Wednesday, April 9, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Lamar Odom hasn't changed his mind. Kaspars Kambala is about to make up his mind. Rico Harris still is deciding when to make up his.
And UNLV coach Bill Bayno is 2,500 miles away, trying to relax his mind amid the azaleas at The Masters.
The spring signing period began today with the Rebels in position to have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.
Odom, the 6-foot-9 forward from Queens considered the country's top prep recruit, was expected to send his national letter of intent to Las Vegas this afternoon once his grandmother, Mildred Mercer, signed it.
UNLV should have a faxed copy of the letter by late today. The actual document was being sent via overnight mail and will arrive in Las Vegas Thursday.
"Lamar hasn't had any second thoughts," said Gary Charles, his AAU coach and adviser during the recruiting process. "It was a total relief for him when he made his announcement Sunday. He's really excited about coming to UNLV."
Kambala, a 6-9 power forward from Mequon, Wis., was expected to make his decision public today at a news conference at Homestead High School. Kambala, who visited UNLV last week and Cincinnati over the weekend, was said to be leaning toward the Rebels. A source close to Kambala said Tuesday the Riga, Latvia native was 85 percent UNLV, 15 percent Cincinnati.
Kambala said last week he enjoyed his visit to Las Vegas and was fond of Bayno.
"The biggest factors will be the coaches I play for and the players on the team," he said last week. UNLV since has acquired Odom and still is in the hunt for Harris, a 6-8 forward from Los Angeles City College.
Harris, who can also play the off-guard spot, helped lead L.A. City to the California State JC title last month. He has visited Fresno State and was supposed to visit Texas Christian and Cincinnati. UNLV remains very high on his list. However, Harris also is looking into the possibility of going hardship in the June NBA draft.
Harris is not expected to announce his decision for at least a couple of weeks. The late signing period ends May 15.
UNLV also is trying to get involved with Phillip Von Backstrom, a 7-2 center from South Africa playing at Western Nebraska Junior College. Von Backstrom, whose twin brother George also plays at Western Nebraska, is considering Southern Cal and Cincinnati.
Regardless of what happens, the Rebels have put together an impressive class. Besides Odom, UNLV signed 6-1 point guard Edwin "Greedy" Daniels of Cohen High School in New Orleans and 6-10 forward Javares Anderson of Gulf Coast JC in Panama City, Fla., last November.
In addition, UNLV received a second letter of intent from 6-10 Issiah Epps, who had signed with the team last spring out of Maine Central Institute but has yet to qualify academically.
In early January, Brian Keefe, a 6-3 shooting guard, transferred from Boston College. Keefe had been a teammate of Rebels redshirt forward Kevin Simmons at UC Irvine and the two are reunited in Las Vegas. Keefe will be eligible at the end of the fall 1997 semester in mid-December.
NCAA rules prohibit Bayno from commenting on prospective student-athletes until their letters of intent have arrived.
But there's no question this is a strong class. And it's clear who is the highest profile recruit.
To get Odom, the Rebels had to beat out a couple of heavyweights in Kentucky and Connecticut. But Charles credits the persistence of Bayno and assistant Greg Vetrone for beating the odds.
"At the beginning of the summer, I didn't give Vegas a chance," Charles said. "But they never stopped working and by October, I thought, 'My God, they've got a chance to be right there.'
"I think they totally outworked everyone else. Their dedication was the difference.
"Take last weekend at Magic's game. Bayno and Shoes (Vetrone) were there Saturday and that meant a lot to Lamar. Then Rick (Pitino) doesn't show up until the game Sunday. Lamar's a sensitive kid and that Rick wasn't there kinda hurt."
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