Keon 'I may have made a mistake'

Did Keon Clark make a mistake coming to UNLV? And did Clark's problems during his short-lived senior season, including a suspension for testing positive for marijuana, stem from his trip to Florida last year?

The 6-foot-11 center, who is projected to be a lottery selection in next Wednesday's NBA draft in Vancouver, seems to think so.

Speaking candidly in this week's edition of Sports Illustrated, where he is featured in the magazine's NBA draft preview that hit newsstands today, Clark said that he may not have encountered the problems he had this year had he gone to Temple, as originally planned.

Clark failed to qualify academically for the Owls and went to two junior colleges before enrolling at UNLV in 1996, where he played what amounted to 1 1/2 seasons for Bill Bayno.

"It's too bad," Clark told SI. "I probably wouldn't have had all the trouble I had in Vegas if I had just gone to Temple in the first place."

Clark's abbreviated senior season consisted of just 10 games. The NCAA had suspended him for the first 11 contests after Clark and teammate Kevin Simmons took a trip to Orlando, Fla., in March, 1997, right after the Rebels lost to Arkansas in the NIT quarterfinals.

The trip, which was financed by two Florida sports agents, was a violation of NCAA rules. Clark cut his trip short and the school self-reported the incident to the NCAA.

At the time, Clark was led to believe his punishment would be three games, tops. Instead, the NCAA lowered the boom on him and forced him to sit out the first 11 games of the season. UNLV appealed the decision on Clark's behalf, but to no avail.

Clark played in 10 games and averaged 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds and had 26 blocked shots. He registered his career-high game against Air Force Jan. 10 when he scored 28 points.

But after he flunked a drug test in early February, he was sidelined again. The athletic department's policy dictates an athlete who fails a drug test must sit out a minimum of 20 percent of the scheduled competition.

In Clark's case, that meant five games. He was eligible to return to the team Feb. 26 against Wyoming. However, during the time of his suspension, he was not allowed to practice with the team and he was on his own.

Clark and Bayno met prior to the Wyoming game. Following the meeting, Clark announced he was leaving the program.

"It was just me and it was a mistake," he said of his pot usage.

As for the second suspension, Clark told SI that his progress as a player had been retarded by the decision of Bayno and athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro to keep him away from the team.

"Basically, I wasn't allowed to better myself," Clark said. "I could do individual workouts, lift weights, that kind of thing. But I couldn't practice, and that hurt."

Clark left Las Vegas shortly thereafter and has been traveling around the country working out and interviewing with NBA teams. Clark has visited Boston, Milwaukee, Toronto, Sacramento, Orlando and Detroit. SI's mock draft has the Celtics taking Clark with the No. 10 selection overall.

Several NBA general managers quoted in the SI story say they like Clark's ability and athleticism but have concerns about his off-the-court past and his relative basketball inexperience.

"The big issue with Keon is off the court, the intangibles," Celtics GM Chris Wallace said. "We have to round up all the facts, listen to his side of the story, talk to other people and weigh the risk-reward with him.

"We know he's a highlight-film player who can make the spectacular play. It remains to be seen if he can be a consistent player at the next level. Right now, he's the wild card."

Tony Dutt, Clark's Houston-based agent, said his client is moving forward with his life.

"Keon has matured a lot," Dutt said. "He made a mistake and he can't change it. You hope you learn from it and not make the same mistake again."

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