Feb. 5, 2001

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball team continues to look for its first road conference win of this season as it travels to Laramie, Wyo., to face Wyoming on Saturday, Feb. 5. The game, which will be held at Arena Auditorium (15,028) at 9:00 p.m. PST, will be televised live nationally on ESPN with Bob Carpenter and Jimmy Dykes calling the action. The game may be heard live on ESPN 920 AM in Las Vegas and on the internet worldwide at www.unlvrebels.com with Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick.

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Sat., Feb. 5UNLV at Wyoming9:00 p.m. PST

Game at Arena Auditorium (15,028), Laramie, Wyo., Game may be seen live nationally on ESPN, Game may be heard live on ESPN 920 AM in Las Vegas and on the internet worldwide at www.unlvrebels.com.

THE RUNNIN' REBELS

UNLV (12-9, 3-3 Mountain West Conference) is coming off an 80-55 loss at Colorado State on Satuday. UNLV is 3-0 in MWC play at home and 0-3 on the road. Before the CSU game, UNLV had won its last two conference games (80-72 at home vs. New Mexico and 82-72 at home in overtime vs. San Diego State). Sandwiched in the middle of those two games was a road contest at then-No. 10 Georgetown (a 79-62 loss). The Runnin' Rebels have won their last eight games at the Thomas & Mack Center and have a 10-1 mark this year in the building. UNLV has won 28 of its last 31 games at the Thomas & Mack Center. Before defeating New Mexico on Jan. 22, UNLV was swept in its first conference road trip of the year with losses to Utah (79-70) and BYU (91-63). The loss to Utah snapped a seven-game winning streak. UNLV has won nine of its last 13 games overall, but has lost two of its last three and four of its last six games. The Runnin' Rebels are led by All-America candidate Kaspars Kambala, who is averaging 16.6 ppg and 9.4 rpg. UNLV has three other players averaging in double figures in scoring (Trevor Diggs: 12.8, Dalron Johnson: 12.3 and Jermaine Lewis: 10.9). UNLV captured 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. Mark Dickel, the nation's top assist man last year, is UNLV's most notable loss from the 1999-00 team.

THE OPPONENT

Wyoming (15-4, 6-1 Mountain West Conference) is coming off a 101-66 win over San Diego State on Saturday. Wyoming's only conference loss came at Utah (83-71) to open the conference season. Wyoming is 3-0 in conference at home and 3-1 on the road. The Cowboys have won six straight games. UW is led by Marcus Bailey, who is first in the MWC in scoring with 17.5 ppg. Josh Davis is averaging 12.8 ppg and Uche Nsonwu-Amadi is averaging 11.6 ppg. Davis leads the team and the MWC in rebounding with 9.7 per game. Nsonwu-Amadi is second on the team and third in the conference in rebounding with 8.6 per game. Head Coach Steve McClain is in his third year at Wyoming and as a head coach overall with a career mark of 52-26. Wyoming was 19-12 last season overall and finished tied for fourth in the MC at 8-6.

SERIES HISTORY

UNLV leads the all-time series with Wyoming 11-8. The two teams met three times during 1999-00 with UNLV winning two of the three. UNLV lost at Wyoming (109-98) on Jan. 31 and UNLV won at home (87-60) on Feb. 12. In the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament, UNLV won (97-92) on Mar. 10. UNLV has won the last two meetings and has won four of the last six and eight of the last 11 dating back to 1982. UNLV is 9-1 vs. Wyoming in Las Vegas and 1-7 vs. the Cowboys in Laramie. The two teams have played one game on a neutral court with UNLV coming out as the winner.

RUNNIN' REBELS HAVE WON 9 OF LAST 13

UNLV had a seven-game winning streak snapped at Utah on Jan. 13. UNLV has now won nine of its last 13 games, but has lost two of its last three and four of its last six. The seven-game streak tied last year's longest streak of seven straight wins from Feb. 22 to Mar. 11, which culminated with the MWC Tournament Championship. UNLV also won seven straight during the 1996-97 and 1992-93 seasons. The last time UNLV won more than seven games in a row was in 1991-92 when it won its last 23 games.

UNLV IN THE SECOND HALF

Over the Runnin' Rebels last nine wins, they outscored their opponents 408-305 in the second half. Over that stretch, UNLV outscored its opponents 321-294 during the first half. UNLV scored an average of 11.4 more points in the second half than its opponents compared to an average of 3.0 over the first half.

