Friday, March 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
When practice for the 1996-97 basketball season began in mid-October, few expected UNLV to be playing in late March.
Many fans were hoping coach Bill Bayno's second season would produce an above-.500 campaign after the team had struggled to a 10-16 record in 1995-96. To most, a winning record would have represented acceptable and reasonable progress.
But what transpired exceeded the expectations of even the most rabid Rebels fan:
* A 22-10 overall record, the first time since 1992 UNLV made it to 20 wins.
* An 11-5 record in the team's inaugural Western Athletic Conference campaign.
* A postseason appearance for the first time since 1993.
* A seven-game winning streak from late December to early January and a six-game run in February.
There was the emergence of junior center Keon Clark as an impact player at both ends of the court and the development of junior Tyrone Nesby as an offensive force.
Throw in the improvement of five seniors plus point guard Mark Dickel's selection as the WAC Pacific Division Freshman of the Year and there were plenty of reasons for Bayno to smile, even in the wake of an 86-73 season-ending loss at Arkansas Wednesday in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals.
"I feel good," Bayno said of the state of the program. "We established a work ethic and our seniors were tremendous. They opened up a new era with their heart and their intensity."
The leadership was there. Whether it was Warren Rosegreen elevating above bigger foes to pull down a clutch rebound or Damian Smith igniting the team offensively off the bench or Kevin James stabilizing the backcourt, the other Rebels had something to play off of.
"It was a tough four years," said Sunshine Smith, the senior guard from Brooklyn who closed his career 25th on the UNLV career scoring list with 1,093 points. "But I can leave with my head up. I got better every year and this was a tremendous way to go out."
Fellow senior Tony Lane also more than held his own. The 6-6 center from Philadelphia probably was the most improved player in the program.
"For the seniors to come back and go 22-10 after winning just 10 games the year before is unbelievable," said Rosegreen. "It was a great experience and I want to publicly thank all the fans who stuck with us during the hard times and supported us. It meant a lot."
The good times should continue. Bayno has a solid recruiting class in the works. With Louisiana prep player of the year Greedy Daniels and Gulf Coast JC standout Javares Anderson already in the fold, the Rebels will be stronger at the point and at power forward.
UNLV remains in the hunt for 6-9 forward Lamar Odom, considered the nation's top prep prospect, and the Rebels have a very good shot at landing Rico Harris, the 6-4 sophomore shooting guard who led Los Angeles City College to the California JC title last week.
Then there are the redshirts. Donovan Stewart has made excellent progress since undergoing back surgery in November and will see plenty of time at the small forward and shooting guard spots. Issiah Epps also is coming off of back surgery and he should be ready to go in October.
The Irvine Connection of swingman Kevin Simmons and off-guard Brian Keefe will bring experience and talent to the floor. Simmons will be eligible to play from the get-go come November while Keefe will be cleared to play in early December after transferring from Boston College.
The only question, and it's a big one, is whether the 6-11 Clark returns. Some believe he is ready for the NBA now.
Clark and Bayno have said they will sit down and talk in the coming weeks and whatever is in Clark's best interests will decide his future.
"I'm going to take it day by day for now," Clark said. "We had a good season. I just wish we could've went a little further."
Bayno is hopeful he'll have his big man back.
"Keon made a lot of progress," he said. "Remember, he's only played organized basketball for three years. This was his first full season since high school and he learned a lot."
As he reflected on one of the nation's best turnarounds, Bayno pointed to two key junctures of the team's season.
"I think the win over Tulane was huge," he said of the Rebels' 83-76 win at the Thomas & Mack Center Dec. 20. "We were coming off two tough losses (to Nevada-Reno and Syracuse) and had we lost that game, I think we would've been in trouble.
"But that win gave us the momentum back and we went on that seven-game streak."
Bayno said the loss at Hawaii was the other key point. After the Rainbows had held on for a 66-64 win Feb. 6, Bayno challenged his team to win out in the WAC regular season, beginning two nights later at San Diego State.
The team responded, whipping the Aztecs 78-71. It began a strong run to the end of the season which resulted in nine wins in 12 games, including six in a row.
"I took a big risk in San Diego when I challenged them to run the table," Bayno said. "Had we lost that game, we're probably looking at 15, 16 wins.
"But I had a feeling it would do more good than not doing anything. They responded to the challenge."
With a 22-win season in the books, the foundation is in place for a return to the upper echelon of college basketball, a place where UNLV resided earlier this decade.
"If we get to the Final Four in 10 years, people will remember this team as the one that got it started back up," Bayno said.
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