March 11, 2002
LAS VEGAS - UNLV will be making its fifth postseason appearance in the last six seasons when it hosts Arizona State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday, March 12 at 8:03 p.m. PST at the Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) in Las Vegas. The game will be televised live to a national audience on ESPN2 with Bob Carpenter and Jimmy Dykes providing the commentary. 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.
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT - FIRST ROUND
Tues., Mar. 12Arizona State at UNLV8:03 p.m. PST
Game at Thomas & Mack Center (18,500), Las Vegas, Nev., Game televised live on ESPN2, 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 (20-10, 9-5 MWC) will be making its sixth appearance in the NIT. The Runnin' Rebels lost in the Mountain West Tournament's championship game to San Diego State 78-75 on Saturday. UNLV had won six straight games before Saturday's game. The Runnin' Rebels are 12-3 in their last 15 games and 9-2 in their last 11. UNLV is 16-3 at the Thomas & Mack Center this season and had a 10-game home win streak snapped in the MWC Tournament championship game. Dalron Johnson leads the team in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (7.0). Marcus Banks is second in scoring (15.9) and leads the team in assists (3.0). Lou Kelly is also averaging double figures in scoring (15.1). Last year, the squad finished with an overall record of 16-13 and placed fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-7 mark. UNLV was unable to compete in the postseason last year because of NCAA sanctions.
THE ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State (14-14, 7-11 Pac-10) lost to Arizona in the Pac-10 Conference Tournament's first round 73-56 on Thursday. The Sun Devils have lost their last four games and five of their last six. Each of their last six games were against ranked opponents. ASU finished seventh in the Pac-10 Conference and is 2-8 on the road this season. The Sun Devils are led in scoring by 6-9 senior forward/center Chad Prewitt (17.3), 6-2 junior guard Curtis Millage (13.2) and 6-10 junior forward Tommy Smith (11.7). Prewitt leads the team in rebounding (7.0), while Millage is the leader in assists (2.5). Head Coach Rob Evans is in his fourth season with Arizona State with a record of 60-59 (.504) and is in his 10th year overall as a head coach with a career mark of 146-140 (.511). Arizona State was 13-16 overall last year and did not play in the postseason.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State leads the all-time series with UNLV 2-0. The last meeting was a 79-70 Arizona State win on Dec. 5, 1998 at America West Arena in Phoenix. The first meeting was an 84-81 Sun Devil win on March 6, 1975 at the NCAA Tournament's west regional in Portland, Ore.
ROARING 20'S
The Runnin' Rebels win over Utah on Friday gave them their 20th win on the season. UNLV has won 20 or more games in a season 28 times in the 44-year history of Runnin' Rebel basketball. The last time UNLV won 20 or more games in a season was in 1999-00 when the team was 23-8. The 20 wins are the most by a Charlie Spoonhour coached team since he won 22 (22-11) at Saint Lous in 1997-98. Spoonhour's best season win total is 28 with Southwest Missouri State in 1986-87.
UNLV IN NIT PLAY
This will mark UNLV's sixth NIT in program history. UNLV has an all-time record of 6-6 (.500) in NIT play. UNLV's all-time NIT results follow:
Year Round Opponent W/L Score Location1999 1st Nebraska L 55-68 Lincoln, Neb.1997 1st Memphis W 66-62 Las Vegas, Nev.1997 2nd Hawaii W (ot) 89-80 Las Vegas, Nev.1997 3rd (qrtrfinal) Arkansas L 73-86 Fayetteville, Ark.1993 1st So. California L 74-90 Las Vegas, Nev.1982 1st Murray State W 87-61 Las Vegas, Nev.1982 2nd Tulane L 51-56 Las Vegas, Nev.1980 1st Washington W 93-73 Las Vegas, Nev.1980 2nd Long Beach St. W 90-81 Las Vegas, Nev.1980 3rd (qrtrfinal) St. Peter's W 67-62 Las Vegas, Nev.1980 4th (semifinal) Virginia L 71-90 New York, N.Y.1980 5th (consol.) Illinois L 74-84 New York, N.Y.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Ticket prices for the Tuesday NIT game are $25 for plaza level seats, $15 for balcony level and five dollars for UNLV students with valid ID. General public tickets will go on sale on Monday, March 11, at 10:00 a.m. and may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center box office or through tickets.com. Current UNLV men's basketball season ticket holders may purchase their 2001-02 season seat location until Monday at 5 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center box office only. The Si Redd room at the Thomas & Mack Center will open at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday for Scarlet and Gray Club and Rebel Hospitality Club members. Parking will be handled like a normal Runnin' Rebel home game.
