Rebel coaches travel the Seven Sees to find talent

SOME DO IT out of necessity. Others view it as a luxury.

But whatever the reason, Rebel coaches are putting the U.N. in UNLV.

Foreign recruiting is a popular pastime within the UNLV athletic department. But each coach must handle the situation differently.

While there are programs that can afford to spend the time and money it takes to lure top players from abroad, many can't take the gamble. But those who lack the resources generally are the ones who rely on foreign athletes the most.

Of the 15 UNLV programs, 11 feature a foreign-born athlete either on its last season roster or as an incoming recruit. The list totals 43 athletes from 21 countries.

The only domestically inclusive sports were baseball, softball, volleyball and women's soccer, which will compete for the first time in the fall.

But then there are the sports that almost seem a world apart.

Heavy imports

There were 17 players on the men's and women's tennis teams, and 13 were born overseas. Just one of the imports, Jamaican Damu Bobb, hails from the Western Hemisphere.

Other programs enlisting large foreign legions are men's and women's swimming. The men carried eight from abroad while the women had five, not counting two recruits for next season.

Trolling for passports can be a difficult process, depending on the program.

"I think it's an issue in swimming, track and field and cross country," swimming coach Jim Reitz said. "It might not be as much of an issue in basketball because the very, very best in the world already are here."

But that doesn't stop UNLV basketball coach Bill Bayno from traversing the planet in search of top players.

Going Down Under

Bayno had three foreigners on last season's roster: Mark Dickel of New Zealand, Ali Kaba of Liberia and Kaspars Kambala of Latvia.

Kambala went to high school in Wisconsin, but Bayno did go to Latvia to watch him in the European Junior National championships.

A potential hoops recruit for next season is Mohamed Kante, a 6-foot-10 center from France. Guard Desmond Herod, an American originally from French Guyana, already has signed with the Rebels.

And it's a good thing Bayno's program can afford such expenses. In-person visitation is necessary in evaluating talent.

"The biggest difference between us and basketball is that a kid's prowess is evidenced with a number," Reitz said. "If a girl can swim the 200 meters in 57 seconds, we know she'll score in the NCAAs no matter where she swims.

"But with Bill, if he is interested in a kid from Norway who's 6-10, he doesn't know if the kid can do even more than walk."

Men's soccer coach Barry Barto also uses foreign players. He had four last season: two Germans, a Dane and a Canadian.

"We have to physically see them play," Barto said. "Just because somebody scored 25 goals doesn't mean much. It's all relative to the competition we're playing against.

"Recruiting is an enigma in a lot of ways. For our sport in particular, physically seeing a (foreign) player before bringing him in is difficult for us."

Yet Barto, like most of his colleagues, never has been overseas to recruit. He can't afford it.

Foreign economics

The mere presence of a foreign athlete on a roster doesn't mean he or she was brought in the same way as an American. Very few coaches actually travel abroad to recruit.

"Not that we wouldn't like to," Barto said, "but it's economics."

Each program is allocated a budget for recruiting, covering domestic and abroad. That budget easily could be wasted if not properly used.

"If I want to go to Germany and spend two weeks recruiting, I'd blow my whole budget," Barto said.

That's where trust comes in. Coaches must depend on their worldwide contacts when it comes to unseen athletes -- or hope the players come to them.

"We do get people that write to us, but a lot of times we'll contact the national coaches from each country," men's tennis coach Larry Easley said. "The hardest thing is determining how strong somebody really is.

"We rely heavily on (national coaches) giving us an accurate picture."

Added Barto: "It's all about credibility. Establishing networking becomes the key."

Sometimes a coach can get a free first-hand look when prep players come to the U.S. to compete in international tournaments.

Golf coach Dwaine Knight has been successful with foreigners. His scouting has been greatly enhanced by most of the top players from around the world traveling here as juniors.

"It's a worldwide game even more so now," said Knight, who recently was named the college coach of the year after leading the Rebels to the NCAA team golf title.

"But I've never traveled abroad to see a player. I've done extensive recruiting from here. I go to tournaments here in the United States and watch them play and then follow up on them from there."

Knight's first world-class recruit was South American Warren Schutte, who went on to win an NCAA individual title to galvanize the program.

But Schutte came to Las Vegas almost by chance. When he came to visit, Brigham Young found out about it. To save money, BYU's coach proposed the schools split the airfare. Knight agreed.

