Nov. 18, 2001
LAS VEGAS - After opening the season with a 74-69 win over Wisconsin on Saturday, the UNLV men's basketball team will remain home to take on Nicholls State on Tuesday, Nov. 20. The game is scheduled for a 7:35 p.m. tipoff at the Thomas & Mack Center (18,500). The game may be heard live in Las Vegas on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com with Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick calling the action. There is no telelvision for this game.
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Tues., Nov. 20Nicholls State at UNLV7:35 p.m. PST
Game at Thomas & Mack Center (18,500), Las Vegas, Nev., Game may be heard live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com
THE RUNNIN' REBELS
UNLV (1-0) is under new leadership in 2001-02 as Charlie Spoonhour was named head coach on March 29. UNLV returns nine players and welcomes seven new faces to this year's roster. Last year, the squad finished with an overall record of 16-13 and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-7 mark.
THE NICHOLLS STATE COLONELS
Nicholls State (0-1) lost to Mississippi State 95-59 in Starkville, Miss., Saturday night to open its season. The Colonels are coming off a 14-14 season and a second-place tie in the Southland Conference with a 12-8 mark. Head Coach Rickey Broussard is in his 12th year at NSU with a career head coaching record of 149-158 (.485). Nicholls State returns seven letterwinners and two starters off last year's team.
SERIES HISTORY
This game marks the first-ever meeting between Nicholls State and UNLV in men's basketball.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
Saturday, Dec. 1 vs. Georgia Southern is Take a Kid to the Game Night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Each kid ages 12-and-under will be admitted in the balcony level for free with each full price adult ticket purchased. Season ticket holders may reserve one seat in the plaza level for their child guest to sit in the "Rowdy Rebel Kids Section." Free plaza level tickets for season ticket holders are on a first-come first-served basis and only 250 are available. For more information, please call 895-UNLV.
UP NEXT
After Nicholls State, UNLV will travel to Cincinnati to meet the Bearcats on Saturday, Nov. 24. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 12:30 p.m. PST.
WISCONSIN IN REVIEW
In his Division I debut, Marcus Banks had 21 points as UNLV defeated Wisconsin 74-69 on Saturday to give new head coach Charlie Spoonhour a victory in the season opener for both teams. Dalron Johnson added 18 points, Lou Kelly 17 (career-high), and Chris Richardson 15 (career-high) for the Runnin' Rebels, who shot 56.4 percent from the field (31-of-55). Devin Harris led Wisconsin with 20 points. Kirk Penney scored 15 and Travon Davis added 11 for the Badgers, who also have a new head coach in Bo Ryan. The Rebels scored the first nine points of the game and held a double-digit lead through most of the first half. Wisconsin trailed 36-29 at the half, and cut the lead to four, 43-39, with 16:02 to play. But the Badgers missed their next nine shots as the Rebels built the lead to 51-41 with 9:45 remaining. Davis scored on a fast break and Harris hit two 3-pointers to cut a 12-point UNLV lead to 59-55 with 3:41 remaining. Johnson's two free throws put the Rebels up 61-55, but Davis converted another layup to bring the Badgers back to within four. Banks hit a 3-pointer with 2:33 left remaining to put the Rebels up 64-57. The Badgers never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
DIVISION I DEBUTS
Two Runnin' Rebels played their first NCAA Division I college basketball game on Saturday vs. Wisconsin. Marcus Banks scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, grabbed 6 rebounds, had 4 steals, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot and 5 turnovers in 38 minutes in his debut. Banks, a junior from Las Vegas, came to the Runnin' Rebels from Dixie College in St. George, Utah. Jamal Holden scored 2 points and had 5 rebounds in 11 minutes. Holden, a junior from Tulsa, Okla., came to the Runnin' Rebels from Westark College in Ark.
CAREER-HIGH SCORING
After only one game this season, two Runnin' Rebels have new career highs in scoring. Lou Kelly's 17 points vs. Wisconsin eclipsed his old career high of 16 at Colorado State on Feb. 3, 2001, and Chris Richardson's 15 points vs. Wisconsin eclipsed his old career high of 12 vs. Chicago State on Jan. 6, 2001.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Against Wisconsin, four Rebels scored in double figures (M. Banks 21, D. Johnson 18, Kelly 17, Richardson 15). In addition, out of the 8 Runnin' Rebels who saw playing time, 6 recorded at least 1 assist.
UNLV'S EXHIBITION GAMES
UNLV split its exhibition games this year defeating the EA Sports West All-Stars 96-68 and losing to the Global Sports All-Stars 73-69. The loss to Global Soprts was UNLV's first exhibition loss in its last 14 exhibition games.
