Green, UNLV might fit this time

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 22, 2001 | 10:16 a.m.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Six years ago today, Jerry Green turned down the UNLV basketball coaching job to remain at Oregon.

The Rebels went on to hire Bill Bayno, and Green coached two more years at Oregon before moving on to Tennessee.

Now UNLV needs a coach, and Green needs a job.

"I haven't heard from UNLV, but I'm in the job market," Green said today from his summer home in North Carolina. "I'm going to rebuild another program. I don't know where it's going to be, but I would certainly talk to (UNLV)."

After leading Tennessee to four straight NCAA Tournaments and an 89-36 record, Green accepted a negotiated buyout worth $1.1 million on Tuesday. Despite records of 20-9, 21-9, 26-7 and 22-10, Vols administrators felt Green's program had stagnated.

"We did a lot of good things at Tennessee, but they wanted to make a (change), so I'm totally free," said Green, 57. "Now it all depends on who needs me to rebuild their program."

UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro said today he couldn't comment on the coaching search, though he acknowledged being aware of Green's sudden availability. A university source said UNLV would likely contact Green, but that other prime targets remain, including Purdue's Gene Keady.

In 1995, Green was offered the UNLV job by then-president Kenny Guinn and then-AD Jim Weaver, but decided to remain at Oregon for a three-year, $900,000 package and an annuity offer from Nike chairman Phil Knight.

"I was close to taking the (UNLV) job," Green said. "The people in Las Vegas were very nice. Dean Smith told me it was fine opportunity, and I respect his opinion. But Oregon made us a generous offer to stay."

"We remember UNLV quite fondly," Green's wife, Nancy, said. "Everybody there was extremely kind to us."

With an 18-year head coaching resume, Green would meet many of the criteria on UNLV's check list -- seniority, success, a clean reputation with the NCAA and a graduation rate at Tennessee exceeding 80 percent.

Green's career record is 311-209, including a 150-108 mark at North Carolina-Asheville from 1980-89 and 72-70 at Oregon from 1992-97. He also served as a Kansas assistant under Roy Williams from 1989-92 when the Jayhawks went 103-30.

But Green's fortunes soured at Tennessee. After going 26-7 last season for a school record and a Sweet 16 berth, the Vols couldn't meet the raised expectations. This season's 16-1 start and No. 4 national ranking careened into a 22-11 finish, a second-round SEC tournament elimination and a first-round NCAA loss to Charlotte.

There were also signs the team had stopped playing hard amid discipline problems, and Green grew increasingly sensitive to criticism, according to reports in Knoxville. At midseason, Green said if boosters didn't want to show up and support the team, they could "go to Kmart."

Vols AD Doug Dickey said Tuesday, "Jerry's Jerry. That's just his nature. He was conscientious about the details of the program. He was not necessarily a great public guy."

At the West Regional at the Arrowhead Pond, Georgetown coach Craig Esherick said Green's firing was unfair.

"Jerry is a friend of mine. I was shocked," Esherick said. "For somebody to have gone 89-36, maybe he was penalized for not going undefeated. To me it's amazing that expectations can be that high or that Jerry can be considered somebody who didn't do a good job."

Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said, "It's like (coaches) are supposed to recruit all good guys, graduate all of them and win every game. That doesn't happen very often."