UNLV VS. RANKED TEAMS

When UNLV faced then-No. 10 Georgetown on Jan. 25, it marked the third time this season that UNLV has faced a ranked team. UNLV lost to then-No. 8 Illinois in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 20 and to then-No. 18 Cincinnati in the Las Vegas Showdown on Dec. 16 in its other games vs. ranked teams. The last time UNLV defeated a ranked team was last year against Utah when the Utes were ranked No. 19. UNLV won that game 72-66 on Feb. 5, 2000 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST

UNLV leads the Mountain West conference in blocked shots with 5.48 per game and steals with 7.71 per game (tied with Air Force). UNLV is in the top half of the conference in the following other categories: scoring offense (second), rebounding offense (second), assists (fourth), turnover margin (third), offensive rebounds (second), defensive rebounds (fourth) and three-pointers made (fourth).

100TH CAREER WIN

With the win at Old Dominion, UNLV Head Coach Max Good recorded his 100th career win as a Division I head coach. He currently has 105.

100 POINTS

The 101 points scored vs. Alaska-Anchorage marked only the third time UNLV had broken the 100-point barrier in the last six seasons. UNLV scored 104 points last season vs. Cal Poly and scored 103 points during 1998-99 against Sacred Heart. The last time UNLV scored 100 or more points before that was during the 1994-95 season.

100 POINTS II

The 106 points scored vs. Chicago State was the second time this season that UNLV scored more than 100 points in a game. The last time UNLV had two games of scoring over 100 points in the same season was during 1992-93 when it had five. The 106 points is the most scored by a UNLV team since it scored 110 at UNR during the 1992-93 season.

900TH WIN

With the victory over Alaska-Anchorage, UNLV recorded its 900th win in program history. The program has now won 908 games.

LEWIS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK ON JAN. 29

Jermaine Lewis was named the Mountain West Conference's Player of the Week on Jan. 29. It marked UNLV's second player of the week this season. Lewis averaged 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals over a three-game stretch. He shot 56.8 percent from the field (21-of-37) and 52.6 percent from three-point range (10-of-19) for the week. Lewis scored a career-high 24 points vs. New Mexico and scored 22 points vs. SDSU.

KAMBALA NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK ON NOV. 27

Kaspars Kambala was named the Mountain West Conference's Player of the Week on Nov. 27. Kambala scored 90 points with 37 rebounds in four games from Nov. 20-25. He shot an amazing 92 percent from the free throw line (34-of-37), which included 21-of-22 vs. Louisville. It marked the fifth time in his career that he earned conference Player of the Week honors. Last season, he won the award three times.

UNLV IS ONLY MOUNTAIN WEST TEAM WITH .500 OR BETTER

The Runnin' Rebels are the only Mountain West Conference team with a .500 or better record all-time against the other seven members of the conference. Air Force (11-1), BYU (5-5), Colorado State (13-4), New Mexico (11-7), San Diego State (21-4), Utah (10-8), Wyoming (11-8).

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 240-40 (.857) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah is second at .815 (378-86).

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 tied 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.

KAMBALA FROM CHARITY STRIPE

Kaspars Kambala is currently shooting .729 from the free throw line this season. He made his first 26 free throws to start the year! He stands at 97-of-133, which includes 21-of-22 in one game vs. Louisville. He made his first 18 free throw attempts of the game 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. His 21 makes and 22 attempts in one game are both MWC records. 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). Kambala has gone to the free throw line 74 more times than any other Runnin' Rebel this season.

IN OVERTIME

After defeating San Diego State in overtime, UNLV is 35-17 (.673) all-time in overtime games. This season, UNLV is 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.

KAMBALA RECORDS 35TH CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Runnin' Rebel senior Kaspars Kambala recorded his 35th career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Georgetown. It marked his seventh of the season. His others were 12 points and 13 rebounds at Utah, 24 points and 15 rebounds vs. Chicago State, 22 points and 16 rebounds at Old Dominion, 10 points and 12 rebounds vs. Cal State Northridge, 39 points and 15 rebounds vs. Chaminade and 18 points and 14 rebounds vs. Northern Arizona. 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.

DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING

With only nine points vs. Oklahoma State, Kaspars Kambala had his streak of 16 consecutive games scoring at least 10 points snapped. The last time he didn't score 10 or more points in a game before the Oklahoma State matchup was on Feb. 10, 2000 at Colorado State when he had only six points. Kambala then scored in double figures in nine straight games before scoring only two points at BYU. He has scored in double figures in 28 of his last 31 games. Jermaine Lewis had scored in double figures in eight straight games before having his streak broken vs. Pepperdine.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE

Dalron Johnson is leading the team in blocks with 47 on the season. That is 28 more than any other Runnin' Rebel. He is currently averaging 2.5 blocks per game and is second in the MWC.

3-POINT SHOOTER

Jermaine Lewis is leading the team with a 3pt-shooting percentage of .389 (35-of-90). He is second on the team in 3-point makes behind Trevor Diggs (39). He is seventh in the Mountain West Conference in three-pointers made and 10th in three-point percentage. He recorded his best game against New Mexico as he was 5-of-5 from three-point land.