NIT HISTORY AT THE THOMAS & MACK
The Thomas & Mack Center has hosted three NIT games. UNLV is 2-1 in those games with wins in 1997 over Memphis (66-62) and Hawaii (89-80 in ot), and the loss coming against USC (90-74) in 1993.
SPOONHOUR IN THE NIT
UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour has now led four teams to the NIT, advancing furthest in 1985-86 with Southwest Missouri State making the quarterfinals.
UP NEXT
If UNLV beats Arizona State, it would face the winner of South Carolina/Virginia at a site to be determined in the second round. The game would either be on March 18 or 19.
FIVE POSTSEASONS IN SIX YEARS
This is the Runnin' Rebels first NIT appearance since 1999 when they lost at Nebraska, 68-55, in the first round. With this invitation, UNLV has made the postseason five of the past six seasons (two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998 and 2000 and NIT appearances is 1997, 1999 and 2002).
SIX GAME WIN STREAK SNAPPED
UNLV had a six-game win streak heading into Saturday's Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game loss. The team had win streaks of three in a row, two other times this season. The six game streak was the longest of the year for the Runnin' Rebels. The last time UNLV had a win streak of longer than four games was last season, when it won seven straight.
10 GAME HOME WIN STREAK SNAPPED
UNLV had won 10 straight games at home before losing to San Diego State on Saturday. The Runnin' Rebels are 16-3 in the Thomas & Mack Center this season.
CLOSE CALLS
UNLV has not played a game that was decided by more than nine points in its last 12 games. In fact, during the last 12 games that the Runnin' Rebels have played, they have gone into overtime four times and have had six games decided by five points or less.
300TH GAME AT TMC
UNLV's game vs. New Mexico on Mar. 2 was its 300th game played at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV is now 258-45 (.852) all-time in the building.
THURSDAY GAME SETS THOMAS & MACK CENTER RECORD
When UNLV defeated New Mexico 120-117 in double overtime on Thursday, it set a new Thomas & Mack Center scoring mark. The 237 combined points represented the highest-scoring game in TMC history between two college teams. It broke the record of 217 set on Jan. 9, 1991, when UNLV downed Utah State 124-93.
UNLV PLAYS HIGHEST-SCORING GAME SINCE 1985
UNLV's 120-117 win over New Mexico was the highest-scoring game that it has been a part of since Jan. 2, 1985, when UNLV downed Utah State on the road, 142-140 in three overtimes.
UNLV'S HIGHEST-SCORING HOME GAME SINCE 1977
The win against New Mexico was the highest-scoring home game that UNLV has been a part of since a 135-106 win over Texas-Pan American on Feb. 17, 1977 in Las Vegas.
UNLV SCORES MOST POINTS SINCE 1991
UNLV's 120 points scored vs. New Mexico is the most it has scored since a 122-75 win at Long Beach State on Feb. 18, 1991.
UNM-UNLV GAME IS SIXTH-HIGHEST SCORING IN PROGRAM HISTORY
UNLV's 120-117 win over New Mexico was the sixth highest-scoring game in program history. The complete list follows:
Year Total Home/Away1985 282 UNLV 142, Utah State 140 (3OT) Away1976 275 UNLV 164, Hawaii-Hilo 111 Away1968 242 UNLV 126, Hiram Scott College 116 Home1977 241 UNLV 135, UT-Pan American 106 Home1976 240 UNLV 139, Northern Arizona 101 Home2002 237 UNLV 120, New Mexico 117 (2OT) Home
FEBRUARY SUCCESS
In the month of February, UNLV went 7-2. UNLV in the other months this season: March: 3-1, January: 3-3, December: 5-2, November: 2-2.
