Many of you wanted lon gone. I still cant wrap my head around why, but you got what you wanted. I hope our inept administration can stumble upon another great hire like him. Lavin is not it.
Cant believe you
- Thread starter UnlvRebelde
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People wanted Tark out as well. Yes their is always a few that are never happy, but it was not a majority that wanted Lon gone. He was not driven out, he was offered a lot more money. Think he was here 7 years? Had a sweet 16. Didn't win conf, didn't win tourny, not in top 20 ( for length of time) not many big time recruits, but, did a great job with the players and most fans where happy with the effort. But where those results worth doubling his salary to over 2 million a year? That's the decision UNLV had to make.
I miss Lon a ton.. sadly I became a fan in the mid- 90's, after the Tark era, and Lon has been by far the best coach in that period. He was also a very likeable dude.
I was at the NCAA tourney game in Tulsa where Lon's team got embarrassed by Illinois in what turned out to be his last game here. There was a lot of frustration during that game, obviously. And a lot of feelings that Lon had topped out.
I remember the consensus on this board and the confidential board was quite overwhelmingly feelings of relief and looking forward to a coach who could elevate us from the level Kruger had achieved (hilariously, most genuinely believed Rice or Theus were capable of this).
Think about it... had Kruger stayed I guarantee we'd have been in the NCAA'S AT LEAST 4 of the past 5 years (rather than 2), and I believe would have made at least one Sweet 16 in that time. Sigh.
Oklahoma didn't just offer Kruger out of the blue. He was shopping his services to multiple schools. He wanted out before he was booted out. His last game was an embarrassing 30 pt beatdown on national TV, he knew the shine was wearing off his time in Vegas.
Lon was maxed out at UNLV. Just because Oklahoma is doing great doesn't mean it was going to happen here.
You could also argue that UNLV is maxed out. Where the university is right now, it could be the best Lon could do here. Just being realistic.
We've already proven what our max potential is at UNLV, it's hanging in the rafters, buddy.
Rice put Kruger's recruiting to the sword so I doubt it was the best he could do. The golf courses must not be as good in Oklahoma.
yes, our incoming class before he bolted had Grandy Glaze & Dantley Walker as the highlights. plus whomever would be available off the transfer wire.
LK definitely gets the most out of his recruits, unfortunately he doesn't recruit very well...well, here he didn't. 7 years and he got an ncaa gift to have his son play here to make that sweet 16.
No, I don't agree, at least not in basketball. Rice brought recruits here so it is obviously not. Plus UNLV Bball has great facilities, a lot of support, and looks willing to spend the money for a good coach.
All I'm saying is the Kool-aid isn't as sweet as it used to be. During 'the lean years' after Tark, UNLV fell off the face of the planet and Kruger started bringing it back to some degree and now Rice took the program back a couple years. This next hire needs to really jump start the program or I fear UNLV will slip further into irrelevancy. We could also start by getting the hell out of the MWC somehow, and the football program getting better (which it has so far).
Being in the MW hurts a lot more than some people understand.
Look at STDSU this year. They had a weak start to the season so they were screwed. There is no way to recover from a bad start in a weak conference.
They are easily one of the best 68 teams in the country but are left out because they are in the MW. Coaches know that.
Look at STDSU this year. They had a weak start to the season so they were screwed. There is no way to recover from a bad start in a weak conference.
They are easily one of the best 68 teams in the country but are left out because they are in the MW. Coaches know that.
'Hey you could win a lot of games here, the conference is really down. You better not stumble in the conference tourney though'
Not a great sales pitch..
That's why UNLV has to schedule the way it does (challenging). Other MWC teams need to step up their scheduling too. Everyone has to bring it. Problem is other P5 schools have no incentive to play MWC teams in home and home series. P5 teams find it too risky to play on a MWC floor, and MWC coaches don't want to get crushed on the road without a return game.
Just this year the Arizona play-by-play guy said he'd be fine never playing UNLV again. UNLV kills in OOC games when talent trumps team strategy, then as teams mature and develop, UNLV gets crushed in conference because it never matured and developed, killing Arizona's RPI.
Just this year the Arizona play-by-play guy said he'd be fine never playing UNLV again. UNLV kills in OOC games when talent trumps team strategy, then as teams mature and develop, UNLV gets crushed in conference because it never matured and developed, killing Arizona's RPI.
Who would you hire if it was your choice? You seem to forget a certain point guard out of Findlay that was committed that turned out to be really solid. Lon knew the importance of guards. Just look at the game now...it is dominated by guards.
Why have we been bad under Rice? Poor guard play.