GREAT FG PERCENTAGE

Kaspars Kambala leads the team in shooting percentage as he is .557 (118-of-212) from the field this season. He ranks fourth in the MWC.

FOR OPENERS

After its season-opening win over Northern Arizona, UNLV is 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.

FOR CONFERENCE OPENERS

After its conference-opening win over Air Force, UNLV is now 19-6 all-time in conference openers and 10-3 when opening the conference season at home. UNLV is 9-2 in conference openers at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV IN THE NCAA

Through the Jan. 29 NCAA statistics, Kaspars Kambala is tied for 28th in scoring nationally and Dalron Johnson is tied for 30th in blocked shots.

MOVIN' UP THE CAREER SCORING CHART

Kaspars Kambala currently has 1,559 points for his career, which puts him 12th on the all-time career UNLV scoring chart. Larry Johnson is the next one on the list at No. 11 with 1,617 career points. So far this season, Kambala has passed J.R. Rider (previously 12th with 1,372), Glen Gondrezick (previously 13th with 1,311), Greg Anthony (previously 14th with 1,301), Lewis Brown (previously 15th with 1,289) and Jackie Robinson (previously 16th with 1,258). Kambala started off the year at No. 17 with 1,226.

MOVIN' UP THE CAREER FREE THROWS CHART

Kaspars Kambala has made 453 free throws for his career, which puts him at No. 3 on the all-time career UNLV chart. Silas Stepp is No. 2 at 497. Kambala has already jumped over Bob Florence (previously third with 432), Armon Gilliam (previously fourth with 429), Sidney Green (previously fifth with 423), Stacey Augmon (previously sixth with 400), Eddie Owens (previously seventh with 395), Freddie Banks (previously eighth with 366) and Larry Johnson (previously ninth with 363). Kambala started the year at No. 10 with 356.

MOVIN' UP THE CAREER REBOUNDING CHART

Kaspars Kambala has 855 career rebounds, which puts him at No. 6 on the all-time career UNLV chart. Armon Gilliam is No. 5 with 890. Kambala has jumped over Larry Johnson (previously sixth with 837), Glen Gondrezick (previously seventh with 831) and Jackie Robinson (previously eighth with 669) this season. Kambala started the year at No. 9 with 667.

CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS CHART

Dalron Johnson is 10th on the all-time UNLV career blocked shot list. Johnson has 90 for his career. Armon Gilliam is No. 9 with 91. This season, Johnson has passed up the previous No. 10 on the list, Jarvis Basnight, who had 71 for his career.

CAREER THREE-POINTERS CHART

Trevor Diggs has made 111 career three pointers at UNLV, which puts him at No. 9 on the all-time UNLV career chart. Sunshine Smith is No. 8 with 128. This season, Diggs has passed up Clayton Johnson (previously ninth with 104) and Stacey Augmon (previously 10th 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 240-40 (.857) in the arena since it opened in 1983. The Runnin' Rebels were 18-2 in the building last season and had a 12-game home winning streak snapped by Cincinnati on Dec. 16. UNLV has since won its last eight games in the T&M. UNLV has now won 28 of its last 31 games at home. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 17 times and the 40 losses has been by an average of 7.9 points (316 total points).

REBELS HAD 12-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK SNAPPED

UNLV had a 12-game home win streak going into its game vs. Cincinnati. The loss to UC snapped the Runnin' Rebels streak. UNLV's last loss at the Thomas & Mack Center before Cincinnati was to BYU (77-75) on Jan. 10, 2000. UNLV has since won its last eight games at the T&M.

INJURY UPDATE

Dalron Johnson sprained his right ankle in the Georgetown game and missed both the SDSU and CSU games. He is listed as day-to-day.

RICHARDSON BACK

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 which made him ineligible to compete. The NCAA notified UNLV athletic officials that after sitting out 30 percent of the team's contests he would have his eligibility restored. After missing last season's NCAA Tournament's first round game vs. Tulsa and the first seven games of this season, Richardson satisfied the suspension and is again eligible. He first played against Cincinnati.

UP NEXT

Following the Wyoming game, UNLV will return home to the Thomas & Mack Center to host BYU on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 12:00 p.m.

NATIONAL HONORS

Kaspars Kambala had some bigtime acknowledgments during the preseason. He was 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. He has recently been named a top 30 candidate for the John R. Wooden 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 Runnin' Rebel 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. The show is hosted by Chris Maathuis and features head coach Max Good. "The Runnin' Rebel Radio Show" may be heard live 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.