Schutte went to Provo, Utah, first and flew straight into a blizzard. He had never seen snow. So when he landed at McCarran International Airport he welcomed the weather and agreed to play for the Rebels.

"It was kind of a fluke," Knight said.

Knight probably wouldn't mind a little bit of Ola Malmqvist's recruiting fortune. The women's tennis coach is in Europe, working for the United States Tennis Association. That will allow him to scout all the foreign players he wants -- free of charge.

Wants and needs

While the UNLV golf team has thrived with a predominantly domestic roster -- Knight said 90 percent of his players have hailed from the U.S. -- there are programs that require foreign participation.

"The best players here in this country are very easily identifiable," Barto said. "The problem with that is there are 600-plus schools chasing all these top players, while they aren't chasing as many of the foreign players that might be out there."

Easley also must look abroad in an attempt to build a competitive team.

He obviously has succeeded. Last year, Australian Luke Smith became the first player in NCAA history to win the singles and doubles titles. Countryman Tim Blenkiron was his doubles partner.

Smith was not recruited by any school other than UNLV.

"We try to recruit locally first, then Southern California, then within the country and then outside the country," Easley said.

But the domestic leads generally don't pan out. The traditional powerhouses usually draw the top players and don't leave much for other schools.

"If a kid gets a full scholarship from Stanford, do you think he's going to take a full scholarship at UNLV? Probably not," Easley said.

"You go down to the top 60 players or so in the country ... think of all the schools that are recruiting those kids. They're not easily recruitable, and we can spend a tremendous amount of money on kids who won't play here.

"I have to go after a kid that's maybe ranked 100 in the country, and he might not even be strong enough to play for me.

"I have to find the diamond in the rough, and a lot of times that means looking elsewhere for players not everyone has heard of."

Intrinsic problems

Recruiting abroad from one's desk -- or bed -- provides its share of hassles.

With a nine-hour time difference between Las Vegas and Europe, it is not uncommon for Barto to set his alarm clock for 4 a.m. so he can speak to a potential player.

"Calling to Munich or Hamburg, Germany, it's much more expensive than Southern California," Barto said. "And you have to make sure you call at a time when the player is available without upsetting his family."

Coaches also are required to make sure their recruits have all the proper documentation before arriving stateside. All foreign students must pass the TOEFL, an English literacy test, before being admitted to UNLV. Then there are the student visas, passports, etc.

"It's hard to get everything in order when you can't talk to them face-to-face," Barto said.

Academic superiority

Those who attend a UNLV tennis match wouldn't be foolish to bring an interpreter. With at least a half dozen languages being spoken at any time, it can be a confusing scene.

Such conditions lead many Americans to believe these foreign athletes are at a severe disadvantage here. In fact, these strangers in a strange land generally are better off in the classroom than those who have lived here all their lives.

"Education is not a problem because most countries' standards are so tough," Easley said. "They come over here and the first year (in college) they've covered in high school already."

Many foreign prep schools, especially those in Europe, are superior to those in the U.S. These athletes actually receive a head start before college orientation.

"We've had some Germans come here, some Swedes come over and they receive 18 to 30 hours of advanced (college) credit for their high school studies," Barto said.

"They're very quick to adapt, and they're hard workers for the most part. And at times they are much more mature."

Xenophobia

A surplus of foreign athletes, however, could have an adverse affect on a program.

"If you have too many foreigners, word gets out, and it's tough to recruit Americans," Reitz said. "Let's take Arizona State's men's team from a few years ago. Nineteen out of 30 kids on the team were foreigners. So when they're recruiting a top person, other schools would use it against them that they don't speak English.

"They became thought of as a mercenary program."

Reitz and Easley have fielded complaints from local parents who were upset they weren't signing more U.S. athletes.

"I will probably get some complaints from parents of kids who can't play for me," Easley said. "The parents of kids who can play at this level are beyond that. For an American kid that can play for me, they've got so many other offers.

"I've taken a flier on a (U.S.) kid to give them a scholarship and then ... Oh, gosh, they're not strong enough to play for me. And that's tough."

After all, procuring the top student-athletes is the main objective of any college coach.

"We're looking for the best player regardless of where he is or who he is," Knight said. "Wherever that takes us, we try to pursue that."

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