Nov. 24, 2000
LAS VEGAS - After recording a 1-2 record in the Maui Invitational and finishing seventh earlier this week, the Runnin' Rebels return home to the Thomas & Mack Center to face Cal State Northridge on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7:35 p.m. The game may be heard on ESPN 920 AM and on the internet at www.unlvrebels.com.
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Sat., Nov. 25Cal State Northridge at UNLV7:35 p.m. PST
Game at Thomas & Mack Center (18,500), Las Vegas, Nev., Game may be heard live on ESPN 920 AM in Las Vegas and on the internet at www.unlvrebels.com.
THE RUNNIN' REBELS
After opening the season with a home victory over Northern Arizona (81-60), UNLV (2-2) went to Maui and finished with a 1-2 mark for seventh place ealier this week. The Runnin' Rebels lost to No. 8 Illinois 74-69, Louisville 86-85 in overtime and then defeated Chaminade 90-78. The Runnin' Rebels are led by All-America candidate Kaspars Kambala, who is averaging 24.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg. He scored 80 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 25 rebounds in three games at the Maui Invitational. The Rebels have three other players averaging in double figures in scoring (Trevor Diggs: 14.8, Jermaine Lewis: 13.5, and Omari Pearson: 11.0). The Runnin' Rebels received 2 votes in the AP poll this week. UNLV has high expectations in 2000-01 after capturing the inaugural Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament championships last season. The Runnin' Rebels finished 23-8 overall last year, which included their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last three years and their fourth straight postseason appearance. The team recorded a 10-4 mark in the Mountain West, which tied for first place. The team won both of its exhibition games this season, a 94-80 victory over the Delta Jammers on Nov. 7 and a 91-79 win over the L.A. Stars on Nov. 10. This year's squad returns nine letterwinners and four starters, while losing only three letterwinners and one starter. Mark Dickel, the nation's top assist man last year, is UNLV's most notable loss from the 1999-00 team.
THE OPPONENT
Cal State Northridge (2-0) opened the season with a 90-73 home win over Howard and recorded a 78-74 upset win at No. 15 UCLA on Tuesday. The Matadors have four players averaging double figures in scoring and are led by Jeff Parris with with 23.0 ppg. Brian Heinle is leading the team in rebounding with 7.0 per game. CSUN returns 11 letterwinners and four starters of the 1999-00 squad that went 20-10 overall and 10-5 in the Big Sky Conference to finish fourth. The Matadors are coached by Bobby Braswell, who is in his fifth year at Northridge and overall with a mark of 65-53. CSUN received one vote in the AP poll this week.
FOR OPENERS
After last Friday's win over Northern Arizona, UNLV is now 33-10 all-time in season openers and is 25-4 when opening the season at home. The Rebels have never lost at the T&M in a season opener as they are 10-0. UNLV has won its season opener each of the last six seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
UNLV has never lost to Cal State Northridge in the nine times they have played. UNLV won the last meeting 61-59 in Las Vegas on Nov. 23, 1996. UNLV is 8-0 vs. CSUN at home and 1-0 on the road.
A TOUGH SCHEDULE
UNLV will face arguably one of the toughest schedules in program history during the 2000-01 season. The Runnin' Rebels have already faced one AP Top 25 team in Illinois and are scheduled to face two more in Utah (twice) and Cincinnati. UNLV has an additional five opponents that are receiving votes (Georgetown, Wyoming, BYU, Pepperdine, Cal State Northridge).
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
After recording 80 points and 25 rebounds in three games at the Maui Invitational, UNLV's Kaspars Kambala was selected to the all-tournament team. No individual scored more points than Kambala during the 2000 Maui Invitational. Also selected to the team were Illinois' Frank Williams and Marcus Griffin along with Arizona's Jason Gardner and Michael Wright (MVP). Kambala was 21-of-22 from the free throw line vs. Louisville, which set the tournament record for most free throws made. The old mark was 14 by Todd Lichti of Stanford in 1987 vs. Baylor. Kambala was 24-of-41 from the field and 32-of-34 from the free throw line for the tournament.