REBELS ON TV

UNLV is scheduled to appear on television 20 times this season. The Runnin' Rebels will be on ESPN four times (the Cincinnati, BYU and New Mexico games were shown on the network and the Wyoming game will be), ESPN2 three times (the Illinois game was on ESPN2), ESPN-plus twice (the Colorado State game was on ESPN+), SportsWest seven times (the Air Force and San Diego State games were on SW), ESPN Regional at UNLV three times (the Oklahoma State, UNR and Georgetown games were on ERT) and ABC (the Utah game was on ABC) once.

NCAA PLACES UNLV ON PROBATION

On Dec. 12, the NCAA announced sanctions against the UNLV men's basketball program. In response to the sanctions, the university relieved Bill Bayno of his head coaching duties. In addition to UNLV's self-imposed penalties, which the university announced on Sept. 22 in Dallas, the NCAA Committee on Infractions imposed the following penalties: 1) Four years of probation from Dec. 12, 2000, 2) No postseason for the 2000-01 season, 3) No exempted events for the 2001-02 season, 4) Further reduction in grants-in-aid by one for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 academic (Including the self-imposed penalty, the university will be limited to 11 total for each of those two years), 5) Further reduction in official paid visits by two during 2001-02 and 2002-03 (Including the self-imposed penalty, the university will be limited to eight official paid visits during each of those two years). UNLV has decided to appeal the postseason ban penalty only (no other penalty will be appealed). The hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7 in Chicago. For a complete sanctions report visit www.ncaa.org.

HEAD COACH MAX GOOD

Max Good was promoted to head coach of the UNLV basketball program after the university relieved former head coach Bill Bayno of his duties on Dec. 12 because of NCAA sanctions against the program. Good was in his second year as assistant coach when he was elevated. Prior to joining the Runnin' Rebels staff, Good spent 10 seasons (1989-99) as the head coach at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Maine. He compiled an amazing 275-30 (.902) record that included five New England Prep School Athletic Conference Championships. The NEPSAC is considered the top sub-college league in the country. Good also boasts 87 players who went on to play in Division I and seven NBA players. His extensive coaching background includes five seasons as the assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky (1976-81) before being named the head coach in 1981. He compiled an overall record of 96-129 (.427) in his eight years there. He enjoyed his best season in 1986-87 with a 19-11 record as he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year. He has an 9-5 record at UNLV and a career mark over nine years of 105-134.

FORMER HEAD COACH BILL BAYNO

Former Runnin' Rebel head coach Bill Bayno was in his sixth season as a head coach (all with UNLV) when he was relieved of his duties on Dec. 12. He posted a career record of 94-64 (.595). 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 qualified for the postseason each of the last four years and made the NCAA Tournament two of the last three years (1998, 2000). Bayno's Rebels 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.

COACHING STAFF

UNLV's assistant coaches are Dave Rice, Charles Cunningham and Bill Wuczynski. The Director of Basketball Operations is Mark Wade. Rice, who is in his eighth season, played on UNLV's 1990 National Championship team. Cunningham, who is in his first season with the Rebels, joined the program after three years at Minnesota. Wuczynski has been with the program since the 1994-95 season when he was a student manager. He was made director of basketball operations prior to the 1999-00 season. Wade played at UNLV from 1985-87 and is UNLV's all-time single-season assist leader as he compiled 406 in 1986-87 leading the Runnin' Rebels to the Final Four that year.

BAYNO FINISHES AT UNLV AS THIRD-WINNINGEST HEAD COACH

With his 94 career wins at UNLV, Bill Bayno is the third-winningest head coach by wins in program history. Tark is first with 509 and Roland Todd is second with 96.

"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 467 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 3087-of-8533 (.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 484. 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 520 of the 531 games in which the rule was used. In addition, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .363 from this distance while sinking 3281-of-9038 attempts. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games scoring a three-point field goal.

UPCOMING TICKET PROMOTIONS

Saturday, Feb. 10 vs. BYU is unused ticket day. Any fan with an unused ticket from the 2000-01 UNLV men's basketball season gets a free seat on the balcony level. Also, since Feb. 10 falls on a Saturday, all kids receive free admission on the balcony level. Every Saturday, kids are free on the balcony level.

TICKET INFORMATION

Season tickets may now be purchased for 50 percent off the regular price for every available seat in the Thomas & Mack Center starting as low as $62.50. 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. 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.

RUNNIN' REBEL LUNCHEONS

UNLV Sports Marketing luncheons featuring Max Good 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 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 692#. 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. UNLV is not eligible to compete because of the NCAA sanctions (UNLV is appealing). The champion will receive 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.

LAST YEAR - 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 was the most in Bayno's tenure as head coach and the most since the 1991-92 team was 26-2.