ALL-CONFERENCE
Three UNLV players earned all-conference honors this season. Dalron Johnson was named FirstTeam All-Mountain West Conference, Marcus Banks was Second Team All-Mountain West Conference and Lou Kelly was Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference. Banks was also selected as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
MORE AWARDS - SPOONHOUR EARNS COACH OF THE YEAR
UNLV Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour was named the 2002 United States Basketball Writers Association's District 8 Coach of the Year and Dalron Johnson was named to the All-District 8 team.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Dalron Johnson and Lou Kelly were both selected to the Mountain West Conference All-Tournament team. Other all-tournament team members: San Diego State's Al Faux and Randy Holcomb, and Wyoming's Marcus Bailey. Holcomb was named tournament MVP.
IN OVERTIME
UNLV is 39-18 (.684) all-time in overtime games and is 4-1 in overtime this season (80-79 win at San Diego State on Jan. 26, 84-81 loss at New Mexico on Feb. 5, 96-91 win at Colorado State on Feb. 18, 83-76 win at home vs. San Diego State on Feb. 23 and 120-117 double overtime win vs. New Mexico on Mar. 7). UNLV has played in five overtime games this season, which it has never done before. UNLV played in four overtimes in 1994-95. Last season, UNLV was 1-2 in overtime games. UNLV is 31-15 in single overtime games, 6-3 in double overtime and 2-0 in triple overtime. The Runnin' Rebels have a record of 8-3 in overtime games at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV has won its last three overtime games.
BANKS MAKES SINGLE-GAME SCORING LIST
Marcus Banks scored a career-high 36 points (34 of them in the second half) against San Diego State on Feb. 23. His 36 points puts him in a tie for the 36th most productive scoring night in UNLV men's basketball history. Additionally, only 16 Runnin' Rebel players have ever scored more than 36 points in a game. Banks' 36 points is the fourth-best individual point total in a game ever by a MWC player and is the highest individual point output in a game by a MWC player this season.
KELLY ALSO MAKES LIST
Lou Kelly scored a career-high 35 points against New Mexico on Thursday. His 35 points puts him in a tie for the 43rd most productive scoring night in UNLV men's basketball history. Kelly's 35 points set the record for most points by an individual in a game in MWC Tournament history.
JOHNSON SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Dalron Johnson scored his 1,000th career point at New Mexico on Feb. 5. With that, he became the 30th player in Runnin' Rebel history to score at least 1,000 career points. Johnson currently has 1,189 career points, which puts him at No. 20 on the all-time UNLV scoring chart. Booker Washington is No. 19 with 1,190, Tony Smith is No. 18 with 1,204 and Jackie Robinson is No. 17 with 1,258.
NO. 1 ALL-TIME
With 147 blocked shots for his career, Dalron Johnson is now the UNLV all-time career blocked shot leader. Elmore Spencer held the No. 1 spot since 1992 with 146 blocked shots. Johnson also has passed Stacey Augmon, Keon Clark, Richie Adams and George Ackles on the UNLV career blocked shot list this season.
BREAKING IN TO THE TOP 10?
Several Runnin' Rebels are relatively close to breaking into all-time UNLV top 10 lists. Marcus Banks has 63 steals on the year, so he needs seven more to be listed on the single-season steal list. Dalron Johnson has 46 blocked shots this year, so he needs eight more to be listed on the single-season blocked shot list. Johnson also has 627 career rebounds, so he needs 28 more to be listed on the all-time career rebound list. Lou Kelly has made 52 3-pointers this year, so he needs to make 11 more to be listed on the single-season 3-pointers made list.
TOUGH STRETCH
UNLV played five games over a span of 10 days from Feb. 9 to Feb. 18. The Runnin' Rebels went 4-1 over that period.
DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK
With only nine points vs. San Diego State on Feb. 23, Dalron Johnson's streak of scoring 10 or more points in a game ended at 19 straight. For the season, Johnson has scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games.
JEVON BANKS - ASSISTS TO TURNOVERS
Overall for the season, Jevon Banks has 61 assists to only 17 turnovers. But even more impressive is in conference games only, Banks had 31 assists to only 5 turnovers. That is a ratio of 6.2 to 1.
SHORT SHOT BLOCKER
Through games of Feb. 17, Lou Kelly was tied for 10th in the nation in blocked shots per game for players 6-foot-5 or shorter. Kelly was averaging 0.91 blocks per game. Short shot blocker stat provided by STATS, Inc.
500TH 3-POINT GAME
UNLV's win on Feb. 23 vs. San Diego State marked the 500th game that UNLV has played in since the NCAA adopted the 3-point goal in 1986-87. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games with a made 3-pointer at 505.
