It was not a wonderful life he was leaving behind, so Deville Smith listened when family members pleaded for him to get out of Mississippi and take a higher-percentage shot at success.
Basketball
There was a Shark sighting on the UNLV campus Wednesday. But this Shark was bronze. And it sure looked like Jerry Tarkanian. The school officially dedicated a statue to the 83-year-old Hall of Fame basketball coach.
During his redshirt year on the bench, UNLV junior Roscoe Smith made a decision to get off the couch. As a transfer from Connecticut, Smith practiced with the Rebels and watched games from the sideline. But when the team was on the road, he was at home. The time alone was a chance to look in the mirror.
Sophomore forward Savon Goodman, facing felony charges and suspended for the season, announced Friday he is leaving the UNLV basketball program.
The Rebels unveiled their new-look roster for the Scarlet/Gray Showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday night. A crowd of around 5,000 showed up to catch a preview of the 2013-14 basketball season.
UNLV center Khem Birch was voted to the preseason all-Mountain West first team, and the Rebels were picked to finish in a second-place tie with Boise State, according to a basketball media poll released by the league.
Behind the scenes, a talented UNLV basketball team was torn apart. Carlos Lopez-Sosa was unhappy and unsure if he wanted to be a part of it anymore. He was falling apart, too.