KAMBALA PUTS HIS NAME ON UNLV'S SINGLE-GAME SCORING CHART
Runnin' Rebel senior Kaspars Kambala recorded a career-high 37 points vs. Louisville, which ties him for the 27th best single-game individual point performance in UNLV history. Kambala was 8-of-10 from the field and 21-of-22 from the free throw line. Kambala's previous career-high for points was 32, which he set at New Mexico last season.
PUT HIM ON THE CHARITY STRIPE
Kaspars Kambala is shooting .947 from the free throw line this season. He made his first 26 free throws of the season! He stands at 36-of-38, which includes 21-of-22 vs. Louisville. He made his first 18 free throw attempts vs. Louisville before missing to set the UNLV record for consecutive free throws made in a game. The old UNLV mark of 15 was set by Eddie Owens vs. San Diego State on Dec. 11, 1976. If he hadn't missed a free throw vs. Louisville he would have eclipsed the UNLV single-game free throw percentage record set by Larry Johnson (12-of-12) vs. North Carolina State on Feb. 3, 1990. He was one make shy of tying the UNLV record for most free throws made in a game: 22 by Elburt Miller in 1966, and one make shy of starting off the season with 27 straight, which is the UNLV consecutive free throw mark for a season set by Robert Smith (Dec. 1 through Dec. 22) in 1976. He did break the Maui Invitational record for made free throws in a game set by Todd Lichti of Stanford in 1987 vs. Baylor (14).
IN OVERTIME
After losing to Louisville in overtime, UNLV is now 34-16 (.680) all time in overtime games. Additionally, UNLV is 27-13 in single overtime games, 5-3 in double overtime and 2-0 in triple overtime. The Runnin' Rebels have a record of 5-3 in overtime games at the Thomas & Mack Center.
KAMBALA RECORDS 30TH CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Runnin' Rebel senior Kaspars Kambala recorded his 30th career double-double with 39 points and 15 rebounds vs. Chaminade. He also had one vs. Northern Arizona in the season opener with 18 points and 14 rebounds (his 29th career double-double). Prior to this season beginning, Kambala ranked third among active Division I players in career double-doubles (research provided by Stats, Inc.). As of Nov. 13, Maryland-Baltimore County's Kennedy Okafor had 33, Notre Dame's Troy Murphy had 32, while Kambala and Murray State's Isaac Spencer had 28.
MOVIN' UP THE CAREER SCORING CHART
Kaspars Kambala currently has 1,324 points for his career, which puts him 13th on the all-time career UNLV scoring chart. J.R. Rider is 12th with 1,372. So far this season, Kambala has passed Glen Gondrezick, previously 13th, Greg Anthony (14th), Lewis Brown (15th) and Jackie Robinson (16th). Kambala started off the year at No. 17.
MOVIN' UP THE CAREER FREE THROWS CHART
Kaspars Kambala currently has made 392 free throws for his career, which puts him 8th on the all-time career UNLV chart. Eddie Owens is seventh at 395 and Stacey Augmon is sixth at 400. Kambala has already jumped over Larry Johnson (previously ninth) and Freddie Banks (previously eighth). Kambala started the year at No. 10.
MOVIN' UP THE CAREER REBOUNDING CHART
Kaspars Kambala currently has 706 rebounds, which puts him eighth on the all-time career UNLV chart. Glen Gondrezick is seventh at 831. Kambala has jumped over Jackie Robinson, who was previously eighth with 669. Kambala started the year at No. 9.
ALMOST THERE
Trevor Diggs currently has made 84 career three pointers at UNLV, which puts him 13 away from tying Stacey Augmon, who is 10th on the all-time UNLV career chart with 97.
RUNNIN' REBELS AT THE 'MACK
The Runnin' Rebels are playing their 18th season in the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV has posted an all-time record of 231-39 (.856) in the arena since it opened in 1983. The Runnin' Rebels were 18-2 in the building last season and currently hold an 11-game win streak at the T&M. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 17 times and the 39 losses has been by an average of 7.6 points (298 total points).
REBELS RIDING 11-GAME HOME WIN STREAK
UNLV currently owns an 11-game home win streak. UNLV's last loss at the Thomas & Mack Center was to BYU (77-75) on Jan. 10, 2000.