SIX PLAYERS SCORE 10 OR MORE
UNLV has had six players score in double figures in the same game twice this season. Six players scored 10 or more points vs. DePaul on Feb. 3 and vs. New Mexico on Mar. 7. UNLV has had three other games in which it has had five players score in double figures. Five Runnin' Rebels scored 10 or more points vs. UNR, at San Diego State and vs. Florida International. UNLV has had four players score 10 or more points in the same game eight other times this year.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
UNLV is 16-3 at home this year...is 13-1 when heading into the locker room ahead at halftime....is 12-1 when shooting a higher field goal percentage in a game than its opponent...is 11-1 when taking less shots in a game than its opponent...is 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field in a game...is 11-2 when taking less 3-point shots in a game than opponent...is 16-4 when going to the free throw line more in a game than its opponent...is 11-0 when outrebounding its opponent in a game...is 15-2 when recording more assists in a game than its opponent...is 17-4 when committing less fouls in a game than its opponent...is 6-0 when scoring 90 or more points in a game...is 11-1 when scoring 80 or more points in a game and 19-4 when scoring 70 or more...is 8-2 when limiting its opponent to less than 70 points in a game...is 10-3 in games decided by 4-9 points.
BLOCKED SHOT STREAKS
Dalron Johnson has had two separate streaks of 10 and eight games in which he blocked at least one shot in a game this season. He has blocked at least one shot in 27 of his last 33 games. Johnson is tied for No. 1 on UNLV's all-time blocked shot list. Last year he blocked at least one shot in 22 of his 27 games and during his freshman year he blocked at least one shot in 21 of 31 games, so for his career he has blocked a shot in 67 of 88 games. That is 76.1 percent of the games.
20 POINT CLUB
Three Runnin' Rebels have scored 20 or more points in a game this season a combined 29 times. Marcus Banks and Dalron Johnson have both had 10 20-plus point nights, while Lou Kelly has had nine. Marcus Banks and Lou Kelly are the only Runnin' Rebels to have scored 30 or more points in a game this season as Banks scored 36 vs. San Diego State and 31 vs. Old Dominion, while Kelly scored 35 vs. New Mexico on Mar. 7.
STEALING THE BALL
UNLV has recorded 116 more steals this year than its opponents. UNLV has recorded 299 steals to its opponents' 183. That is a 9.97 to 6.10 per game average. UNLV leads the Mountain West Conference in steals and has recorded almost two full steals more per game than Air Force, which is second with 8.14 per game. Five UNLV players are ranked in the top 13 in steals in the Mountain West Conference.
SHOOTING 50 PERCENT - 10-0
When UNLV shoots 50 percent or better from the field, it wins. The Runnin' Rebels are 10-0 in games in which they shoot over 50 percent. UNLV shot 56.4 percent vs. Wisconsin, 60.3 percent vs. Nicholls State, 52.4 percent vs. Nevada, Reno, 58.2 percent vs. Tennessee State, 52.5 percent at Air Force, 54.2 percent vs. Colorado State, 57.4 percent vs. DePaul, 54.4 percent vs. New Mexico, 54.8 percent vs. New Mexico in the first round of the MWC Tournament and 55.8 percent against Utah in the MWC Tourney semifinals. As a team after 30 games, UNLV is shooting 46.2 percent from the field.
BANKS WAS ON A ROLL
During a four game stretch from Dec. 20 through Dec. 30, Marcus Banks averaged 27.0 ppg, shot 58.3 (35-of-60) percent from the field and 60 (6-of-10) percent from 3-point range. In each of those four games, he set a new career-high in scoring (22, 26, 29, 31).
100 POINTS
For the fourth consecutive season, UNLV has scored 100 or more points in a game. UNLV scored 101 vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28 and 120 vs. New Mexico on Mar. 7. Last year, the Runnin' Rebels scored 100 or more points in a game three times.
