Columnist Ron Kantowski: Will Rebels get stuck with Maude?

Friday, March 23, 2001 | 10:57 a.m.

Ron Kantowski is sports editor of the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088. Regular columnist Dean Juipe has the day off.

Back in college, there was one summer where menial jobs were particularly hard to come by. By the middle of June, my buddy Dan and I couldn't even scrape together $4 for a grandstand seat at Wrigley Field (this was 1975, mind you). So to pass the time, we'd wait until one of our dads filled up the Tempest with gas, and then drive it up to Chicago's bustling Michigan Avenue at noon, when all the secretaries (again, this was 1975) would break for lunch.

We'd play this little game where you had an hour to identify a woman -- based on appearance only, of course -- with whom you would spend the rest of your life.

Man, by 12:15 our heads would be spinning like we were watching Connors play Newcombe.

There would be a steady procession of sharp-dressed professional women, most looking better than that poster of Farrah Fawcett back at the dorm. But we would always hold out. If Farrah was available at 12:15 p.m., then Racquel Welch certainly would stroll past by 12:30. But then we'd wait for 12:45 anyway, confident that Cheryl Tiegs or perhaps even the entire cast of "Shampoo" would saunter by.

But they never did. And at 12:55, Dan would settle for the girl in braces working the counter at McDonald's. Four minutes later, I would tab the cleaning woman heading into the John Hancock Center who bore a striking resemblance to Bea Arthur.

Well, it's not quite Bea Arthur time for UNLV in regard to its eternal pursuit of a new men's basketball coach. But by the end of this weekend, let's just say it will be 12:45 p.m. So if an attractive coach should catch athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro's eye during the next 48 hours, perhaps he should pop the question.

By Sunday, all but eight coaches (four NCAA, four NIT) will be polishing their golf clubs. The fact that so many teams still are playing supposedly is what has UNLV dragging its feet.

Rebel fans have been on pins and needles since Rick Pitino turned their fantasy world upside down three weeks ago by saying he wasn't interested in the job. But with March Madness just beginning, there was no reason for UNLV to rush to Plan B.

Well, now there is. With Pitino having accepted the Louisville job, Bob Knight on his way to Texas Tech and Indiana having removed the interim tag from Mike Davis' name, the coaching dominoes have begun to topple. They are headed for Michigan, Wisconsin and Tennessee which -- sorry Rebels fans who are stuck in 1991 -- are infinitely better jobs than the one here.

Whereas a month ago UNLV had the most attractive opening by default, it's no better than No. 4 with a bullet (and no more than a .22 at that) right now.

A caller the other day wondered if the gap between the guy the Rebels want and the one they have on board now (Max Good) was closing. I told him I didn't think so. I still believe that to be the case, regardless of the speech Davis made Wednesday when he said there are dozens of capable assistants just waiting for an opportunity.

UNLV has been down that road with Bill Bayno. But if it doesn't move quickly, it will be retracing the route with Max Good.

Better him, I suppose, than Bea Arthur.