RUNNIN' REBELS WITH VOTES
This week, UNLV is receiving votes in both polls. The Runnin' Rebels received six votes in the ESPN/USA Today Poll and two in the AP poll. That puts them 56th and 49th in the nation respectively.
INJURY UPDATE
Lou Kelly will likely be out of action until at least Jan. 1 because of a broken right foot. Kelly was diagnosed as fracturing the third metatarsal on Monday, Nov. 13. Last season, Kelly fractured the fifth metatarsal on the same foot during the Jan. 17 game vs. UNM and missed the remainder of the season. The two injuries are unrelated.
RICHARDSON INELIGIBLE
On Nov. 9, the Division I Committee on Infractions made a finding of a violation of NCAA ethical conduct against Chris Richardson in association with UNLV's infractions case. The University is appealing to restore his eligibility.
UP NEXT
UNLV will be back on the road after the Cal State Northridge game as it travels to Oklahoma City, Okla., for a neutral-site game vs. Oklahoma State at the Myriad Center on Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m. PST. The game will be televised live back to Las Vegas on ESPN Regional and may be heard live on ESPN 920 AM and on the internet at www.unlvrebels.com.
PRESEASON PUB
Kaspars Kambala has had some bigtime acknowledgments during the preseason. He has been named a Preseason Top 50 candidate for 2000-01 John R. Wooden Award All-American honors and was among the top 25 votegetters. In addition, he was named to the list of preseason candidates (one of 30) for the 2000-01 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year award.
RUNNIN' REBELS ON THE AIR
All Runnin' Rebel games will be carried live on ESPN 920 AM. Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick will call the action all season long. The pregame show will begin an hour before tipoff and the postgame show, which will last for approximately one hour, includes player interviews and fan call-ins. The broadcasts may also be heard inside the Thomas & Mack Center by tuning to 99.5 FM. In addition all broadcasts may be heard on the internet at www.unlvrebels.com.
COACH'S SHOWS
"Game Time with UNLV Hoops" television show will be shown every Sunday on KLAS TV-8 at 11:30 p.m. (begins Dec. 3). The show is hosted by Chris Maathuis and features head coach Bill Bayno. "The Bill Bayno Radio Show" may be heard live almost every Tuesday from Barley's Casino (4500 E. Sunset) at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN 920 AM with hosts Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick. The weekly show may also be heard on the internet at www.unlvrebels.com and features interviews and listener call-ins. Listeners are invited to call in to the show at (702) 365-9200. There is no show scheduled for Jan. 2 and Jan. 23.
REBELS ON TV
UNLV is scheduled to appear on television 20 times this season. The Runnin' Rebels will be on ESPN at least four times, ESPN2 three times (the Illinois game was on ESPN2), ESPN-plus twice, SportsWest seven times, ESPN Regional at UNLV three times and ABC once.
HEAD COACH BILL BAYNO
Runnin' Rebel Head Coach Bill Bayno is in his sixth season as a head coach (all with UNLV) with a career record of 93-62 (.600). Last season, Bayno led his team to a 23-8 overall record, a share of the regular season Mountain West Conference championship, the conference tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. For his efforts, he was honored with the Mountain West Conference Co-Coach of the Year award. Under Bayno, UNLV has qualified for the postseason each of the last four years and has made the NCAA Tournament two of the last three years (1998, 2000). Bayno's Rebels have also won the conference tournament two of the last three years (1998, 2000). He led the team to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and recorded his third 20-winner during the 1999-00 season. Bayno came to UNLV from Massachusetts where he served seven years as the associate coach under then-head coach John Calipari (former coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets).
COACHING STAFF
UNLV's assistant coaches are Dave Rice, Max Good and Charles Cunningham. Rice, who is in his eighth season, played on UNLV's 1990 National Championship team. Good, who is in his second season, came to UNLV after spending 10 years as head coach of Maine Central Institute (one of the nation's top prep schools). Cunningham, who is in his first season with the Rebels, joins the program after three years at Minnesota.