RUNNIN' REBELS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST STATS
UNLV leads the MWC in three team statistical categories. UNLV is No. 1 in scoring with 78.1 ppg, steals with 9.97 per game and turnover margin at +3.67 (UNLV's opponents turn the ball over an average of 3.67 more times per game than the Rebels). Also, the Runnin' Rebels are second in assists with 14.87 per game, second in assist/turnover ration at 1.05 and third in free throw percentage at .711. Individually, Dalron Johnson is in the top five in the following categories: blocks (1st with 1.53 per game), scoring (2nd with 17.2 ppg), steals (3rd with 1.67 per game), free throw percentage (3rd with .853), and offensive rebounds (3rd with 2.57 per game). Other Rebels in the top five are Marcus Banks (1st in steals with 2.17 per game) and Chris Richardson (2nd in field goal percentage with .563).
UNLV IS 46-8 IN LAST 54 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 258-45 (.852) in the arena since it opened in 1983. This year, the Runnin' Rebels are 16-3 at home. They were 12-3 at home in 2000-01 and were 18-2 during the 1999-00 season, so UNLV has won 46 of its last 54 games at home. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 18 times and the 45 losses has been by an average of 7.8 points (352 total points).
SPOONHOUR WINS IN 500TH GAME
UNLV Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour coached his 500th game as a Division I head coach vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28. The win gave Spoonhour his 325th career win. Spoonhour is in his 17th season as a Division I head coach and has a career record of 339-181 (.652).
EVERYONE SCORES THIS YEAR
Every Runnin' Rebel that has suited up for a game this season has scored at least three points.
LAST TIME OUT (MAR. 9 VS. SAN DIEGO STATE - LAS VEGAS - MWC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
Deandre Moore hit two free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining as San Diego State beat UNLV 78-75 Saturday night to win the Mountain West Conference tournament. The Aztecs led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but UNLV got within 76-75 on two free throws by Marcus Banks with 4.8 seconds remaining. But Moore was fouled and converted both free throws with 3.3 seconds to go for the Aztecs (21-11). After a timeout, the Rebels' Lou Kelly had a shot from just beyond halfcourt that hit the back of the rim and bounced away. Tournament MVP Randy Holcomb led San Diego State with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Al Faux added 16 points and Mike Mackell 15. Kelly led the Rebels (20-10) with 24 points. Dalron Johnson had 23 and Banks scored 18. The Rebels beat the Aztecs twice during the regular season, both times in overtime. On Saturday, the Aztecs seemed to have the game in hand, leading from the 16:13 mark of the first half. San Diego State led 68-53 with 5 minutes remaining, but turned the ball over five straight times as the Rebels rallied to cut the lead to 68-62 with 3:55 left. Banks hit a 3-pointer and two field goals, and Johnson hit two free throws in that run. Mackell ended the streak with a layup to put the Aztecs ahead 70-62. Banks again cut the lead to six points with two free throws, and after another Aztec turnover Johnson scored to make it 70-66. Faux drove to the basket for a layup to put the Aztecs up 72-66, but Johnson responded with another basket. The Aztecs extended their lead to 74-68 on two free throws by Moore, but Banks made a 3-point play to bring the Rebels to within 74-71 with 1:06 remaining. Tony Bland made one of two free throws for San Diego State with 34.6 seconds remaining, but Kelly countered with an inside jumper to pull the Rebels within 75-73 with 30 seconds left. Faux was fouled and made one of two free throws with 25.8 seconds left and after an exchange of turnovers, Banks made two free throws bring the Rebels to within 76-75 with 4.8 seconds left.
STREAKING FROM THE STRIPE
When Marcus Banks missed his fifth free throw attempt of the game vs. Wyoming on Jan. 5, his streak of 22 consecutive made free throws came to an end. He was 9-of-10 from the line vs. Tennessee State, 11-of-11 vs. Old Dominion and 5-of-9 vs. Wyoming. Also, Dalron Johnson had a streak of 14 consecutive made free throws early in year.
FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior Chris Richardson recorded his first career double-double vs. Nevada, Reno with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
MORE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Junior Dalron Johnson has recorded his 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th double-doubles of his career this year. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds at LMU, 19 points and 10 rebounds vs. Tennessee State, 19 points and 14 rebounds vs. Old Dominion, 25 points and 11 rebounds at New Mexico and 21 points and 11 rebounds vs. Utah.
NICE FIRST HALF
It would be difficult to imagine Dalron Johnson having a better first half than he did against Nicholls State. Johnson was 8-of-9 from the field, 3-of-3 from 3-point range, had 19 points, 3 rebounds and an assist, a block and a turnover in 13 minutes of action. He ended up scoring a career-high 29 points for the game on 13-of-16 shooting including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also tallied 5 rebounds in a total of 19 minutes.
