UNLV forward Smith won’t play this season

UNLV's legislative relief waiver request for basketball player Roscoe Smith was denied Friday by the NCAA.

Smith, a 6-foot-8-inch forward who transferred from Connecticut this summer, will redshirt in the 2012-13 season and be eligible for the 2013-14 season. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

"We are disappointed for Roscoe and our team, but we understand and accept the decision," Rebels coach Dave Rice said.

Smith was a starter on Connecticut's 2011 national championship team. In two years at the school, he started 47 of 74 games. He averaged 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman and 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds as a sophomore.