Rebounding: UNLV's Kambala has knee in shape after surgery

They tell him to run. He runs.

They tell him to cut laterally. He cuts.

They tell him to hit the weights. He hits.

He is not playing any basketball at the moment, but Kaspars Kambala appears to be maturing in front of everyone's eyes at UNLV. The 6-foot-9 junior-to-be center is restoring his right knee to function at 100 percent after having major surgery in February.

A year ago, Kambala may not have taken his rehab assignment so seriously. He was a happy-go-lucky kid who was having fun playing ball and living in Las Vegas. But the last 12 months have made him grow up in a hurry.

He totaled a former student manager's car last summer. In the fall, he had his ups and downs on the court. By Christmas, rumors were running rampant he was leaving UNLV after he had been suspended for a game for violating team policy.

Then in mid-February, Kambala hit his nadir when he heard his right knee go snap, crackle, pop in the first minute of the UNLV-Tulsa game. He was through for the year and it gave him time to think about where things were going.

"It was frustrating," he said of the events that made up his sophomore season. "I was starting to do some things pretty well that I had been working on last summer. Now, it was like I was starting all over."

The native of Riga, Latvia, decided that he was going to come back and prove all the doubters wrong. He has thrown himself into the rehab with gusto, working every day, sometimes for as much as six hours.

The doctors want him to slow it down a tad. They don't want any setbacks because he overdid it. He has been a willing pupil to trainer Grace Golden, who has spent the majority of the time working with Kambala.

"He has been very dedicated," team trainer Dave Tomchek said of Kambala's recovery process, which is now in its third month. "His work ethic has been tremendous and he's on schedule."

Kambala should be 100 percent by the time practice begins Oct. 16. But between now and then, there's a lot of work left to do. He only recently began running laterally. He hasn't touched a basketball. And he has yet to do basketball-related drills.

To this point, it has been running sprints, lifting weights to strengthen the muscles around the knee and some cutting. So far, there has been no swelling in the joint, no pain to hold him back.

He's encouraged by the results.

"It feels really good," Kambala said. "Sometimes, I feel like I can do more, but they're telling me to go slow, don't rush it. So I'm just listening to what they say."

The plan is to have Kambala cleared to start playing basketball by the end of the month. If all continues to go well, he'll spend part of August in Hawaii attending Pete Newell's Big Man's Camp.

Kambala was a student there last year and he learned a lot. He said a refresher course will make him that much better and hopefully, a more consistent player, which is what UNLV really needs from him next season.

"I'm really looking forward to that," he said of the prospects of working with the likes of Hall of Famer Newell and former UNLV coach Tim Grgurich. "I got a lot out of it last year and now that I know what to expect I'll do even better this time."

And once he steps on the floor in the North Gym come October, he'll be surrounded by new faces. Gone are Shawn Marion, Kevin Simmons, Greedy Daniels, Brian Keefe and Desmond Herod. In their places will be Lou Kelly, Trevor Diggs, Mike Garrett, Sylvester Dotson, Chris Popoola, Ra'oof Sadat and Dalron Johnson.

"I'm going to miss Shawn, but I'm looking forward to playing with the new guys," Kambala said. "I think we can be pretty good if we have good team chemistry and everyone works hard."

Kambala said it was tough to not be able to help the team down the stretch as UNLV dropped five of its last seven, missed the NCAA Tournament and lost to Nebraska in the opening round of the NIT. He was averaging 12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds when his season came to an abrupt end at the Reynolds Center Feb. 15.

"When I got hurt at Tulsa, I didn't think it was that serious," he said. "I mean, I knew there was something wrong when I heard it snap, but I figured I'd have it scoped and I'd be back for Wyoming and Colorado State in two weeks, maybe the WAC tournament at worst.

"But after the surgery, my girlfriend told me it'd be more like two months. I didn't really understand it at the time because I was knocked out from the drugs they gave me.

"But the next day, I tried to get out of bed and I couldn't walk. I said, 'Oh-oh.' I knew I was in trouble and that the season was over for me."

All the adversity he went through made Kambala tougher mentally. He knows much will be expected of him next season, even though he's coming off major surgery. He expects a lot from himself and he would like to be a leader on this team.

Whether or not that happens is up to him. But if his rehab is any indication of what to expect for next year, chances are you may see a completely different player than the one you've seen the last two years.

"When I get back, I'll be a lot fresher and a lot stronger," Kambala said. "I'm more positive every day. I feel I'm another step closer to where I need to be."

So he keeps running, cutting and lifting.

"When you go through what I did, you learn there's a fine line between being healthy and being hurt," he said. "And I don't want to go through another season like this again."

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