BAYNO 7 WINS SHY OF 100 CAREER
With seven more wins, Bill Bayno will have 100 career victories as a head coach. He currently is third in wins all-time for Runnin' Rebel coaches. Tark is first with 509, Roland Todd is second with 96 and Bayno has 93.
"THREE-POINT GOAL ..."
Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 445 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 2992-of-8223 (.364) shots from behind the arc. The Big West Conference experimented with the 3-point shot in the 1982-83, 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. During that period, UNLV connected from 3-point range in 53 of the 64 games (the 3-pointer was used in some non-conference games). The Runnin' Rebels sank 194-of-505 (.384) 3-point attempts during that time. The UNLV streak for games in which it sank at least one 3-point shot stands at 462. The last time the Runnin' Rebels failed to make at least one 3-pointer came against Long Beach State on Jan. 25, 1986. So, UNLV has sunk at least one shot from behind the arch in 498 of the 509 games in which the rule was used. In addition, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .365 from this distance while sinking 3186-of-8728 attempts. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games scoring a three-point field goal.
RUNNIN' REBELS THIRD WINNINGEST PROGRAM ALL-TIME
Entering the 2000-01 season, UNLV ranked as thethird-winningest program in NCAA history by percentage: 1. Kentucky 1771-548-1 .764 2. North Carolina 1755-623 .738 3. UNLV 870-328-0 .726 4. Kansas 1712-734 .700 5. UCLA 1466-632 .699
2000-01 MWC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
School (1st Place Votes) Points Preseason All-MWC TeamUtah (18) 233 Terrell Lyday (6-3, Sr., G), BYUWyoming (7) 207 Mekeli Wesley (6-9, Sr., F), BYUUNLV (6) 199 Kaspars Kambala (6-9, Sr., F.C.), UNLVBYU (1) 178 Josh Davis (6-8, Jr., F/C), WyomingNew Mexico 136 Ugo Udezue (6-8, Jr., F/C), WyomingColorado State 90San Diego State 65 Preseason Top Returning PlayerAir Force 44 Kaspars Kambala (6-9, Sr., F.C.), UNLV
Preseason Top Newcomer Chris Burgess (6-9, Jr., F/C), Utah
CHAMINADE REVIEW (11/22)
Kaspars Kambala led all players with 29 points and 15 rebounds as UNLV defeated Chaminade during the Maui Invitational's third round 90-78. The win gave UNLV seventh place in the tournament. Jermaine Lewis and Trevor Diggs each added 16 points for the Runnin' Rebels (2-2), who shot .508 from the floor (31-of-61) and .455 from three point range (10-of-22). Lafonte Johnson added 14 points, while Omari Pearson in his first college game scored 11. UNLV held Chaminade (0-3) to .437 shooting (31-of-71) and .333 from three point range (5-of-15). UNLV recorded five blocks as a team to Chaminade's 1. The Runnin' Rebels scored 50 points in the second half, which was a season-high for most points in half. Chaminade was paced by C.J. Cowghills 19 points. Both teams had players in double figure scoring. UNLV took control of the contest in the second half, using a 20-7 run to give itself a 68-54 lead with 8:33 left. Chaminade cut the deficit to six points at 84-78 with 1:09 remaining, but the Runnin' Rebels went 6-of-6 from the free throw line over the final 51 seconds to take the win.
LOUISVILLE REVIEW (11/21)
Kaspars Kambala recorded a career-high of 37 points on 8-of-10 FG and 21-of-22 FT but it wasn't enough as Louisville defeated UNLV 86-85 in overtime in the second round of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday at Lahaina Civic Center. UNLV (1-2) shot .426 (26-of61) from the field compared to Louisville's .485 (32-of-66). Louisville (2-1) outrebounded the Runnin' Rebels 44-33. UNLV shot only .263 from three point range (5-of-19), while Louisville made .400 (6-of-15). Louisville had five players score in double figures and UNLV had three. Marques Maybin scored 10 of Louisville's 12 overtime points to finish with 21 (Louisville's individual high). Louisville led 70-61 with 5:06 to play in regulation when UNLV went on a 13-4 run to force overtime. UNLV scored the final seven points in regulation. Kambala scored the first four points of overtime, but Maybin's four-point play tied the game with 3:56 left. Louisville took the lead for good at 86-85 with two free throws by Maybin with 54 seconds left. Dalron Johnson's 3-point attempt with four seconds left didn't fall. Kambala, who made his first 18 free throw attempts, set the tournament record for free throws, breaking Stanford's Todd Lichti's mark of 14 against Baylor in 1987. Johnson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh career double-double.
