Columnist Ron Kantowski: USC’s Kahn to join Rebel broadcast booth

Tuesday, July 11, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

The USC-to-UNLV pipeline apparently is bubbling again.

According to industry sources, former Southern Cal football play-by-play man Larry Kahn has landed the same position at UNLV where he apparently will team with Tony Cordasco, who handled play by play last year, in the Rebels' broadcast booth.

Those appointments, according to sources, will be among the first announcements made by ESPN Regional, the Rebels' new athletics marketing arm. That department will be headed by Tina Kunzer-Murphy, who will continue to serve as managing director of the Las Vegas Bowl (at least through this year's game).

Kahn's relationship with UNLV head coach John Robinson might have given him the inside track to the job. The two worked together for several seasons at USC, and Kahn even attended the UNLV press conference in which Robinson was named to succeed Jeff Horton.

One source said Kahn has been know to stay at Robinson's home when he visits Las Vegas. And Kahn's company, Pacific West Sports, bought the rights to the Las Vegas Bowl two years ago.

That's not to say Kahn isn't qualified for the job. "He's no Vin Scully, but he's solid," is the way one industry source described him.

Kahn's credentials notwithstanding, it will be the second time UNLV has left itself open to charges of nepotism in the press box.

Former Rebel standout and Arena Football League stalwart Hunkie Cooper served as UNLV analyst the past two seasons. Although Cooper's knowledge of the game was impressive, his on-air delivery was not.

Perhaps it only was coincidence that Cooper was hired about the same time his first cousin, Lynn McGruder, was developing into one of the nation's most prized football recruits -- and another coincidence that Cooper was let go after his legal ward signed with Tennessee.

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

The introduction of the piece in the current SI states the obvious -- that Wells is overweight. But the story as a whole is flattering.

And for Wells to complain about being portrayed as a little rough around the edges on the same weekend he drops F-bombs all over the HBO original comedy "Arliss" -- and has his 10-year-old son (or at least the child actor portraying him) throw the ersatz sports agent the middle finger -- is a bit hypocritical.

Last Thursday, Channel 13 ran a soundbite in which Williams said his hometown of Compton, California planned to mark older daughter Venus' victory over her younger sister Serena by "smoking a joint."

Sports anchor Ron Futrell was so amazed by Williams' statement that he ran it over and over and over again.

The next night, one of the satellite channels referenced a report out of England suggesting Serena Williams, who already has a Grand Slam win to her credit, may have tanked a poorly played semifinal match against her older sister to give Venus a chance for her breakthrough win.

You would think that with Anna Kournikova's butt having been eliminated in the early rounds, the press would have made a bigger deal about the Williams' alleged double fault.

* AROUND THE HORN: Barry Hecker, the former and perhaps even future coach of the Las Vegas Silver Bandits of the International Basketball League, was the subject of a nice feature written by Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune. Monson said Hecker, a city boy from New York, fell in love with the Wasatch Mountains during his stint as head coach at tiny Westminster College in Salt Lake during the mid-1970s. ... Quote in the same story, meant to be a compliment (I think) attributed to former Salt Lake South High coach George Souvall : "Barry's been all over -- like horse manure." ... World record holder Javier Sotomayer of Cuba recently became a high jumper in more ways than one when he was suspended for cocaine use by the track and field sanctioning body. ... Back in December of 1996, the only recognizable face (at least to this reporter) of the 30 or so w hich comprised the first Team Kool Green Academy for aspiring open wheel race car drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway belon! ged to Kenny Irwin, who was killed Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway while shaking down his Winston Cup stock car. In retrospect, Irwin's too-short career probably will be filed under the heading of unfulfilled potential. But to burst from a local driving school onto the Winston Cup scene in just two years was a huge accomplishment for the 30-year-old charger who, of course, will be sorely missed.

Hits and misses

NASCAR: On the day that driver Kenny Irwin was killed in a crash at New Hampshire International Speedway, the lead story on the official NASCAR website was "Wallace wins seventh Bud pole of season." To read about Irwin, one had to scroll way down the screen and check the fine print where a tiny headline read "New Hampshire crash claims Irwin's life." As if ignoring the inherent danger of motor sport and its sometimes catastrophic consequences is going to somehow make them go away. TRAGIC MISS.

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Last week, officials sent out a press release stating the short paved oval at the local speed plant will henceforth be called "The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway" -- The Bullring, for short. In addition to giving the small oval its own identity, the name change should also alleviate confusion between the short track and superspeedway out at LVMS. HIT.

BILL BAYNO: Bayno was quoted in a Sun story last week that he would no longer attempt to recruit McDonald's All-Americans, because it was fruitless to expect them to sign with the Rebels. While the mere mention of UNLV doesn't strike fear into opponents the way it did during the Jerry Tarkanian era, the Rebels' tradition and uptempo style still captivate many young men with soft jump shots (Rebels merchandise remains a big seller back East, I'm told) and should by all means be exploited during the recruiting process. BRICK.