Tuesday, May 27, 2003 | 10:46 a.m.
With Marcus Banks headed off to pursue an NBA career, one question that has dogged UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour is who will be his starting point guard next season.
That answer may have come on Monday when the school announced the signing of Jerel Blassingame, a 5-foot-10 point guard from Los Angeles City College.
Blassingame helped lead LACC to a 36-2 overall record and the California JC championship. An All-South Coast Conference selection, Blassingame averaged 12 points and six assists and was named the MVP of the California JC tournament in San Diego.
"I think he really adds to our team," Spoonhour said. "He's going to be a very good player for us."
Blassingame, who was also recruited by Gonzaga, Pitt and UCLA, was a teammate of another recent Rebels signee, 6-foot-7 forward Romel Beck.
"He and Romel play very well together," Spoonhour said. "And Jerel really wants to be here."
Blassingame is the sixth player to sign with UNLV this year but under the NCAA's 5/8 scholarship rule, only five will be able to enroll at UNLV for the fall semester. Besides Beck, the other signees are 6-foot-10 center Chris Adams of San Francisco City College, 6-foot-6 swingman Andy Hannan of Minneapolis, 6-foot-3 guard John Winston of Hercules (Calif.) High School and 6-foot-2 guard Michael Umeh of Missouri City, Texas.
The odd man out could be Winston, who has not met NCAA freshman eligibility requirements yet, or Adams, who still needs his associate degree before he can enroll at UNLV. Adams likely will need to attend summer school to fulfill that obligation.
If all six qualify, one could enroll in January and count toward next year's scholarship allotment.
Even if all six were to make it, Spoonhour made it clear that Blassingame will be on the floor in October when practice starts.
"I think he's got to play," Spoonhour said. "Umeh and John can both play the two guard, too."
Blassingame helps firm up a Rebels backcourt that also is still counting on a healthy Demetrius Hunter. Hunter underwent surgery on his Achilles' tendon in April.
"He's doing excellent on his rehab," Spoonhour said. "Demetrius hasn't made it through a season yet without an injury and that's kind of scary. Hopefully he's got all the surgeries out of the way now."
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