Columnist Dean Juipe: How about Rick Pitino and UNLV?

Dean Juipe

Monday, Jan. 8, 2001 | 11:23 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

There are people who think we should give the subject a rest, that we should take a sabbatical when it comes to speculating on UNLV's next men's basketball coach.

"Give Max Good a chance," has been their refrain.

And, failing to find any serious objection with that request (beyond the obvious that Good is unlikely to be rehired as head coach after his contract expires later this year), the Bobby Knight and John Thompson rumors were filed accordingly.

But that was before Rick Pitino left the Boston Celtics following their Saturday game and before he made it fairly clear that he would be quitting as the Celtics' president and head coach today.

With Pitino suddenly available, it would be foolhardy for anyone associated with the UNLV basketball program to ignore the possibility that he just might be persuaded to move to Las Vegas and undertake a project that he's apt to find appealing. Any "Pitino To UNLV" headlines right now come with a question mark attached, but it's not the least bit unlikely that he could take the job.

Dissatisfied and frustrated with coaching professionals, as he has with the Celtics for 3 1/2 years, Pitino has threatened to quit in Boston for some time. Apparently the last straw was seeing his team lose its fifth straight game, drop to 12-22 for the season with its 11th loss in its 14 most recent games, and, once again, give up 100-plus points in doing it.

His Boston townhouse is for sale and Pitino is ready to roll.

UNLV might be a perfect fit.

The people here would be ecstatic to land him, as he comes complete with a name recognition and stature that only a proven coach can boast. Heck, it was only five years ago that Pitino guided Kentucky to the national championship. As opposed to Knight and Thompson, who are also available, Pitino is neither dated nor saddled with excess baggage. If, as many close to the subject surmise, he is eyeing a return to the collegiate ranks, UNLV needs to be aggressive and be pro-active in going after him.

His 102-146 record with the Celtics is meaningless in a sense, and Pitino will be courted by any number of prominent universities which are -- or may be -- in need of a new head coach. What he brings beyond new blood is a sense of commitment and purpose that any college program would envy.

This is almost too good to be true. As opposed to quitting at the end of the NBA season and getting a late start in recruiting, Pitino, in theory, can immediately turn his attention to his next job (even if he's not sure where it's going to be).

Personally, I'm not a big Dick Vitale fan but the bombastic analyst and ex-coach certainly knows college basketball and has his ear to the ground. He's already trumpeting the notion of Pitino hooking up with UNLV in a move that could lead to a revival for both.

No offense to Coach Good, who is 6-1 since replacing Bill Bayno and whose team opens its conference season tonight with Air Force, but he's not the big-name coach and personality this community so desperately desires.

The best thing UNLV could do right now is discreetly approach Pitino and try to make a deal.

Maybe he's interested, maybe he's not. But let's find out before the opportunity slips away.