I'd say the vast majority of UNLV fans want to see UNLV win no matter who the coach is. But we'll always have those pockets of fans who would rather lose when there is a coach they don't like, just so they have a chance to get a coach they might like.
I'm not trying to be overdramatic and there are very few absolutes in life - but my feeling is people better hope Rice gets it done. I'm saying this because of in spite of UNLV being a pretty mediocre team for the past few years, recruiting - which most of us agree needs to be at a certain level to hit the level most of us want to hit - has been outstanding. We've become used to it, spoiled even. It no longer surprises us that we have no problem going up against Kentucky, UCLA, Kansas, Indiana, etc - and winning our fair share. That's not easy. Sure, you can win without high level recruiting, but you're probably going to be limited to the type of winning that leaves you thirsty for a lot more than you are getting. That's exactly what we saw with Kruger.
At the price tag UNLV is currently paying, with what UNLV's basketball budget currently is at - I think you are going to be very hard pressed to find somebody who not only can recruit at such a high level, but one that is very intimate with the way things work at UNLV. Don't discount that. Even experienced coaches may think they know the UNLV job, but it smacks them in the face. Trust me, there are some very unique things involved with the job that aren't at most other places. The landmines, the factions, the ass backwards inner workings, expectations, budget challenges, the non-traditional (non grad/businessman) boosters, etc - it makes the job a little different than most are expecting and I know it's had an impact on the tenure of some former coaches.
Now, by no means does that mean... hey, recruiting is great, give a lifetime contract. You still have to win, no question about that. But my feeling is that anything short of Rice making things happen is going to be a pretty major setback for awhile. One that would further distance UNLV from where they once were and take it one step closer to where USF is at.
This is the most confident I've been with any Rice team - the past two years I wasn't all that confident because there were some huge question marks which ultimately were met with thuds. I was hopeful, but alot of things needed to go right and it seemed like anything questionable ended up bad. I felt far more comfortable with his first two teams, even though there were several chinks. I believe this year's team is going to be really good, better than the record or any ranking (I think they'll take some lumps and have trouble getting the sustained success that leads from no ranking to early season rankings). But I think they'll show quality play, an exciting style, be a very dangerous out in every game and they'll improve over the course of the season and be one of the two primaries in conference play.
I'm not trying to be overdramatic and there are very few absolutes in life - but my feeling is people better hope Rice gets it done. I'm saying this because of in spite of UNLV being a pretty mediocre team for the past few years, recruiting - which most of us agree needs to be at a certain level to hit the level most of us want to hit - has been outstanding. We've become used to it, spoiled even. It no longer surprises us that we have no problem going up against Kentucky, UCLA, Kansas, Indiana, etc - and winning our fair share. That's not easy. Sure, you can win without high level recruiting, but you're probably going to be limited to the type of winning that leaves you thirsty for a lot more than you are getting. That's exactly what we saw with Kruger.
At the price tag UNLV is currently paying, with what UNLV's basketball budget currently is at - I think you are going to be very hard pressed to find somebody who not only can recruit at such a high level, but one that is very intimate with the way things work at UNLV. Don't discount that. Even experienced coaches may think they know the UNLV job, but it smacks them in the face. Trust me, there are some very unique things involved with the job that aren't at most other places. The landmines, the factions, the ass backwards inner workings, expectations, budget challenges, the non-traditional (non grad/businessman) boosters, etc - it makes the job a little different than most are expecting and I know it's had an impact on the tenure of some former coaches.
Now, by no means does that mean... hey, recruiting is great, give a lifetime contract. You still have to win, no question about that. But my feeling is that anything short of Rice making things happen is going to be a pretty major setback for awhile. One that would further distance UNLV from where they once were and take it one step closer to where USF is at.
This is the most confident I've been with any Rice team - the past two years I wasn't all that confident because there were some huge question marks which ultimately were met with thuds. I was hopeful, but alot of things needed to go right and it seemed like anything questionable ended up bad. I felt far more comfortable with his first two teams, even though there were several chinks. I believe this year's team is going to be really good, better than the record or any ranking (I think they'll take some lumps and have trouble getting the sustained success that leads from no ranking to early season rankings). But I think they'll show quality play, an exciting style, be a very dangerous out in every game and they'll improve over the course of the season and be one of the two primaries in conference play.
