No Traps Stop James as UNLV Guard Has Best Game So Far

Karl James used to get into trouble when he was a little kid, sneaking candy from the grocery store, poking his nose into places it didn’t belong.

His family spent so much time trying to catch him in some kind of mischievous act that his aunt gave him the nickname “The Booby-Trap Man.”

Years later, James, who sat out last season because of Proposition 48, has shortened his nickname to simply “Boobie,” but he’s still causing problems.

Thursday night, the UC Irvine basketball team was the one trying to catch James. But Boobie eluded any traps the Anteaters might have set, leading UNLV to a 99-77 Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. victory at the Bren Center.

James, making his fifth start of the season, led all players with 26 points. His total easily beat his career high (20 points against Hawaii Hilo in early December) and was more than double his game average of 12.3.

“UCI had great defensive pressure,” James said. “They had pressure on the wings, so I could just drive one-on-one and take the open shot. I felt comfortable out there.”

James should feel comfortable with the Runnin’ Rebels. He’s the third of the James family of Baltimore, Md. to head west to Las Vegas.

His older brother Frank (Spoon) James played forward at UNLV from 1983-85.

Spoon got his nickname out on the playground, when people noticed that he shot jumpers just as Nick Weatherspoon of the National Basketball Assn. Baltimore Bullets did.

And Keith James, a junior, is now Boobie’s teammate, transfering to UNLV after two seasons at University of South Carolina. Keith doesn’t have an official nickname.

“But we call him ‘Cornbread,’ ” his little brother said. Oh. Of course. After Cedric Maxwell.

Playing point guard against the Anteaters, James made his key contribution in the first half. Cold shooting by the team’s top scorers, Gerald Paddio (0 for 4 in the half) and Jarvis Basnight (2 for 6), helped keep the Anteaters in the game.

But James hit 7 of 9 attempts from the field and scored 16 points in the half, including 9 points in a 19-1 run that gave UNLV a 46-33 halftime lead.

“Boobie James is a shooter, not a point guard,” UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian said. “He has as many turnovers as assists--maybe even more--but it’s not his fault. He’s turning into a guard. . . . He’s doing a hell of a job.”

Thursday, James had seven turnovers, including five in the first half, and just one assist.

“That was of concern to me,” he said. “I just wasn’t reading the defensive guys right. It’s my fault.”

Despite the turnovers, he doesn’t mind playing the position left vacant by the loss of last season’s starting point guard, Mark Wade.

“I know I have to be a point guard in order to play,” he said. “I can make a pass, but if the shot is there I’ll take it.”

James finished the night 10 for 15 from the floor, with two three-pointers, and hit 4 of 4 from the line. He also helped in his own booby trap, a half-court press that created 21 UC Irvine turnovers.