FOR OPENERS
After defeating Wisconsin on Saturday, UNLV is now 34-10 all-time in season openers and is 26-4 when opening the season at home. The Rebels have never lost at the T&M in a season opener as they are 11-0. UNLV has won its season opener each of the last seven seasons.
OPENING WITH WISCONSIN - PART I
This season the UNLV men's basketball team opened with Wisconsin at home and next year the UNLV football team also opens with Wisconsin at home.
LAST YEAR
UNLV recorded an overall record of 16-13 and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-7 mark in 2000-01. The Runnin' Rebels were 12-3 at the Thomas & Mack Center, which included a streak of nine straight wins from Dec. 18 through Jan. 8. The team was led by two-time All-Mountain West Conference first-team selection Kaspars Kambala, who averaged 16.9 ppg and 9.1 rpg on the year. UNLV had two other players who averaged in double figures in scoring (Trevor Diggs: 14.1 and Dalron Johnson: 12.3). Head Coach Bill Bayno was reassigned on Dec. 12 and assistant Max Good was named head coach for the remainder of the season. Because of NCAA sanctions, the Runnin' Rebels were not eligible for postseason play, which included the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
MWC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK LAST YEAR
UNLV had three players selected as the Mountain West Player of the Week last year. They were Trevor Diggs (March 5), Jermaine Lewis (Jan. 29) and Kaspars Kambala (Nov. 29).
UNLV LAST YEAR IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
UNLV led the Mountain West conference in blocked shots with 5.48 per game and steals with 7.41 per game in 2000-01. UNLV was in the top half of the conference in the following other categories: scoring offense (second), rebounding offense (second), assists (second), turnover margin (fourth), offensive rebounds (second), 3-point field goals made (fourth), assist/turnover ratio (third), defensive rebounds (third).
NEW COACH - CHARLIE SPOONHOUR
UNLV has a new coaching staff this year. Charlie Spoonhour became the 12th head coach in Runnin' Rebel history on March 29. He came to UNLV after spending two years out of coaching. He didn't stray too far away from the game as he served in the media as an analyst on college basketball broadcasts. Prior to that he was the head coach at Saint Louis University for seven years. Before SLU, Spoonhour was head coach at Southwest Missouri State University for nine seasons. He has a 17-year Division I head coaching record of 320-171 (.652) and has led 11 teams to the postseason, including eight to the NCAA Touranment.
THE REST OF THE STAFF
UNLV also has three new assistant coaches. They are Deane Martin, Jay Spoonhour and Derek Thomas. UNLV has retained Dave Rice, who will serve this season as Director of Basketball Operations. Rice is in his ninth year on staff. Martin was most recently the associate head coach at Tennessee-Martin. Spoonhour (Charlie's son) was most recently head coach at Wabash Valley JC in Mt. Carmel, Ill., where he led the team to the junior college national championship with a record of 36-1 and was named the National Junior College Coach of the Year. Thomas was most recently with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.
UNLV ONLY MWC TEAM TO HAVE WINNING RECORD VS. EACH TEAM
The Runnin' Rebels are the only Mountain West Conference team with a better than .500 record all-time against the other seven members of the conference. Air Force (12-1), BYU (6-5), Colorado State (13-5), New Mexico (11-8), San Diego State (21-5), Utah (10-9), Wyoming (13-8).
UNLV BOASTS BEST HOME RECORD IN MWC
Out of the eight Mountain West schools, UNLV has the best all-time winning percentage on its home court. UNLV is 243-42 (.853) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah is second at .815 (383-87).
IN OVERTIME
UNLV is 35-17 (.673) all-time in overtime games. Last season, UNLV was 1-2 in overtime games. Additionally, UNLV is 28-14 in single overtime games, 5-3 in double overtime and 2-0 in triple overtime. The Runnin' Rebels have a record of 6-3 in overtime games at the Thomas & Mack Center.
MOVIN' UP THE CHART
With 103 blocked shots for his career, Dalron Johnson is No. 6 on the all-time Runnin' Rebel blocked shot list. Stacey Augmon is No. 5 with 128.
UNLV IS 31-5 IN LAST 36 GAMES AT THE MACK'
The Runnin' Rebels are in their 19th season in the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV has posted an all-time record of 243-42 (.853) in the arena since it opened in 1983. This year, the Runnin' Rebels are 1-0 at home. They were 12-3 at home in 2000-01 and were 18-2 during the 1999-00 season, so UNLV has won 31 of its last 36 games at home. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 17 times and the 42 losses has been by an average of 7.9 points (330 total points).