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UNLV's 43-point victory over Nicholls State was its largest margin of victory since defeating Sacred Heart by 47, 103-56, on Nov. 14, 1998.
MWC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
This season, Dalron Johnson and Marcus Banks have been named the Mountain West Conference's Men's Basketball Player of the Week twice. Johnson was named POW on Dec. 17 and Feb. 18, while Banks was honored on Dec. 31 and Feb. 25.
UNLV WINS VS. MOUNTAIN WEST
The Runnin' Rebels have a .500-or-better record all-time against the other seven members of the conference. Air Force (14-1), BYU (7-6), Colorado State (15-5), New Mexico (13-9), San Diego State (23-6), Utah (12-10), Wyoming (13-10).
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 258-45 (.852) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah is second at .824 (412-88).
HOLDEN LEAVES PROGRAM
Jamal Holden was granted a release from the UNLV men's basketball program on Dec. 18. Holden, a 6-10 center, who transferred to UNLV from Westark (Ark.) College prior to this season, had played in five games, averaging 8.0 minutes per game. He also averaged 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
LEWIS WILL NOT PLAY THIS YEAR
Jermaine Lewis will sit out the remainder of the 2001-02 season and complete rehabilitation to return at full strength for the 2002-03 year. Lewis, a 6-4 guard from Houston, Texas, had surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in May. "We want to protect the integrity of the surgery," head coach Charlie Spoonhour said on January 9. "We want to give Jermaine the best chance to compete at 100 percent of his capabilities. He is progressing on a normal schedule for the surgery, which has a six-to-nine month complete healing period. To have him come back now would be premature." This season will count as Lewis' redshirt year and he will return to play for the 2002-03 season for his final year of eligibility.
RUNNIN' THE REBELS - CHARLIE SPOONHOUR
Charlie Spoonhour became the 12th head coach in Runnin' Rebel history on March 29, 2001, and is in his first year coaching UNLV. He came to UNLV after spending two years out of coaching, but 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 339-181 (.652) and has led 12 teams to the postseason, including eight to the NCAA Tournament.
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.
EARLY SIGNINGS
J.K. Edwards and James Peters have both signed a national letter of intent to enroll at UNLV and play basketball for the Runnin' Rebels beginning with the 2002-03 season. Both players will enroll at UNLV as juniors. Edwards, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound center from Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, averaged 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. He was selected as a first team All-America last year and played in the Tournament of the Americas in Argentina this past August (on the same team as current Runnin' Rebel Marcus Banks). Edwards chose UNLV over Wisconsin, Tennessee and Iowa State. Peters, a 6-8, 215-pound forward from Butler County (Kan.) Community College, averaged 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 59 percent from the floor last season. The second-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection chose UNLV over Illinois, Michigan State and DePaul.
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 932-361 (.721). In 1969-70, UNLV made the move to Division I and has since posted a record of 745-257 (.744) while competing at that level. In addition, UNLV has an all-time mark of 897-338 (.726) 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 505 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 3,294-of-9,126 (.361) 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 522. 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 558 of the 569 games in which the rule was used. In the 569 total games, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .362 from this distance while sinking 3,489-of-9,631 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.
NOTEWORTHY NOEL
For the first time, the UNLV men's basketball team has one of its players writing a weekly diary for UNLV's website UNLVRebels.com. Noel Bloom writes an entry each week and it is posted at http://unlvrebels.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/noel-diary-index.html. Just go to the men's basketball page at UNLVRebels.com and click on the Noteworthy Noel graphic on the right-hand side of the page. This feature on the web gives fans a look inside the team from a different perspective. Previous entries are archived for later viewing.
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 start one-half hour prior to the beginning of each game with the pregame show and the postgame show features 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.
REBELS ON TV
UNLV will appear on television at least 21 times this season. The Runnin' Rebels have been on or are scheduled to appear on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+plus, ABC, SportsWest and ESPN Regional at UNLV.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The 2002 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championship was played at the Thomas & Mack Center. It marked the third year that the MWC Tournament has been held at the Thomas & Mack Center and the sixth straight year a conference tournament has been played at the TMC (The WAC held its championship at the TMC from 1997-99).