NO. 8 ILLINOIS REVIEW (11/20)
Frank Williams led all players with 22 points and 6 assists to lead No. 8 Illinois past UNLV 4-69 in the first round of the Maui Invational on Monday at Lahaina Civic Center. As a team, Illinois (2-0) shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) compared to UNLV's 43.9 percent (25-of-57). UNLV (1-1) lit it up from three point range (12-of-23), shooting 52.2 percent. Illinois was only 2-of-9 (22.2 percent). The Runnin' Rebels were led by Jermaine Lewis' 19 points (4-of-6 3pt). Kaspars Kambala added 14 points, but fouled out. Trevor Diggs scored 18 points (5-of-9 3pt). Illinois trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half but used runs of 9-0 and 11-0 to go into halftime tied at 36-36. Lewis's basket with 9:52 remaining tied the second half for the sixth time at 52-52 but Williams scored to give the Illini the lead for good. UNLV closed within two points on a layup by Lafonte Johnson but Illinois went on a 14-6 run to push its lead to 72-62 with 48 seconds left. Illinois outrebounded UNLV 42-31. The Illini had a total of three players in double figure scoring with Brian Cook recording a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Marcus Griffin added 15 points.
NORTHERN ARIZONA REVIEW (11/17)
Kaspars Kambala recorded his 29th career double-double as UNLV routed Northern Arizona 81-60 in both teams season opener at the Thomas & Mack Center. Kambala scored 18 points (7-of-11 FG), pulled down 14 rebounds and had 4 assists. Trevor Diggs also contributed 18 points (7-of-14 FG, 3-of-7 3pt), while adding 3 assists and 2 steals. Dalron Johnson added 15 points (7-of-14 FG) for UNLV (1-0). As a team, the Runnin' Rebels shot 49.2% (32-of-65) to NAU's 45.8% (22-of-48) from the field, recorded only 8 turnovers to the Lumberjacks' 18 and had 8 steals to NAU's 2. Northern Arizona (0-1) had four players in double figure scoring and was led by Casey Grundman's 14 points. UNLV held a 41-30 halftime advantage and outrebounded NAU for the game 35-31.
L.A. STARS REVIEW (11/10)
Five Runnin' Rebels scored in double figures as UNLV defeated the Los Angeles Stars 91-79 in its second and final exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Kaspars Kambala had a double-double by halftime with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. He ended up with 16 points (7-of-11 FG) and a game-high 13 rebounds. UNLV used a 14-1 run over a stretch of 3:50 in the first half to take a 25-17 lead and never looked back. The Runnin' Rebels went into halftime with a 49-30 lead, which turned out to be its biggest lead of the game. The Stars cut UNLV's lead to 9 points with 12:50 left in the game, but the Rebels stretched the lead back to 19 and cruised to the victory. Dalron Johnson led UNLV with 21 points (8-of-12 FG) and contributed 11 rebounds. Trevor Diggs, Jevon Banks and Sylvester Dotson all had 10 points. Banks led all players with 6 assists as UNLV recorded 25 total to the Stars' 9. The Runnin' Rebels shot 55.9 percent from the floor, while limiting the Stars to only 35.1 and recorded 54 rebounds to L.A.'s 41. The Stars were led by former Runnin' Rebel Warren Rosegreen's 17 points and 11 rebounds. Saipele Tuialii also scored 17 points. Reggie Manuel, another former Runnin' Rebel, scored 11.
