Well-wishers greet new coach at Cox reception

Steve Addy

Thursday, May 31, 2001 | 10:39 a.m.

There is no Rick Pitino hangover at UNLV.

That much was apparent Wednesday when new basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour spoke to about 400 scholarship donors at a "Meet the Coach" reception at the Cox Pavillion.

Spoonhour, 61, who came out of retirement to take the Rebels job on March 29, was greeted warmly by the boosters, most of whom hadn't met or spoken with the new coach.

Though Spoonhour was aware that some in the room had led the parade to lure Pitino as coach, he has not gotten caught up in acting like UNLV's second or third choice. He says no one has treated him that way, either.

"I probably would've been out there marching for Pitino, too," Spoonhour said. "But I have to say that everybody has been extremely positive and supportive since I came here.

"Our team is a work in progress. We're not going to be as good (this season) as people want us to be, but we won't be as poor as some people might think. Things aren't going to come together overnight, but it didn't happen overnight for (Jerry Tarkanian) either."

When he took the job, Spoonhour knew what he was getting into. He knew the Rebels would be two scholarships short this year and next because of NCAA sanctions. He knew top scorer Kaspars Kambala had exhausted his eligibility, leaving the Rebels undermanned around the basket.

And he especially knew he was entering an incendiary situation because of the three-month coaching search after the December firing of Bill Bayno.

The public courtship of Pitino had fallen through in March when he turned down the Rebels, causing anger and sadness among UNLV fans, and there was also the perception around the program that interim coach Max Good hadn't been treated fairly.

But if there were any lingering bad feelings over Spoonhour's hiring, they seemed soothed at Wednesday's gathering. A popular banquet speaker, Spoonhour turned on his folksy Missouri charm. His self-deprecating wit was a hit as he answered questions from several boosters.

When someone asked if he preferred to be called Coach or Charlie or Spoon, he said, "Y'all can call me any of those things. I've been called some other things that I didn't like as much."

Athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro said he's certain he made the correct decision to hire Spoonhour over more popular "name" candidates.

"He knows how to build a winning program," Cavagnaro said. "He has already done it twice (Southwest Missouri State and Saint Louis), and we're asking him to do it again.

"He has been very high-energy. He is on the go all the time. He and his staff hit the ground running. They have energized the recruiting and people are excited about the program. As he's gotten around the community, everybody has taken a liking to him."

One by one, last season's coaches have found employment. Good is head coach at Division II Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I., and Charles Cunningham (Duquesne), Bill Wuczynski (Southwest Louisiana) and Mark Wade (Florida Atlantic) have taken assistant's posts.

Dave Rice joined Spoonhour's staff as director of basketball operations.