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RIP Mr. Tarkanian

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by klawrey, Feb 11, 2015.

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  1. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    Rest in peace to the coaching great Jerry Tarkanian. The second huge loss in this week for college basketball and arguably the world as a whole.

    Known for his chewing of a towel on the sideline during games and his flyboy UNLV squads including the 1990 NCAA championship team. But Tark was more. He challenged an NCAA suspension all the way to the supreme court claiming they were a state actor that violated his due process rights by suspending him. He also collected a $2.5 million settlement from the NCAA after alleging they tried to force him out of coaching in the NCAA for the better part of two decades.

    He was the definition of his final two schools mascots, a Rebel and a Bulldog. But also he was a winner and legend given raise by taking the chance on the little guy and boy did it pay off.

    Someone upstairs must've needed some better basketball to watch so he called upon Tark and Dean Smith to coach em up. Rest in peace to both!

    PS- I posted in Miscellaneous Vegas due to his 19 years at UNLV. It was here or Sportsbook.
     
  2. WichitaMuskie

    WichitaMuskie VIP Whale

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    Sad news about a true Vegas legend.
     
  3. NativeSoCal

    NativeSoCal Low-Roller

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    His teams of the early 90s were relentless.
    He didn't get the "blue-chip" players, he found kids who could play, and coached them hard.
    They played a NBA brand of basketball, and on the court they worked harder than anyone else.
     
  4. bu$hman

    bu$hman Guppie trying to become a whale

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    Four corners vs Runnin' and Gunnin'! I like it. Who wins? Everybody, as they were two of the best.
     
  5. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    I was too young to enjoy those 90's teams live but I've seen plenty of replays and highlights and they were fun to watch. Much more fun than these 62-60 games that are played today. I only got to catch the tail end of a great career and learned a lot about the man through law school and his battles with the NCAA. Find me a current coach that would go to war with the governing body like Tark... You can't because they won't. Shows how fierce of a competitor he was on and off the court!
     
  6. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    Dean had a few teams that could run and gun too though. He'd just run and gun them for 30 minutes then put them slowly to the death with 4 corners for the last 10. But you're right everybody wins. Imagine the recruiting battles up there!
     
  7. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    And let's not forget his success at Riverside and Pasadena city colleges and Long Beach State.
     
  8. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    He was the man wherever he went. I wasn't aware of the city colleges but I did know of his challenges of the unwritten race rules about starting more than 3 black players and to that I say good for him. You put your best players on the floor regardless of race and Tark wasn't going to let some stupid unwritten rule stop him from doing that.
     
  9. WichitaMuskie

    WichitaMuskie VIP Whale

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    UNLV vs. Loyola Marymount in the last of the '80s/first of the '90s was as good as college basketball has ever been.
     
  10. NativeSoCal

    NativeSoCal Low-Roller

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    ...and Fresno State!
     
  11. bu$hman

    bu$hman Guppie trying to become a whale

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    (Cough, cough) I was talking about the 70's and 80's, he says, dating himself. Yes, the 90's were awesome, too.

    To other posts, yes, Dean (good ol' KU alum) could run with the best of them. On a rant/tangent: I thought what a travesty the shot clock was, when instituted. To me, it penalized a team that could actually take care of the basketball. It's easy to jack up a shot. It's hard, and takes discipline, to maintain possession, especially when the other team is trying to get it. Still don't like it, but have accepted it, along with the 3-point shot.

    I remember when Tark was at LBSU, too, and FSU. The guy could coach.
     
  12. M_ILIS

    M_ILIS VIP Whale

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    I loved those UNLV teams of the late '80s and wish I could have experienced a home game while Tark was still there. I went to a few at Thomas & Mack in the Rollie Massimino era and they were fun, but I know it wasn't quite the spectacle of a few years earlier. Thanks for the memories, Coach Tarkanian!
     
  13. DaiLun

    DaiLun R.C., L.C., and A.A.N.G.

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    +1 R.I.P. "Tark the Shark".
     
  14. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    I gave the Bulldogs a shout out in the original post. Said Tark represented his last two teams mascots well as he was always a Rebel and a Bulldog. He was great wherever he went because of that rebel/bulldog mentality and the basketball world is lucky to have had a guy like that. I'd give anything to have a guy today that embodied Tark's attitude especially to the corporate joke that is the NCAA. He took them head on with as Colin Cowherd said today "with no safety net" he didn't fear the repercussions he spoke his mind that the NCAA was a corporate giant and the player should have rights. If more coaches today would take Tark's attitude and stand up for the kids they may be able to make a change. Unfortunately these coaches are millionaires that won't bite the hand that feeds them in the name of their players like Tark was never afraid to do!
     
  15. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Couldn't disagree more! Honestly, all I remember was their tournament game. If they played another memorable game in the late eighties, then my bad for forgetting it. But as much as I loved both teams playing a run and gun style (especially LMU), that tourney game wasn't even close. UNLV was up 20 at the half and I recall LMU shooting terribly throughout that game. Personally, I preferred the UNLV v. Arkansas game from earlier that year. Great matchup and a hostile road crowd! Not to mention, the final four game against Duke was one of the best final four games I have ever seen.
     
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  16. Bernie2

    Bernie2 MIA

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    Jerry was certainly a different breed of coach. There was a time when he would recruit in the jails.If, I were in Vegas yours truly would be at the services. He certainly knew how to get the player(s) to reach their potential. Again, Jerry RIP
     
  17. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    I just realized Tark's old Rebels and Bulldogs played last night. I hope Tark got to watch one last go round between them before he went!
     
  18. WichitaMuskie

    WichitaMuskie VIP Whale

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    I thought they played a few times in that era. I checked the records, and it turns out they only played one more time...earlier the same season (I think the season opener in fact), and UNLV won 102-91. LMU obviously had Gathers at that point, so they were a much better team and gave the Rebels a much more competitive game.
     
  19. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    I'd agree they weren't fun to watch in the sense of competitive games but man were they fun to see for the run and gun! Heck Arkansas cracked 100 the other night and my twitter feed was blowing up like it was some crazy feat, LMU and UNLV use to do it with regularity and some degree of certainty. Heck I've won a few total bets on NCAA hoops this year on Under 114 being my lowest, in that 1990 NCAA Tournament UNLV and LMU and Michigan all cracked the 114 number on their own once during the tournament. Now if you watch some games teams struggle to crack 40 on some nights, Bring back the run and gun and regular hundred point games by teams!
     
  20. WichitaMuskie

    WichitaMuskie VIP Whale

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    Michigan scored 115....and lost by 34. :beer:
     
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