DELTA JAMMERS REVIEW (11/7)
Kaspars Kambala scored a team-high 24 points and Chris Richardson added 16 as the UNLV Runnin' Rebels defeated the Delta Jammers 94-80 in an exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV led 48-43 with 17:55 left in the game when it went on an 11-2 run to take a commanding lead. The Rebels led by as many as 25 on their way to the 14-point victory. Dalron Johnson added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Runnin' Rebels. Kambala was an impressive 12-of-17 from the field to lead the Rebels. Troy McCoy led the Delta Jammers with a game-high 25 points, while Darnell McCullogh scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 10 boards.
KIDS NIGHT SATURDAY
Saturday night vs. Cal State Northridge, all kids 12-and-under receive free admission for balcony seats.
UPCOMING TICKET PROMOTIONS
On Dec. 18 vs. Alaska-Anchorage balcony seats are again 2-for-1 with a canned-food item. UNLV is participating once again in Toys for Tots. On Dec. 22 vs. Pepperdine admission is free when fans donate a toy at the gate.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets as well as individual game tickets are available for the 2000-01 season. Individual game tickets are priced at $15, $12, and $10 for balcony level. Plaza tickets, which are priced at $25, go on sale 24 hours prior to each game. Las Vegas Showdown tickets are priced differently at $22 for the balcony and $28 for the plaza. Runnin' Rebel tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center box office, all tickets.com locations and on the internet at www.unlvrebels.com. Group rates are available for groups of 20 or more. For all ticket information, call 895-UNLV.
UNLV ON THE WEB
The three-year-old UNLV athletics web site www.unlvrebels.com was re-launched this past May with an updated look and additional features to best serve fans and media interested in the Rebels. Originally launched in Nov. 1997, unlvrebels.com has steadily expanded in both content and usership but now boasts a new graphic design that elevates it to among the leaders in the industry. Designed for use by alumni, students, fans and media, the Rebels' home on the internet features in-depth, updated information 24 hours a day. The site features rosters, records, historical information and biographical sketches of players and coaches in addition to any and all results since the website first premiered.
BILL BAYNO LUNCHEONS
UNLV Sports Marketing luncheons featuring Bill Bayno will be held at the Si Redd Room in the Thomas & Mack Center. Media interested in attending should RSVP to UNLV SID Andy Grossman at (702) 895-3995. The remaining luncheons are scheduled for Dec. 13, Jan. 10, Jan. 31, Feb. 14 and Mar. 5. All luncheons begin at noon. For more information, call 895-UNLV.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews with UNLV men's basketball players and coaches may be arranged through SID Andy Grossman. Requests for interviews must be made at least 24 hours in advance by calling the UNLV sports information department at (702) 895-3995.
MEDIA TEAMLINK AND INFO CONNECTION
UNLV's release, statistics and latest box score are all available on the internet through www.mediateamlink.com. Media members may view documents on the internet or have the information e-mailed to them the moment it is updated. The service is free to all accredited members of the media. The same information is available on Info Connection and may be obtained by calling (770) 558-6000 from a fax machine. Media members without a PIN should call (770) 399-0096 to obtain one. The MWC's passcode is 922#. The Runnin' Rebel release code is 1906, the stats code is 1908 and the previous game box code is 1909.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The 2000-01 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championship will be played Thursday-Saturday, March 8-10, at the Thomas & Mack Center. All eight teams will compete in the tournament with the champion receiving the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the second year that the MWC Tournament will be played in the building and the fifth straight conference tournament to be played at the T&M (The WAC held its championship at the T&M from 1997-99).
LAST SEASON - INAUGURAL MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
UNLV compiled an overall record of 23-8 last season during the Mountain West Conference's inaugural season. The Runnin' Rebels were 10-4 in conference play and were the MWC co-champion with Utah. UNLV won the inaugural conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center with wins over San Diego State, Wyoming and BYU. UNLV was awarded with an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where it fell to Tulsa in the first round, 89-62. It marked the second time in the past three years that UNLV made the NCAA Tournament and won the conference tournament. (The Rebels won the WAC Tournament and made the big dance in 1998) UNLV won 20 games for the third time in the last four years and qualified for postseason for the fourth straight year. UNLV also won the conference championship in some form for the third straight year. UNLV won the 1998 WAC Tournament, was the 1999 WAC Mountain Division Regular Season Co-Champs and was the 2000 Mountain West regular season co-champs and the MWC Tournament champions.
