Word: tarkanian
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...that attainment, if it happens, may be almost irrelevant. The major surprise was that UNLV could actually show up. For 17 years, Tarkanian has been involved with numerous NCAA investigations for rules violations that range from illegal recruiting to grade fixing in order to maintain the eligibility of his players. Many of the accusations have stuck, yet in one case Tarkanian fought the NCAA all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won. Last fall, in order to avoid punishing current players for recruiting violations committed by UNLV in the 1970s, the NCAA lifted a ban that prohibited...
...Tarkanian's continuing presence in the tourney is testimony to his clout as major-college basketball's winningest coach, despite the fact that he is also one of the sport's most controversial figures. The chief reason why he continues to appear in the NCAA knockout event is also the focus of much of the controversy: his 30-year-old coaching system, built on finding and nurturing players that other schools have passed up. This year eight of 14 UNLV players, including All-American forward Larry Johnson, came to UNLV from junior colleges or as transfers. Once on the Rebels...
...Rebels' combative, fast-and-loose style of play is a reflection, of sorts, of Tarkanian's approach to the NCAA's regulations. The coach's 1986 recruitment of New York City prep star Lloyd Daniels, who attended four high schools but never managed to graduate, is an example of his pursuit of a questionable player. (In the end, Daniels never wore a UNLV uniform.) Tarkanian points to the likes of Johnson and current guard Greg Anthony as signs that his system works...
...recruiting, Tarkanian focuses on the kind of kid he was himself: hardworking, aggressive, looking for the main chance. Tarkanian was born to working-class Armenian parents in Euclid, Ohio. His father died when he was 12, and the family moved to Pasadena, Calif., in the 1940s. Tarkanian was already planning a coaching career as an undergraduate at Fresno State university, and began working with high school teams while earning a master's degree in education from University of Redlands. He moved up to Riverside City College as head coach in 1961, spent seven seasons at the community-college level, then...
...Tarkanian's outreach to talented but overlooked players began in his community-college years, and so did his solicitude for less fortunate players. Joe Barnes, who came to Riverside after being cut from his school's team in Detroit, recalls barbecues and parties at the Tarkanian house. But these days it appears as if Tarkanian's players enjoy a bit more than ribs and sodas. At a UNLV team practice last week there was no cookout, but there were plenty of fancy grilles on the player-driven Mercedes and BMWs in the gym parking...