UNLV’s Daniels Arrested on Drug Charges

Lloyd Daniels, a basketball player whose talents have been compared to those of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has been arrested in Las Vegas on drug charges. Daniels, 19, was among 60 people arrested during an undercover drug operation, police said.

Daniels, who had enrolled at UNLV this semester in hopes of becoming eligible to join the basketball team next season, was freed on $1,500 bond. He was charged with attempting to possess a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Daniels allegedly purchased rock cocaine from a police officer in a sting in Las Vegas.

“He’s not going to play or practice with the team,” said UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian, whose Rebels are 24-1 and ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll of college teams. “If he’s involved, he won’t play here. It’s really sad because the guy is so talented.”

Daniels, 6 feet 8 inches, had been rated the greatest high school player in New York since Lew Alcindor, now Abdul-Jabbar. Although he did not have a high school diploma, he enrolled at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut last fall. At UNLV’s urging, Daniels, who attended five high schools in three states, left and enrolled at UNLV.

Daniels played at least one game for the junior college basketball team but was advised to stop attending team practices so he could concentrate on reading lessons.

Before the arrest, Tarkanian had said that Daniels had the same talent as Johnson and would be the best player to ever play at UNLV.