RUNNIN' REBELS ON THE AIR
All Runnin' Rebel games are carried live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and on the internet at UNLVRebels.com. Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick are in their 10th season calling Runnin' Rebel basketball. Broadcasts will start one-half hour prior to the beginning of each game with the pregame show and the postgame show will feature a live interview with head coach Charlie Spoonhour followed by fan call-ins. The broadcasts are also available inside the Thomas & Mack Center by tuning to 99.5 FM. The fan call-in number is (702) 876-8585.
UNLV SPORTS NETWORK
For the first time Runnin' Rebel games will be heard on a regional network of stations. ESPN Regional at UNLV and Lotus Broadcasting have teamed up with PV Radio and KZBZ Radio to help create the first-ever UNLV Sports Network, a seven station grouping that will reach across the state and into parts of Arizona, California and Utah. The stations are in Las Vegas (Network Flagship - 920 AM), Pahrump, Nev. (95.9 FM), Amargosa Valley, Nev. (96.7 FM), Beatty, Nev. (93.5 FM), Scotty's Junction, Nev. (94.3 FM), Death Valley, Calif. (91.1 FM) and Pioche, Nev. (98.9 FM - Lincoln County and most of Southern Utah).
COACH'S SHOWS
"Game Time with UNLV Hoops" television show will be shown Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on Las Vegas One (cable channels 1 and 39) and on KLAS TV-8 at 11:30 p.m. (begins Nov. 25) The show is hosted by Chris Maathuis and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour. (no show is scheduled for 12/30)
"The Charlie Spoonhour Radio Show" may be heard live Tuesdays (first show is scheduled for Wed., 11/21 - Tuesdays after first show) from the ESPN Zone at New York-New York Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The show airs from 7-8 p.m. on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and may be heard on the internet at UNLVRebels.com on an archived basis. (no show is scheduled for 11/27, 12/25, 1/1, 1/15 and 2/5) It is hosted by Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets as well as individual game tickets are available for the 2001-02 season. Individual game balcony tickets are priced at $15 and $12 with the exception of the Las Vegas Showdown on Dec. 22. Tickets for that event on the balcony level are $22. Individual game seats on the plaza level for men's basketball will go on sale only 24 hours prior to each game. Those tickets are $25 for all games except the Las Vegas Showdown on Dec. 22. Tickets for that event on the plaza level are $28. Also on sale are Family Four Packs, which include 4 balcony level tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 popcorns, and 4 sodas, all for $56. Family Four Packs are available for all games except the Las Vegas Showdown. Family Four Packs are only available for purchase at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office. Individual game tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, at all Tickets.com locations, by calling Tickets.com at (888) 464-2468, and by logging onto UNLVRebels.com. For more ticket information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.
LUNCHEONS
UNLV Sports Marketing luncheons featuring Charlie Spoonhour will be held at the Si Redd Room at the Thomas & Mack Center. The first luncheon was held on Nov. 15 and the remaining are scheduled for Dec. 18, Jan. 23, Feb. 14 and March 5. Luncheons begin at noon and are $10 for the public. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Andy Grossman. For more information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.
REBELS ON TV
UNLV is scheduled to appear on television at least 17 times this season. The Runnin' Rebels are scheduled to appear on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+plus, ABC, SportsWest and ESPN Regional at UNLV.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The 2001-02 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championship will be played Thursday-Saturday, March 7-9, 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 third year that the MWC Tournament will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and the sixth straight year a conference tournament will be played at the TMC (The WAC held its championship at the TMC from 1997-99).
44 YEARS OF BASKETBALL
The 2001-02 year marks the 44th season of Runnin' Rebel basketball at UNLV. Since the program's inception in 1958-59, the Runnin' Rebels have posted an all-time record of 913-351 (.722). In 1969-70, UNLV made the move to Division I and has since posted a record of 726-247 (.746) while competing at that level. In addition, UNLV has an all-time mark of 878-329 (.727) against Division I competition.
"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 476 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 3,134-of-8,669 (.362) 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 493. 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 529 of the 540 games in which the rule was used. In the 540 total games, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .363 from this distance while sinking 3,328-of-9,174 attempts. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games scoring a 3-point field goal. Prior to the beginning of the 2001-02 season, Vanderbilt was No. 2 on the list, three behind UNLV.
UNLV ON THE WEB
The four-year-old UNLV athletics web site www.UNLVRebels.com was re-launched in 2000 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.
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 692#. The Runnin' Rebel release code is 1906, the stats code is 1908 and the previous game box code is 1909.
