Spoon found quick fix at UNLV

Steve Addy

Tuesday, March 12, 2002 | 10:20 a.m.

Before Charlie Spoonhour was hired as men's basketball coach last March, UNLV spent two months in futile pursuit of Rick Pitino and others, including Utah's Rick Majerus and Pitt's Ben Howland.

In retrospect, the success of Spoonhour's first season has confirmed to university president Dr. Carol Harter and former athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro that they hired a coach with the qualities they had sought all along.

That is, they wanted an experienced, seasoned -- OK, older -- coach with the ability to put the program back on firm footing and repair its image, despite being on NCAA probation through 2004.

By compiling a 20-10 record, taking second in the Mountain West tournament and claiming an NIT bid with a late-season charge, the 62-year-old Spoonhour is already fulfilling those goals, Harter said.

"What a wonderful job he's done with this team," she said. "He's brought out the best in them. I could not ask for better results. (New AD) John Robinson and (Spoonhour) are mature people who came here and saw the potential we have. They see a chance for UNLV to be a first-class athletic program."

Cavagnaro, succeeded by Robinson on Jan. 1, has continued to attend games and said he is not surprised by the Rebels' growth under Spoonhour. They have won 12 of their last 15 games heading into tonight's NIT home game against Arizona State.

"That's Charlie's track record. That's what he has always been about," Cavagnaro said Monday. "He takes teams that people might not give much of a chance and turns them into a team no one wants to play, because they're well-coached and they play hard.

"(His experience) was sorely needed for the young men in the program who had taken some licks. He has the knack for getting young people to play together, play hard and play smart. Players want to do that, but they need to be guided and led."

Harter said hiring Spoonhour has reflected well on UNLV's national reputation.

"Charlie is a coach's coach. I've never heard so many people praise a person," she said. "Top coaches around the country told me from the beginning that this was a wonderful hire for us. I've known (New Mexico coach) Fran Fraschilla for 25 years and he told me, 'Charlie Spoonhour is my idol.' "

This season's attendance (10,662 average in 18 home dates) has dipped from last season (11,029, 15 dates), but Harter thinks the team's progress bodes well for a gate resurgence.

"There has been a steady development of excitement in the last several weeks, especially the last 15 games," she said. "That can lead to a major surge in community support, along with the wonderful job (coach) Regina Miller has done with our women's program. Having multiple teams of that quality is how you become a first-rate program."