Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UNLV recruits’ exam results under scrutiny

The UNLV basketball team is back in the news, but not for anything it has done on the court.

For the first time in a while, the Rebels are making news for activity off the court as members of Bill Bayno's program are scrutinized in a lengthy report in this week's Sports Illustrated about alleged cheating on standardized tests.

A similar piece with UNLV connections is scheduled to air today on ESPN.

UNLV fans will find a lot of familiar names throughout the eight-page story, which was co-authored by Don Yaeger and Alexander Wolff. Yaeger authored the 1992 book "Shark Attack," an expose of former Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian's battle with the UNLV administration.

Assistant coach Greg "Shoes" Vetrone is mentioned several times in the article, as are Rebel recruit Lamar Odom and transfer Kevin Simmons, both of whom were recruited by Vetrone.

The story entitled "Troubling Questions" doesn't cast UNLV in a negative light per se. But it implies that Vetrone engaged in illegal activities when he was at UC Irvine and questions the validity of Simmons' SAT score when he enrolled at UC Irvine where Vetrone was an assistant.

Odom, the nation's most coveted prep recruit, also had his ACT score questioned in the story. Odom, who is finishing up requirements for his high school diploma, scored a 22 on the ACT last fall, which raised a red flag considering his high school grades.

UNLV requires an ACT score of 21 to be admitted without meeting other conditions. Students who score lower can be admitted but may be required to take remedial courses.

Vetrone, who has been on Bayno's staff since Bayno's arrival in 1995, referred all questions to his attorney, Steve Stein. When contacted Tuesday, Stein said, "Greg Vetrone will not respond to rumors, innunendos and lies, especially when it's based upon evidence coming from a convicted felon whose credibility is zero and who is an extortionist."

Stein is referring to Nate Cebrun, a street agent who splits time between Las Vegas and Southern California and is well-known to UNLV fans for his relationship with former Rebel players, specifically Kebu Stewart.

Cebrun, who describes himself in the SI story as a "sports consultant," alleges that Vetrone was present when Cebrun assisted Zendon Hamilton in getting a passing score on the SAT by taking the test in California at Lynwood High School three years ago.

Hamilton, who plays for St. John's, was attending high school in Long Island at the time and traveled cross-country to take the test. Cebrun said Vetrone had introduced him to Gary Charles, the Amateur Athletic Union summer league coach who had Hamilton on his Long Island Panthers team.

Charles also coached Odom, the 6-foot-9 swingman who has not had his ACT score investigated. The SI story pointed out that Odom scored a 22 on his test despite his 71.2 average at Christ The King High School in Queens.

Odom transferred from Christ The King to Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, N.Y., last fall before transferring again in February to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Britain, Conn.

SI alleges that Odom improved 400 points from the time he took a practice SAT last summer to 1,030, the SAT equivalent of his ACT score of 22.

Tarkanian, who is coaching at Fresno State, is quoted in the story saying, "The Odom thing pisses me off because we were told by everybody that we had no chance because he was going pro. They said he couldn't pass the test and never went to class."

SI also questions the validity of Simmons' 1994 test score, saying the Educational Testing Service, which administers the SAT, red-flagged the score after it was found to have improved by 210 points.

Bayno, who is not mentioned in the piece, would not comment on the story. However, UNLV is expected to issue a statement on the matter later today after this week's issue of SI hits the newsstands.

Neither Odom nor Simmons was available for comment. However, Odom was quoted in the SI piece about his ACT score, saying he "passed fair and square."

"I won't lie," Odom told SI. "In the classroom I lose focus too easy. I get lazy. But when I don't let nothing distract me, I'm good at whatever I do."

But of the UNLV figures mentioned, it is Vetrone who is sternly taken to task.

SI quotes Vetrone saying that Lynwood High was a hotbed for test fraud. He also claims to have never sent a player there. However, Todd Whitehead, who was recruited and played for Vetrone at UC Irvine, told SI that Vetrone directed him to Lynwood to take the test after twice coming up short of the required score.

Whitehead told the magazine that when he learned he had qualified, he told Vetrone. "I called Shoes right away," Whitehead said in the article. "I was real happy. He was happy. Everybody was happy."

Cebrun said in the article that he was the reason Whitehead passed the test. Vetrone charges in the story that Cebrun twice tried to extort money from him. Vetrone says Cebrun tried to shake him down for $5,000, once in person and once by mail. Cebrun denied the accusations.

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