Barely month into job, nice guy Rice faces test

The honeymoon is over, the grace period expired. It lasted 35 days.

On April 11, Dave Rice was hired as UNLV's men's basketball coach. On May 16, he was trying to gather facts about the driving-under-the-influence arrest of Chace Stanback, one of the star players he inherited.

It's not a perfect world, so coaches learn to deal with these things. Some learn faster than others. Some have to. This is especially true of those at the junior college level, or Miami of Florida.

In a perfect world, people would not drink and drive. In a perfect world, Dave Rice would not be faced with a major discipline decision after only 35 days on the job. Or ever.

In this world, the imperfect one, people watch beer commercials and think "that looks like fun." They tend to forget, or ignore, the small print at the bottom of the screen urging one to drink responsibly. I know this for a fact, because it happened to me once, after watching soccer all day with Englishmen.

People drink. People drive. People smoke stuff while listening to Bob Marley records. People drive. People seldom call for taxis. People sometimes get pulled over. It can happen to anybody. It can happen anywhere.

It can happen at Notre Dame, where Michael Floyd, the star football player, was arrested for DUI. It can happen at Brigham Young, where Brandon Davies, the star basketball player, was suspended for violating the school honor code.

Rice was the Cougars' associate head coach under Dave Rose when that deal went down. But that was different. Rose didn't have to make a decision, only abide by one, because that is what is written in the honor code, regardless of how Draconian it might seem to those who don't understand, or those who remember drive-in movies.

Rice, on the other hand, must make this decision on his own, although I would be surprised if he doesn't receive advice from UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood. If a college basketball team is indeed a family, then the coach is the father and the athletic director the grandfather. Some dads like to bounce matters of import and consequence off wizened grandpas before rendering decisions that affect the siblings and their distant cousins with behavior problems, also known as fans.

Pat Knight, on the other hand, will tell you that's not always the case.

Stanback, the Rebels' top returning scorer and rebounder, was arrested Friday in Las Vegas. According to Las Vegas police, he was stopped for speeding at 2 a.m. near the UNLV campus, proving once again that good things rarely happen after 2 a.m.

Rice, who was in Utah watching his 13-year-old son, Travis, play baseball, said he was aware there had been "an incident," and that he had briefly talked to Stanback. They will talk again after all the facts are known.

It is conceivable Rice could let this play out, postponing a decision until Aug. 11 when Stanback is scheduled to appear in Justice Court. Innocent until proven guilty, and all that.

The court of public opinion might not be as patient.

For what it's worth, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly suspended Floyd immediately after his arrest and said the suspension would not be lifted until Floyd changed his behavior and the legal and university discipline procedures ran their course. Or until the Michigan game.

It's easy to suspend guys, even star players, during the offseason.

It wasn't that easy for Rice's predecessor, Lon Kruger, who failed to suspend Tre'Von Willis last summer when Willis -- like Stanback, the team's top returning player -- was arrested after a domestic disturbance with a female acquaintance. Willis was later suspended for three games -- actually two exhibitions and a regular-season game against UC Riverside -- before another (Southeastern Louisiana) was tacked on, after the media blasted Kruger for what was perceived a tap on Willis' wrist. In a coincidence of shocking proportions, Willis was reinstated for the Rebels' big game against Wisconsin.

Thus, it would come as no surprise if stronger action were taken against Stanback once those facts are known. A five-game suspension, or more, isn't out of the question. No glorified scrimmages against Grand Canyon and Washburn this time. Five games, minimum, that count for something when the selection committee meets to discuss the brackets next spring.

Five games will show that UNLV learned from the Willis debacle.

Five games will show that Dave Rice means business, that he isn't such a nice guy, per his reputation, when it comes to serious matters such as driving under the influence, when a lapse in judgment can result in other people being hurt or so much worse.

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski.