SPI with F5438A and MAX3420e

i'm having problems reading data from the MAX3420e on my SPI receive buffer UCB3RXBUF.  What is weird is I have all the signals on a 4-channel scope and I see the command byte transmitted followed by the data.  I also see on the MISO (Rx line) the data I just transmitted.  But the UCB3RXBUF always shows zero.  Chip select is controlled by another port pin, not STE

Here is my read routine... any ideas appreciated.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Function:
//
// Read a register, return its value.
//
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

#define

DIR_READ 0                                                               //Bit1 clr is read bit

static uc max3420_rreg(uc regAddr)
{
volatile uc dummy = 0;

       ChipSelectLow_SS();                                                     // enable 3420 chip - not part of SPI, controlling with another port
       SpiUartB3_TxBuffer() = (regAddr + DIR_READ);             // store 3420 register address and set direction - UCB3TXBUF reg
       while(SpiUartB3_StatusReg() & UCBUSY);                    // check UCB3STAT reg
       dummy = SpiUartB3_RxBuffer();                                   // Needed to re-enable the input buffer in BYTE mode - UCB3RXBUF reg
       SpiUartB3_TxBuffer() = (0x00);                                     // dummy write -  UCB3TXBUF reg
       while(SpiUartB3_StatusReg() & UCBUSY);                    // check UCB3STAT reg
       while (!(SpiUartB3_IRQflagReg() & UCRXIFG))            ;// while interrupt - UCB3IFG reg
       ChipSelectHigh_SS();                                                  // disable 3420 chip - not part of SPI, controlling with another port
       return(SpiUartB3_RxBuffer());                                       // UCB3RXBUF show zero!!!!!
}

 please help me shed some light on this.  I'm running the clock using the FLL+ at 12 Mhz and dividing baud rate to 2Mhz.

Thanks, Jim