UNLV Lady Rebels coach resigns

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998 | 6:22 a.m.

LaDonna McClain's tenure as the fifth head coach of the UNLV women's basketball program came to an end 47 games after it began when she resigned under pressure from the athletic department.

McClain, who compiled a 7-40 record at UNLV, was told she would not be brought back for the third and final year of her contract next season, according to a university source. Rather than finish this season as a lame-duck coach, McClain opted to step down.

Steve Corraro, director of women's basketball operations, on Monday was named interim head coach and will guide the Lady Rebels for the final seven games of the season.

"To coach, you really have to have your heart and soul into it if you really want to do it justice," McClain said. "And to know that at the end of the year your career has been decided for you, it made it difficult for me to fairly say that I could go coach this team and do a good job of it.

"They asked me to change this program in a year and a half and that's impossible. Regardless of what has happened here, those kids deserve an opportunity to win and if I'm the problem, I'm going to remove the problem and allow them to do something (else)."

Lady Rebels assistants Sheryl Krmpotich and Marcus Payne also tendered their resignations. McClain's other assistant, Carrie Daniels, will remain on Corraro's staff. Wes Reed, a graduate assistant with the men's basketball team, will move to the women's program as an unofficial assistant.

Charles Cavagnaro, UNLV's director of athletics, said he supported McClain's decision to step down now rather than coach the team for the final month of the season. The final year of McClain's contract will be bought out by the school for $65,000.

"The options were ... to announce the resignation now and continue through the end of the year or announce the resignation now and, in essence, resign," Cavagnaro said. "I think it was a more comfortable situation in (McClain's) mind -- and, in her mind, the right thing to do -- to resign now and make the change effective now rather than wait until the end of the year."

Cavagnaro said the decision to seek a change in the program was based solely on wins and losses.

"Something just wasn't working," Cavagnaro said. "You look at the wins, the losses or this and that but unfortunately -- for whatever reason -- it just hadn't worked.

"The team was not as successful as we had hoped but it was starting to get better after the last game."

The Lady Rebels posted a 66-50 Western Athletic Conference victory over Wyoming Saturday night in what proved to be McClain's final game at UNLV. The win left the Lady Rebels with a 2-7 conference record (3-17 overall) and battling to earn a berth in the WAC Tournament next month.

UNLV junior guard Karen Webster was one of the few Lady Rebels players who agreed to talk to the media following Monday's practice. She said the players were caught off guard by Monday's announcement.

"There's almost a dizziness in the air, it came as such a surprise to everyone -- not that there haven't been rumors, but we really didn't expect this," Webster said. "I don't think anyone has really adjusted yet or had the time to think about it.

"We were stunned, completely stunned. No one showed expressions of either sorrow or happiness or anything; it was more just shock. You could see it in practice today, people were working hard but they couldn't quite think correctly."

Webster would not say whether she or any other players felt a coaching change was necessary.

"I don't have an opinion as far as whether or not (McClain) needed to leave ... but if she feels the best thing for us is to continue on without her, then that probably is (for the best) if she was not into it."

Equally surprised by McClain's decision was Corraro, who said he and Daniels were not informed of McClain's resignation until 11 a.m. Monday.

"I was totally caught off guard," said Corraro, who is in his first year as director of basketball operations after spending the past three seasons as an administrative assistant under McClain and former head coach Jim Bolla.

"My outlook is just to look toward the future. We've got great tradition here, great kids and it's exciting because I think we have a chance to get into the WAC Tournament. The kids are disillusioned right now, they're just trying to figure out what's going on and that's tough."

Corraro, 29, said he is looking forward to the challenge of guiding the Lady Rebels. He said he has not had time to think if he would like to be considered as a permanent replacement for McClain.

"I've been in basketball long enough to where I'm not scared to accept this challenge ... but to have it just laid on your lap, I can't think of a good word for it," Corraro said. "It's something you dream of doing but you didn't want it to happen this way ... I feel bad for (McClain)."

While McClain said she was disappointed she didn't accomplish more during her brief stint at UNLV, she said the interest of her players weighed heavily in her decision to immediately step down.

"I regret the way things have ended here but I think the outcome was inevitable," McClain said.