Sam Morris

Former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian and other members of the 1986-1987 Final Four Rebels team are feted at halftime of the UNLV game against San Diego State Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012.

By Jerry Tarkanian

Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 | 2:05 a.m.

UNLV vs. SDSU - Feb. 11, 2012

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What a great turnout Saturday for the UNLV basketball team’s game against San Diego State.

It was the best crowd they’ve had all year and reminded me of the crowds we got every night because the fans were so engaged the entire game.

I was surprised with the outcome. I really thought UNLV would kill them, but they almost gave it away before winning late. San Diego State was a lot better than everyone thought they would be. They are going to be a dangerous team in the tournament.

Justin Hawkins won the game for UNLV with the steal at the end of the game. That kid makes some big plays every time they put him in. He’s really a clutch player.

And I can’t say enough about Mike Moser. He had 19 points and continues to be impressive. He had key bucket after key bucket. He really gets what they are trying to do. When they get the ball in his hands he really make a difference. God, he makes such a big difference.

It was nice catching up with all the players and their families from the 1987 Final Four team. We had a brunch in the Board Room at Thomas & Mack Center before the game and they honored us at halftime.

It just didn’t seem right without Armen Gilliam. Everyone was still shocked that he died this summer. Not only was he one of our best players, he was an even better person.

Armen took such great care of himself and always ate the right foods. That’s why everyone was so surprised to hear he died. Lois and I went to Pittsburgh for the funeral, and got to meet a lot of his family and know them well. It was nice seeing all of them again Saturday.

I can’t thank all of the fans enough for the cheers they gave us at halftime, especially for Armen. He was a great Rebel.