Spoke to Lon about a month ago...he wanted to stay at UNLV. If we would've given him the money we are willing to pony up for Cronin he would be here.
Also, his recruiting was not limited here...was about to make a major step forward with the Mendenhall being completed. That was a huge recruiting tool gift that landed in DR's lap.
Also, his recruiting was not limited here...was about to make a major step forward with the Mendenhall being completed. That was a huge recruiting tool gift that landed in DR's lap.
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But we didn't have the money then or an administrator like Jessup who could get the boosters to put up the money. Plus, Kruger didn't really give UNLV the time to try to raise the money so he didn't want to stay that bad.
Freakin' depressing. Now Lon's in the Elite 8, won 5 NCAA games (and counting) past 2 seasons at OU.
I think he would have gotten UNLV there had we been more patient, with Mendenhall opening, NWG coming in, Findlay prospects, etc.
Be careful what you wish for. Sigh.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebask...as-plenty-of-help-as-oklahoma-drills-texas-am
man, it sure is easy being smart in retrospect. The trick is to be smart in real time -- that is not so easy!!
Kruger didn't even try to get any of the better Findlay players. If he tried and lost players to Arizona and Texas I guarantee people wouldn't have been so agreeable to see him leave. I don't remember any Findlay players even listing UNLV. NWG was too little, way too late. Kruger's last 3 years we never finished better than 3rd in conference and SDSU owned us. We couldn't compete because we didn't have the athletes. I respect Kruger as a person and a coach but that crap was infuriating. You could count on one hand all the 5 and 4 star recruits who listed UNLV during Kruger's entire tenure here and you'd still have a few fingers left over. No excuse for that. NONE.
At Oklahoma he has the prestige of being in a Power 5 conference and tons of tv exposure so obviously he doesn't have to work hard to get quality athletes. He should've worked harder on recruiting at UNLV but he didn't and to me it seemed he was ok with that. In retrospect Rice was a disaster but the fact I knew he gave a flying f and didn't want UNLV to be a doormat in this conference was more than enough for me to support him over Kruger.
At Oklahoma he has the prestige of being in a Power 5 conference and tons of tv exposure so obviously he doesn't have to work hard to get quality athletes. He should've worked harder on recruiting at UNLV but he didn't and to me it seemed he was ok with that. In retrospect Rice was a disaster but the fact I knew he gave a flying f and didn't want UNLV to be a doormat in this conference was more than enough for me to support him over Kruger.
100% Fact. Just look at TCU, just a few years ago they were one of us, now they're flush with football TV cash and got the coach they wanted and with ease.
Getting that stadium built and migrating to a Power Conference should be the focus moving forward. Next decade could be a whole different ball game in Vegas...
Fair enough and good post. I too respect that by all accounts Rice gave it his all.
I do feel, based on the data and what others have said on here over the years, that Kruger could have done better in the recruiting area. And he should have. Optimistically perhaps, but I feel he was about to turn the corner in that area with the NWG signing.
My only other counter would be that he recruited players for his system, not based on stars and accolades. If you use the most important measure of all (team success), rather than star ratings to judge recruiting success, you can argue Kruger recruited better guys than Rice.
Very true. TCU usually wasn't even a very good basketball program by MWC standards. Now they are luring top 30 coaches and proven NCAA regulars from power teams, seemingly with ease. What a difference the Big XII makes.
that's a great point there....Rice, grabbed anything and everything and hoped he could make it work. the worst part was the retention. if LK had Birch, he would've probably played his senior year. if Rice had Heild, he would've entered the draft as a sophomore.
think about if those D League guys would've stayed for their senior years. Birch, Roscoe, Wood.
for Lon, i think he tried to get transfers that fit his system. his high school recruiting was flat out lazy because it took more effort and time away from the greens. Wink was given to him.
He has Hield.
We had Curtis Terry huge difference.
And I'm sure you broke the piggy bank to keep him to stay.
We had Curtis Terry huge difference.
And I'm sure you broke the piggy bank to keep him to stay.
I completely disagree. Theres plenty of non major conference teams that recruit and compete. Plus the mwc aside from this year, which was a departure from the norm btw, is only a step below the majors. So it isnt that bad
I dont know if you guys are trolling, stupid, or just stubborn and unwilling to admit you were wrong. Maxed out? The man has taken 4 teams to the sweet 16. 5 to the second round. 2 to the final four. Curtis terry was so bad? Well kruger coached those teams up enough that they brought us OUR ONLY 3 tournament wins since tark.
And i dont even know what point youre trying to make with the piggy bank comment. The mendenhall center is expensive and rivals any facilities in the country. They offered mick cronin what 3 million?
