Charlie Spoonhour ends retirement to coach Rebels

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 29, 2001 | 11:01 a.m.

Here is a look at new UNLV men's basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour:

Every year around this time, Charlie Spoonhour and a bunch of his coaching pals used to escape the Final Four convention a few days early and convene their own quorum -- poolside in Las Vegas.

It became an annual rite for Spoonhour, Billy Tubbs, Moe Iba and others.

"About 20 of us would go out there and have our own mini-clinic," Spoonhour said this week from his home in St. Louis. "It was during the dead period for recruiting, so we would just end up sitting around, talking basketball, enjoying the sun. We had a great time."

Spoonhour is in Las Vegas again, and this time he'll be staying.

Two years after retiring from a successful 16-year Division I coaching career at Southwest Missouri State and Saint Louis, the 61-year-old Spoonhour will become the Rebels' new coach today.

A news conference was scheduled for this afternoon.

Spoonhour flew to Las Vegas from Minneapolis on Wednesday, and details of a three-year contract were being worked out. The deal would likely pay Spoonhour about $400,000 a year, one source said.

Multiple phone messages for Spoonhour weren't returned, and Rebels AD Charlie Cavagnaro also didn't return a message. Cavagnaro canceled plans to attend the Final Four this weekend.

Though current coach Max Good interviewed for the job Wednesday, Spoonhour apparently convinced Cavagnaro and UNLV president Carol Harter last week that he is energized to return to coaching. He cited burnout in 1999 when he abandoned his Saint Louis contract with two years to go.

Spoonhour said last week he wasn't dead-set on getting back into coaching, because he keeps busy doing color commentary for Oklahoma and Conference USA games. But he said if he saw a chance for success, he would have interest in coming back.

By hiring Spoonhour, the Rebels will be getting a grandfatherly coach with a winning pedigree -- 319 wins; a .651 winning percentage; eight NCAA tournament appearances -- and a reputation for coaching a defensive-minded style, dubbed "Spoonball."

His hiring might come as a disappointment to fans and boosters who were hoping for a big-name coach like Rick Pitino or someone who would coach the frenetic pace that earned UNLV its Runnin' Rebels nickname.

But Spoonhour will also provide needed stability during UNLV's probation, which runs through December 2004. He has a clean record with regard to NCAA rules, which is vital considering that UNLV is regarded as a "repeat violator." Further major violations would result in the so-called death penalty for the program.

Also, Spoonhour has long been regarded as a fine bench coach. At Southwest Missouri State (1983-92) and Saint Louis (1992-99), he earned a reputation for winning with meager talent. His most prominent player was Saint Louis guard Larry Hughes, who played only one season (1997-98) for the Billikens before leaving for the NBA.

At Southwest Missouri, Spoonhour coached the Bears to five NCAA Tournaments in nine years, including four straight from 1987-90. In 1987, they upset Clemson in the first round, then lost to Kansas. They were beaten in the first round by UNLV in 1998, Seton Hall in 1989, North Carolina in 1990 and Michigan State in 1992.

At Saint Louis, Spoonhour was credited with invigorating a moribund program. The Billikens went 122-90 in his seven years, had three 20-win seasons and won in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1995 (beating Minnesota) and 1998 (UMass). They also qualified in 1994, losing to Maryland in the school's first NCAA appearance in 37 years.

Current Maryland athletic director Deborah Yow was Saint Louis' AD in 1992 and hired Spoonhour.

"I just love Charlie Spoonhour," she said last week at the West Regional in Anaheim, Calif. "He's a great coach and an even better person. He would be a great fit for UNLV."

Spoonhour's hiring isn't likely to immediately bolster the Rebels' lagging attendance, but he turned Saint Louis into a box-office draw. After years of poor attendance, the Billikens climbed to 17,708 in 1997-98, sixth in the nation. Spoonhour's winning team, his homespun manner and Hughes' presence all played a role in the resurgence.

"We had (former UNLV guard) H Waldman running around shooting 3-pointers, we had a 6-2 power forward and we had about four dunks all year," Spoonhour said this week. "But we became quite the media darlings for a while. ESPN loved us."

After retiring on March 5, 1999, Spoonhour and his wife Vicki had planned to settle in Las Vegas. They bought a condo in Summerlin, but sold it last year after Spoonhour's increased TV commitments made a move to Las Vegas impractical.

Spoonhour also remains a popular speaker in St. Louis, and he didn't want to move far from his beloved Cardinals. He attends most of their home games, and is close friends with manager Tony LaRussa.

Years ago, when Joe Torre was the Cards' manager, he allowed Spoonhour to manage an exhibition against the Baltimore Orioles in spring training. The results weren't good.

"Torre did me a real favor," Spoonhour said with his easy chuckle. "Ben McDonald was pitching for Baltimore, and he was really on. We didn't have a baserunner until the sixth inning."

As long as Spoonhour can replicate his basketball success in Las Vegas, Rebels fans will surely forgive his 0-1 managerial record.

SW MISSOURI STATE

SAINT LOUIS

OVERALL RECORD

x--NCAA qualifier y--NIT qualifier