Rebels sign 10th recruit

Just when you thought UNLV had closed the door on its 1999 recruiting class, the Rebels signed yet another player -- former Virgin Valley High star Danny Brotherson.

Signing the 6-foot-4, 195-pound swingman from Utah Valley College has swelled the 1999 recruiting class to 10 if you include Spanish import Oscar Garcia, who coach Bill Bayno claims still is part of the class. Garcia is not expected to qualify academically and likely will need another year of prep school.

The Rebels recently received written commitments from JC standout Kenny Dye and Cimarron-Memorial star guard Marcus Banks. Lou Kelly, Trevor Diggs, Sylvester Dotson, Chris Popoola and Mike Garrett also signed during the spring. UNLV had signed Garcia and Verbum Dei's Dalron Johnson last November.

With five returning players (Kaspars Kambala, Mark Dickel, Donovan Stewart, Issiah Epps and Chris Richardson) along with redshirt walk-on Ra'oof Sadat, it makes for a total of 16 players on the roster. NCAA rules limit a team to 13 scholarship players.

However, the math still could work out. Garrett and Kelly still have a lot of work to do to graduate from junior college, Banks still has to pass his standardized test and Garcia also has to qualify academically for all to be eligible. If any or all fall by the wayside, that reduces the roster.

Bayno said it won't be a problem.

"It'll all work out," he said. "There's not a scholarship issue. In fact, we'll probably have extras.

"But we're done recruiting. Danny is the last one."

As for Brotherson, he's going to show up ready to compete for playing time.

"I'm not sure what my role is going to be," he said from his home Tuesday, where he is recovering from a tonsilectomy. "He (Bayno) said it was wide open, so I'm just going to come in, compete as hard as I can and see what happens."

Brotherson is coming off a big season at Utah Valley where he averaged 16.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and shot 46 percent from 3-point range.

Brotherson, whose older sister Lori played for the Lady Rebels in the late 1980s, chose UNLV over Weber State, Brigham Young, Southern California and San Diego State.

archive