This has been the worst month of my Rebel life and that is saying a lot. Admittedly a big part of that is watching my friend and his family go through very, very tough situation. It is heartbreaking for him and for them and that has really got to me. I also believe, as does he, that it was unfair not to give him this season. Everyone knew that some recruiting errors (yes, those errors were his) forced him to kind of re start and the result was a couple of inexperienced but talented teams. We needed to win and show improvement, big improvement this season. We knew that coming in. If at the end of the year the season went the way it is looking he would have been gone. Most coaches and writers and admin that I have seen or read all seem to agree that a mid season firing was an unusual measure. I hate the way it was handled. The public humiliation and the way he was treated is a pretty harsh way to treat a guy who played here and coached as an assistant and head coach and who was a true Rebel in every way. That's my opinion.
But Dave not being the coach is not at all the whole reason this is so tough. It's tough because of how harsh a reminder it is of who is really driving this bus. It's tough because I believe you only make a change like this when you are reasonably certain your solution will be an improvement. There is no chance that the team we roll out next season will be close to as good as what we would have. No chance.
Now, I get it. This job is about winning and for whatever reason Dave did not produce those wins. We lost four or five games this season in the most baffling of ways. And that will not and should not ever be ok at UNLV. But I do feel like we were very very close. I know for a fact the kids were playing with the extra pressure of playing for their coaches job and that it did indeed make them play very tight. That should never have been in their minds and would not have been if all of this was handled differently. What;s wrong with saying in March "Dave Rice is our coach and we are behind him 100% and believe he will get this turned around. Losing is not acceptable at UNLV and we are all together working to bring a winning team to our city" And you leave it at that and in private you say whatever you want to to Dave and if at the end of the season he didn't win you ask him in private to resign and he does. Simple The kids should never ever have had that pressure.
Bottom line is we are reacting to outside influences pulling strings. And that is why I question and doubt if we will become great again. A house divided must fall. And this house is always divided. And throw in that our fans and media think we should be a top 25 program with mid 80's financial support. Our fans boo our own players. Our fans actually though Lon Kruger was a very mediocre coach. None of that helps build a program. It takes support first, then success will come.
On the plus side I do think that UNLV still has a great basketball name. Lon had the vision and big boosters stepped up to build the Mendenhall and Vegas is a huge hub for Team USA and other big basketball events. So another coach will be able to recruit here. I think Dave and staff were exceptional at it, but we will see if someone else can get similar players. I certainly hope that they will. I just know that we will of course see some turnover around here first and it will probably be a couple steps backward before hopefully we rise. And I'm so tired of starting over. I can only hope that whoever lands in that seat next will get the support from this town that the must have if we ever dream of being a top 25 program. I know they will have my support. Even though right now I am supremely pissed off.
But Dave not being the coach is not at all the whole reason this is so tough. It's tough because of how harsh a reminder it is of who is really driving this bus. It's tough because I believe you only make a change like this when you are reasonably certain your solution will be an improvement. There is no chance that the team we roll out next season will be close to as good as what we would have. No chance.
Now, I get it. This job is about winning and for whatever reason Dave did not produce those wins. We lost four or five games this season in the most baffling of ways. And that will not and should not ever be ok at UNLV. But I do feel like we were very very close. I know for a fact the kids were playing with the extra pressure of playing for their coaches job and that it did indeed make them play very tight. That should never have been in their minds and would not have been if all of this was handled differently. What;s wrong with saying in March "Dave Rice is our coach and we are behind him 100% and believe he will get this turned around. Losing is not acceptable at UNLV and we are all together working to bring a winning team to our city" And you leave it at that and in private you say whatever you want to to Dave and if at the end of the season he didn't win you ask him in private to resign and he does. Simple The kids should never ever have had that pressure.
Bottom line is we are reacting to outside influences pulling strings. And that is why I question and doubt if we will become great again. A house divided must fall. And this house is always divided. And throw in that our fans and media think we should be a top 25 program with mid 80's financial support. Our fans boo our own players. Our fans actually though Lon Kruger was a very mediocre coach. None of that helps build a program. It takes support first, then success will come.
On the plus side I do think that UNLV still has a great basketball name. Lon had the vision and big boosters stepped up to build the Mendenhall and Vegas is a huge hub for Team USA and other big basketball events. So another coach will be able to recruit here. I think Dave and staff were exceptional at it, but we will see if someone else can get similar players. I certainly hope that they will. I just know that we will of course see some turnover around here first and it will probably be a couple steps backward before hopefully we rise. And I'm so tired of starting over. I can only hope that whoever lands in that seat next will get the support from this town that the must have if we ever dream of being a top 25 program. I know they will have my support. Even though right now I am supremely pissed off.
