Thursday, Jan. 8, 1998 | 11:45 a.m.
Sometimes, a player can learn more sitting and watching than playing.
Even a star like Desmond Herod.
The 6-foot-5 forward from Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., part of UNLV's stellar 1998 recruiting class, is back on the court following a recent four-game suspension. Herod was disciplined after he got into a shouting match with coach Joe McMahon last month.
Herod returned to his team Monday. He scored seven points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked 10 shots in a 64-62 loss to St. Benedict's of New Jersey. Wednesday, he scored 18 points to lead the Panthers to a 54-51 win over Long Island Lutheran, the defending New York State Class 'C' champions.
"It was a big misunderstanding," Herod said. "There was a problem between me and Joe and I felt bad about what happened. But everything is resolved."
Herod, the team's leading scorer at 23 points per game, complained to McMahon that he wasn't getting enough playing time in the second half of a 40-point blowout of Staten Island Academy on Dec. 12.
Adelphi, 7-2, was racking up some big wins during the early portion of the season and McMahon tried to explain to Herod that by leaving him in, he'd be running up the score.
Herod apparently disagreed. And when athletic director Tom Sclafani witnessed Herod's outburst, he suspended the team's star player.
"Des hates to come out of games," Sclafani said. "But when he argued with Joe about it in the open, I brought Des up to my office and told him I'm not going to stand for that."
UNLV coach Bill Bayno talked to Herod upon learning of the incident and expressed his disappointment.
"Desmond is a wonderful kid. I love him," Bayno said. "But he needs to understand the coach is the coach, right or wrong. He has to know you can't show negative emotion in front of his teammates.
"There's a time and a place where you can make your feelings known. But on the court in front of everyone isn't the place."
Herod understood.
"Coach Bayno was right," he said. "I hope I didn't embarrass him or UNLV with what I did. He has enough things to worry about with his own team's season without me doing something like this."
Herod said he definitely is coming to UNLV and that he's looking forward to finishing up strong at Adelphi under McMahon, who left the team briefly earlier this week but has resumed his coaching duties after meeting with Herod, Sclafani and the team.
"It's behind us," McMahon said. "Desmond is an emotional kid. He wants to prove he deserves his scholarship (to UNLV). What happened was just a misunderstanding."
The New York Post reported Tuesday that Herod thought McMahon was cutting his minutes because Herod had chosen to play for the Rebels and was part of what drove his outburst in December. Both said that wasn't true.
"I had no problem with Desmond going (to UNLV)," McMahon said. "Why would I?
"His dream is to play in the NCAA Tournament and I just wanted to make sure he was going to a place where he could go to the NCAAs. I talked to Bayno and asked him a couple of questions. But I never had a problem with him playing for Vegas."
Herod said of the Post's story: "They blew everything way out of proportion. There was a problem between me and Joe. But it wasn't as bad as they made it out to be."
Hoop du jour
* KABA LEAVING?: The brief stay of 6-foot-9 freshman center Ali Kaba at UNLV may be nearing an end as the Liberia native may transfer in hope of getting more playing time. Kaba was allowed to skip Wednesday's practice so he could visit North Florida, a Division II school coached by former Rebel great Sidney Green. "It's been tough for Ali," said UNLV coach Bill Bayno. "It's hard to even get him time in practice, let alone games. What's going to make him happy is getting to play." Kaba, who wasn't declared eligible until Dec. 2 because of snafus in getting his paperwork to the NCAA, has played only three minutes in two games. "If we could have gotten him eligible for the two exhibition games, it might have changed everything," Bayno said. "He could have learned the system and gotten a chance to play early because we were lacking bodies." Kaba, who has suffered injuries to his hand and eye in practice, could seek a medical redshirt waiver, which would give him four years and make him eligible to play next year if he goes to North Florida.
* WALK THE AISLE: The conclusion of the fall semester brought good news for current Rebel Grant Rice and former Rebel Kevin James. Both graduated in December, Rice with a B.A. in communications, James with a B.A. in sociology. Rice will start work on his Masters this spring in either communications or business.
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