Booker enters prime time

Amid many shocks and surprises in the UNLV basketball program this season, the latest is a real stunner.

If only for a moment, Vince Booker has become the Rebels' prime-time point guard.

Yes, that Vince Booker, the hard-working walk-on from Cheyenne High who couldn't get off Bill Bayno's bench.

It does not generate the headline power of Bayno's dismissal, the NCAA sanctions or the rather puzzling play of Kaspars Kambala, but it is equally surprising that under new coach Max Good, Booker has assumed the role earmarked for freshman Lafonte Johnson.

Booker's ascension became apparent last Friday in the Rebels' 69-64 victory over Pepperdine. He scored a career-high 11 points, including four free throws in the final minute, and played a team-leading 32 minutes, including all 20 in the second half.

In three games under Good, Booker has played 60 minutes (compared to 66 all of last season) and scored 18 points (eight last season). In UNLV's first seven games, with Bayno at the controls, Booker made only two appearances and was scoreless in nine minutes.

It should be noted that it was easier for Good to give Booker a chance, because backup point guard Jevon Banks is out with a badly sprained ankle. But it is also obvious that Good has more confidence in the 6-foot-1 Booker than Bayno did.

"This isn't just a two- or three-game thing. It's not a gimmick," Good said. "Vince Booker can help us. He is going to keep getting minutes."

That is a mighty strong recommendation to give a player who had to give up his scholarship this season. After spending 1998-99 as a walk-on, Booker was put on scholarship last season, but did not play much despite being one of the team's best practice players.

Because he's a local resident, Booker agreed to give up his scholarship this year so the Rebels could have a four-man recruiting class. That team-first attitude has long made him a fan favorite at the Thomas & Mack Center, but now that Booker is getting meaningful minutes, fans are also noticing his hustling style.

Against Pepperdine, with the Rebels struggling early in the game, he enlivened the crowd and his teammates by hurrying back up the court for a loose ball. He dove and slid out of bounds, but the fans cheered his effort anyway.

"What about him diving for that ball? He didn't get anything for it, but he popped right up," Good said. "I also liked the way he huddled our guys on the court. There is more to this game than putting the ball in the basket on one end and keeping it out of the basket on the other end."

Despite Booker's blossoming leadership on a team that desperately needs it, it's unclear if he will become a starter. Johnson has started all 10 games, but played only eight minutes against Pepperdine (none in the second half) and continues to struggle in many aspects.

Good insists he isn't giving up on Johnson, though Booker has gotten more minutes than Johnson (60-56) since the coaching change.

"I think Lafonte might've hit the wall already, because he's a kid who relied on quickness and speed, but he broke his foot (in April)," Good said. "He was out seven months. For a guy of his size (5-9, 160), losing that quickness has really hurt him."

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