Tarkanian indicates he’s through

juipe@lasvegassun.com

Wednesday, March 14, 2001 | 10:13 a.m.

He said it as if he were an Alaskan Indian, preparing himself for the spiritual awakening that accompanies a willing exile to a distant ice flow for a pensive man's final days.

"I'm close to coming home," Jerry Tarkanian said Tuesday from his office at Fresno State University, although he didn't mean "home" in the sense of eternity. He meant it in reference to a permanent return to his residence in Las Vegas, as if his 30-year coaching career was just about over.

"I've enjoyed it but I'm getting old and tired," he continued. "Guys I've known for a long time are dropping dead left and right and it tears me up. I thought about retiring last year but now it seems like it really might be time."

He was upbeat and lively during the phone call, yet his mood more closely reflected that of his Bulldogs.

"It's been a long season and we've been dragging," he said. "But we had a good practice (Monday) so maybe we'll bounce back. I hope we do, at least."

Fresno State, 25-6 and the Western Athletic Conference regular-season champion, received an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and will open play Friday at Memphis vs. 20-10 California. But the Bulldogs are coming off an unexpected WAC tournament loss to Hawaii, and Tark isn't sure how much gas is left in either his or his team's tank.

"We play pressure defense and it wears you down," he said. "It takes a lot of intensity to do it for a full season. There's no doubt we wore down as the season went on. I did, too."

In six seasons at Fresno, Tarkanian is 133-64. Add in his 509-105 record over 19 seasons at UNLV (and shorter stints at three other schools) and one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game is 758-186.

But at 70 years old he sees that the end is in sight.

"It won't be long," he said of ending his career in Fresno, a move made easier by the fact he has only a year-to-year contract.

Of course his legion of admirers in Las Vegas still wish he was coaching a UNLV program that hasn't been the same since the day he was forced out by then-president Bob Maxson. Alternately bitter and introspective about the treatment he received in 1992 when he was sent packing, he sees what has happened to the Rebels in the ensuing years and feels this community's pain.

"The amazing thing is, UNLV had everything it's trying to get back right now," he said. "We had it all and we were only going to get better.

"Shoot, if the program hadn't been destroyed by people on the inside, it could be that the (national championship) team we had would have been one of our weaker teams of the decade."

Interesting thought, isn't it? So is his belief that his firing cost UNLV $40 million in potential earnings.

"I've been told by people that know, that the school lost $40 million over a 10-year period because of what it did to me," he said. "We were clearing -- clearing -- $4 million a year, plus you add in the buyout on (Rollie) Massimino's contract and the money they're going to pay (Bill) Bayno and it adds up.

"The thing that really hurts is that usually if you're destroyed, your rivals or opponents do it. At UNLV, they did it to themselves."

He asked who the latest rumored coaching candidates at UNLV were, and when told Billy Tubbs and Gene Keady he seemed pleased. "Either one would be great," Tarkanian said. "Tubbs might jump at it."

He never thought much of Rick Pitino's interest in the Rebels and he mentioned something we had heard in private. "Pitino not only wanted $1.6 million (per year) or whatever it was, he was going to bring 14 people with him and everyone associated with the basketball program (now) would be out."

Despite appearances that the UNLV basketball program may have bottomed out, the man who made it what it once was can picture a revival.

"It's still a great situation and a great job," he said. "The facilities are much better than they were when I was there, and recruiting is easier because Las Vegas is more of a family destination these days.

"UNLV could still be a power."

His cell phone was ringing incessantly and he was being pulled away, so a final question seemed to be in order.

"You wouldn't want to come back here and coach, would you?" I asked, envisioning a grandiose comeback scenario.

"Oh no, no, no," he said emphatically. "I'm too old."

Dean Juipe'

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