Unlv Lures Umass Coach

UNLV hired its third head coach in as many years, signing University of Massachusetts assistant Billy Bayno to take over a troubled basketball program that once ranked among the nation’s elite.

Bayno promised he would work to return the UNLV program to the prominence it once held under former coach Jerry Tarkanian.

It is the first head coaching job for Bayno, who served as the graduate assistant under Larry Brown at the University of Kansas and under P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall.

Former Indiana basketball star Steve Alford, who turned sagging NCAA Division III program Manchester (Ind.) College into a national power, was hired, as expected, as coach at Southwest Missouri State.

At 30, Alford became the second-youngest coach in Division I.

University of Washington forward David Hawken decided not to return to the Husky basketball team for his final season. The fourth-year junior will graduate later this spring and already has secured a career position.