach Scott Schumacher. As a sophomore, he appeared in 32 games and was the team's second leading scorer with a 18.9 average. He averaged 3.5 rebounds and led the league with a .871 free throw percentage (74-for-85) and shot .418 from 3-point range (76-for-182). Diggs, who averaged 16.7 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 steals as a freshman, is a two-time All-Texas Eastern Conference selection and two-time all-regional player. "I've known Trevor since the eighth grade through the Brooklyn USA organization," Bayno said. "He has the heart of a warrior and is a multi-dimensional and very talented player. He can play two and sometimes even three positions."

The Rangers compiled a two-year record of 54-11 (.831), captured one league title and the Texas Eastern Conference title and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the juco rankings. Kilgore was 26-6 in 1998-99 and 28-5 in 1997-98. Dotson, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward, was a teammate with Diggs at Kilgore (Texas) College. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. Along with Diggs, he joins former Rebels Kevin James (1995-96, 1996-97) and Tony Lane who played at Kilgore.

"Sylvester is another player that I saw in high school here at the Big Time Tournament (team Detroit captured the tourney)," Bayno said. "He is a dominating force on the backboards and he can run the floor. He plays hard and will do the things necessary to win games. He is very unselfish and has a warriors attitude."

Dye, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard, played two seasons at Connors State College in Warner, Okla., for coach Bill Muse. As a sophomore, he appeared in 31 games and led the team in scoring with a 24.5 average (760 total points). He shot .487 from the field (170-for-349), .387 from 3-point range (89-for-230) and .722 from the line (153-for-212). He averaged 5.1 rebounds (157 total rebounds) and 2.5 assists (78 total). "Kenny is an extremely talented scoring guard that can beat the opponent off the dribble," Bayno said. "He has tremendous range from outside the 3-point line. He is going to work on his body and improve his physical strength. He can get out and really play pressure defense and can put points on the board in a hurry."

He was named Co-MVP of the Bi-State Conference as the Cowboys compiled a record of 20-11. Dye was named a preseason JC All-American and was named regular season third-team All-American. He was the MVP of the Bi-State Conference as a freshman. In 30 games, he led the team in scoring with a 22.8 average and shot .567 from the field. Garcia, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward, played this past season at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. He played for coaches Bill Barton and John Kelly. He was slowed last season by a series of sprained ankles. He appeared in five games and averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds. First name is pronounced OH-SCAR.

"Oscar is a solid role player that can shoot the ball and has good hands," Bayno said. "He is very fundamentally sound. He has to work on his body in terms of his strength and quickness. He will be an integral part of the team and do whatever it takes to help this team."

Garrett, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard, played this past season at Fresno (Calif.) City College and played for coach Denny Aye. Last season, he averaged 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Garrett averaged 13.8 points in 70 career games (1996-97, 1998-99) for the Rams. He also averaged 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, shot .454 from the field and .717 from the free throw line. He earned All-Central Valley Conference honors twice and was one vote shy of sharing the league MVP honor.

"Mike is a solid point guard who puts tremendous pressure on the ball," Bayno said. "He played in a very organized system at Fresno City. He understands offensive concepts and will distribute the ball. He can knock down the open three if left unguarded."

In his two seasons, Fresno City College was 63-8 and the Rams advanced to the state semi-finals both seasons. He was picked for the 1999 California Community College All-State basketball team.

Johnson, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward, played this past season at Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles for coach David Greenwood, former UCLA and NBA great. As a senior, he appeared in 38 games and averaged 18.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots. His squad captured the state championship for Division IV with a 32-7 record. He was a two-time first-team All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) selection. He was also named second-team overall division and first-team all-League (Camino Real). As a junior, he was the MVP of the Camino Real League and runner-up as a senior.

"Dalron is a young player with outstanding potential," Bayno said. "He is a quick forward that can run the floor, shoots the ball and has a nice touch around the basket. He possesses great ability to go to the offensive boards. His best days are ahead of him and has the chance to be an outstanding player here."

Kelly, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound forward, played this past season at San Bernardino Valley College for coach Greg Winslow. He appeared in 34 games and averaged 25.8 points (876 total points), 7.1 rebounds (241) and 3.7 blocked shots. His scoring average ranked third in the state and led the Foothill Conference in blocked shots. He shot .516 (330-for-639) from the field, .415 (71-for-171) from 3-point range and .786 (143-for-182) from the free throw line.

"He was the leading scorer in the California State junior colleges which says a lot in and of itself," Bayno said. "He led his team to 25 wins. He is a left-handed smooth scorer who can play off the dribble and find the open man. He is a very unselfish player and has outstanding range from the 3-point line. He is best suited to play in the uptempo."

His squad compiled an overall record of 25-9 and advanced to the California state regional finals. As a prepster, he attended Cajon High School (San Bernardino) and led the state in scoring with a 38.7 average.

Popoola (pronounced PA POOL AH), a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward, played this past season at Los Angeles City College for coach Mike Miller. He averaged 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot 52 percent from the field. He was named first-team All-South Coast Conference. His squad compiled a two-year record of 46-17 (.730) - 24-7 as a freshman and 22-10 as a sophomore. The Cubs captured their sixth straight league title. He is a graduate of Westchester High School in Los Angeles.

"He is an undersized, tough and quick forward," Bayno said. "He can really defend who is also a unselfish team player. He will do whatever it takes to win. He led Mike Miller's L.A. City team to a great season and is a overachiever."

UNLV RUNNIN' REBELS BASKETBALL
(recruiting class for the 1999-2000 season)

Name                  Pos. Hgt. Wgt.  Hometown/ SchoolMarcus Banks           G   6-2  195   Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron-Memorial HSDanny Brotherson       G   6-3  210   Bunkerville, Nev./Utah Valley CollegeTrevor Diggs           G   6-3  180   Brooklyn, N.Y./Kilgore (Texas) CollegeSylvester Dotson       F   6-7  225   Detroit, Mich./Kilgore (Texas) CollegeKenny Dye              G   6-3  170   Arlington, Tenn./Connors State (Okla.) CollegeOscar Garcia           F   6-7  240   Leon, Spain/Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.)Mike Garrett           G   6-2  195   Santa Barbara, Calif./Fresno (Calif.) City CollegeDalron Johnson         F   6-9  230   Los Angeles, Calif./Verbum Dei High SchoolLouis Kelly            F   6-5  190   San Bernardino, Calif./San Bernardino Valley CollegeChris Popoola          F   6-6  215   Los Angeles, Calif./L.A. City College