25. Unlv

Soon after Latvia native Kaspars Kambala arrived in Las Vegas in August 1997, he took in all his surroundings—the vast desert, the neon skyline, the UNLV front line depleted by suspensions. He then narrowed his gaze to a shiny object in his dorm room, the 1996-97 WAC Pacific Division Freshman of the Year plaque owned by his roommate, sophomore guard Mark Dickel. Says Kambala, "I decided my name would look good on one of those."

Indeed it does—though with a slightly different inscription. After shifting to the Mountain Division before last season, the Runnin' Rebels struggled through a year marked by three suspensions, 12 starting lineups and, remarkably enough, a WAC tournament championship and their first bid to the NCAA tournament since 1991. Through it all, the 6'9", 250-pound Kambala was a rock. With now departed Keon Clark and then junior Kevin Simmons serving suspensions for accepting a nip to Orlando from an agent, Kambala had eight double doubles in his first 11 games, including a 19-point, 10-rebound performance while matched against Kansas All-America Raef LaFrentz. "All that playing time was unexpected, but I sure liked it," says Kambala, who averaged 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds for the season, numbers that earned him his very own WAC Mountain Division Freshman of the Year plaque.

He should enjoy his playing time more this year, having polished his game at Pete Newell's Big Man Camp this summer. "Kas has a real knack for scoring with his back to the basket," says UNLV coach Bill Bayno. "And he's as strong as anyone in the country." (Not just in this country: As a 14-year-old, Kambala made the third-longest hammer throw in Latvian history for his age group.)

When it comes to throwing weight around on UNLV's front line, Kambala will get hefty help from Simmons and 6'7" newcomer Shawn Marion (13.1 rebounds per game at Vincennes University in Indiana). The backcourt of Dickel and Brian Keefe (41.7% from three-point range) is solid too. "We may not be great at any one position," says Bayno. "But I think we're very good at all of them."

Bayno is further encouraged by the absence of off-the-court distractions. "Until midway through last year, we weren't a team, just a collection of guys. But this is a team, the best group I've had here in terms of talent, attitude and chemistry."

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