Bayno finds times tough at UNLV

Wednesday, December 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LAS VEGAS (AP) _ UNLV officials were surprised at the harshness of NCAA sanctions against the school's basketball program. Even more surprised was coach Bill Bayno when he was fired a few hours later.

The NCAA had no sooner informed UNLV it would be given another four years' probation than the university unceremoniously fired Bayno after five-plus years as its coach.

``Sure, it's surprising,'' Bayno said. ``But it's the nature of the business.''

Bayno was replaced by assistant coach Max Good. Meanwhile, university officials tried to assess the damage of the latest sanctions against a once-proud basketball program that has had four coaches since Jerry Tarkanian left in 1992.

In addition to the probation, UNLV was banned from postseason play for a year and lost two scholarships for two years for violations that stemmed from the recruiting of Lamar Odom in 1996 and 1997.

``I am disappointed the NCAA decided to expand on these sanctions,'' UNLV president Carol Harter said. ``But for the most part, we accept them.''

Bayno's team has struggled this season and was coming off an embarrassing loss to Nevada on Saturday. But Harter said the team's 3-4 start had nothing to do with Bayno's firing.

Instead, she said, Bayno was let go because he allowed recruiting violations in a program that has been plagued for years by NCAA investigations.

``The head coach is responsible for the integrity of the basketball program,'' Harter said.

Among the latest claims was that a local dentist and UNLV booster gave Odom $5,600 in monthly payments while he was awaiting admission to UNLV. Odom enrolled for a summer school class, but UNLV then refused to admit him, and he never played for the Rebels.

``The institution felt it was my fault,'' Bayno said. ``But I wasn't charged with anything. The NCAA cleared me of wrongdoing.''

UNLV, which was put on probation in 1993, escaped the so-called ``death penalty'' that could have been applied under NCAA bylaws.

``We don't have to put a team on the shelf. It's a drastic remedy,'' said Jack Friedenthal, chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions. The previous probation, he said, ``was a while back and it occurred at a different time and level.''

Odom's recruitment was similar to that of Lloyd Daniels in the 1980s that attracted the attention of the NCAA and got UNLV its probation in 1993. Daniels never played for UNLV, either, and the controversy over his recruitment helped lead to Tarkanian's forced resignation.

UNLV officials argued that the payments to Odom were made after the university said he could not play, but the NCAA found otherwise. The severity of the sanctions finally levied, however, seemed to stun school officials, who said they might appeal the postseason ban.

``We're not trying to whine about the penalty,'' Harter said. ``We accept most of the penalties. But we're under a level of scrutiny that I dare say is extraordinarily difficult for an institute to survive.''

Bayno, in his sixth season at UNLV, was under growing pressure from fans and boosters for fielding teams that often were loaded with talent, but performed inconsistently.

Under Bayno, UNLV was 94-64 in five-plus seasons, but never got past the first game of the two NCAA postseason tournaments it made. The Rebels face No. 17 Cincinnati on Saturday.