WITH HONORS
When the 1999-00 season was over, UNLV had plenty of hardware to go around. Head Coach Bill Bayno won the Coach of the Year award along with Air Force's Reggie Minton. Kaspars Kambala was named first-team All-Mountain West, Mark Dickel was second-team, Trevor Diggs and Dalron Johnson were named to the all-newcomer team and Johnson was named Freshman of the Year along with Air Force's Tom Bellairs. Along with becoming the Mountain West Conference's first tournament champion, UNLV had three players named to the all-tournament team: Mark Dickel (MVP), Kaspars Kambala and Dalron Johnson.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Last year Kaspars Kambala captured the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week award three times, the most by any player in the league. Mark Dickel won the award twice.
20 WINS
UNLV notched its third 20-win season under head coach Bill Bayno over the last four seasons in 1999-00 (23-8). It also marked the 27th 20-win season in the 42 years of UNLV basketball. The 23 victories is the most in Bayno's five years as head coach and the most since the 1991-92 team was 26-2.
RUNNIN' REBEL PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl. Exp. Hometown/Previous School3 Trevor Diggs G 6-3 185 Sr. 1L Brooklyn, N.Y./Kilgore College5 D. Brotherson G 6-4 200 Sr. 1L Bunkerville, Nev./Utah Vall St10 Dalron Johnson F 6-9 205 So. 1L L.A., Calif./Verbum Dei HS12 Lafonte Johnson G 5-10 160 Fr. HS Baltimore, Md./Crispus Attucks 34 Kaspars Kambala F/C 6-9 250 Sr. 3L Riga, Latvia/Homestead HS
OFF THE BENCH
No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl. Exp. Hometown/Previous School1 Chris Popoola F 6-5 215 Sr. 1L Los Angeles, Calif./L.A. CC11 Jevon Banks G 6-0 160 Jr. TR Las Vegas, Nev./Texas Tech13 S. Dotson F 6-7 220 Sr. 1L Detroit, Mich./Kilgore College14 Donovan Stewart F 6-4 210 Sr. 3L Rialto, Calif./Cheshire Academy24 Vince Booker G 6-1 175 Jr. 1L Las Vegas, Nev./Cheyenne HS33 Jermaine Lewis G 6-4 190 Jr. TR Houston, Texas/Kilgore College55 Omari Pearson F 6-8 220 Fr. HS Maywood, Ill./Crispus Attucks
RUNNIN' REBELS RANK IN THE MWC
As of Nov. 22 here's how the Runnin' Rebels rank in the Mountain West Conference statistics:
Category Rank StatScoring Offense 3rd 81.2Scoring Defense 8th 74.5Scoring Margin 5th +6.8FT Percentage 3rd .716FG Percentage 7th .467FG Pct Defense 7th .4713PT FG Pct 4th .4153PT FG Pct Def 6th .327Reb Offense 6th 34.5Reb Defense 7th 39.0Reb Margin 7th -4.5Blk Shots 3rd 3.75Assists 5th 16.00Steals 5th 7.25TO Margin 3rd +2.75Ast/TO Ratio 5th 1.05Off Rebounds 4th 9.50Def Rebounds 6th 25.003PT FG Made 2nd 8.50
Category Player Rank StatScoring Kambala 1st 24.5 Diggs 11th 14.8 Lewis 18th 13.5Rebounding Kambala 3rd 9.8 Johnson, D. 6th 7.8 Lewis T14th 5.0Assists Diggs 9th 3.50FT Percentage Kambala 12th .947Steals Banks T7th 2.003PT FG Percent Johnson, L. 11th .538 Lewis 15th .4803PT FG Made Diggs T2nd 3.00 Lewis T2nd 3.00 Johnson, L. 14th 1.75Blk Shots Johnson, D. 2nd 2.25Ast/TO Ratio Diggs 11th 1.40Off Rebounds Kambala 2nd 3.50 Johnson, D. T6th 2.00Def Rebounds Kambala 3rd 6.25 Johnson, D. 7th 5.75
