UNLV may get top UConn recruit

While waiting to learn the fate of Lou Kelly, his top recruit from this year's class, UNLV basketball coach Bill Bayno got some great news regarding the class of 2000.

Caron Butler, regarded as one of the top prep players in the nation, has apparently had a change of heart about his verbal commitment to Connecticut. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward took an unofficial visit to Las Vegas Wednesday and was in town the last two days touring the UNLV campus.

Butler, who is from Racine, Wis., played for UNLV assistant Max Good when the two were at Maine Central Institute a year ago. Butler averaged close to 20 points and 12 rebounds for Good.

When Good left MCI in July to join Bayno's staff, it was believed Butler eventually would follow him to UNLV. However, sources say Butler was feeling some pressure to attend UConn and he was steered toward the Huskies by some of the people who run the AAU summer program he belonged to.

Meanwhile, the 19-year-old's stock was soaring during his outstanding summer. He was one of the top players at the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis as well as the Nike Peach Jam outside of Augusta, Ga.

On Aug. 4, Butler held a press conference in Racine to announce he was committing to Connecticut.

"It was very close," Butler told reporters at the time. "But I decided not to make a decision with my heart. I decided to go with my head and my gut."

However, once the hoopla died down, Butler had second thoughts about his decision and he contacted Good.

The two talked and Butler indicated that maybe he had been hasty in deciding his collegiate future and asked if he could come out to Las Vegas. Wednesday, he showed up at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Because Butler is a recruitable student-athlete, neither Bayno nor Good are allowed to comment about his situation. But should Butler decide to come to UNLV, the Rebels would be getting a player who is likely to be a high school All-American this season.

Butler already has his high school diploma as well as a passing standardized test score. What he lacks is 1 1/2 units of core classes to fulfill the NCAA's incoming freshman requirements.

The plan is for Butler to return to MCI as a fifth-year senior, take the necessary core classes, play ball, and begin his collegiate career in the 2000-2001 season.

The early signing period begins Nov. 10. Because Butler has a passing ACT score, he is eligible to take an official recruiting visit to UNLV after Oct. 15 and he is likely to do that.

As for Kelly's situation, Bayno said Thursday the 6-foot-5 swingman is awaiting the results from two of the five classes he took this summer in his attempt to earn his associate in arts degree from San Bernardino Valley College. Kelly passed three of the five classes.

Bayno was hoping the grades for the other two classes would be available sometime today, Monday at the latest. Fall classes at UNLV begin Monday and if Kelly has his degree, he would have to register quickly to begin the semester on time.

If he did not pass, his options are to finish up at UNLV or go to a junior college and attempt to get the necessary grade(s) to graduate. Bayno said the worst-case scenario would be that Kelly would become eligible at the end of the semester and make his debut Dec. 21 against Austin Peay.

* SADAT TRANSFERS: Ra'oof Sadat's dream of playing for his hometown team never materialized as the former Durango High star has transferred to Spring Hill College, an NAIA school in Mobile, Ala. Sadat, the Nevada player of the year in 1996, left San Francisco after the 1997-98 season and transferred to UNLV. He redshirted last year but was having some physical problems with his knee. When he learned there would be no scholarship for him, he opted to move on. Because he played one year at USF, Sadat will have two years of NAIA eligibility. He will be reunited at Spring Hill with one of his coaches from his days with the Dons, Bill Carr. Carr was an assistant to Phil Mathews and helped recruit Sadat to USF.

* THEUS' NEW VENTURE: Former UNLV great Reggie Theus will be in town Monday and Tuesday promoting his new line of active sportswear "Game Over" at the annual MAGIC show. Theus, who remains active in television as an analyst and as an actor, is a partner in a management group that includes former NBA star Rolando Blackman and current NBA veteran Derek Harper. The "Game Over" display is located in the Sands Expo and Convention Center, booth No. 70400. The following week, Theus will be in Los Angeles at a shoot for an upcoming episode of the television show "Pacific Blue" which airs on the USA Network.

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