Monday, March 22, 2004 | 9:18 a.m.
Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4084.
Musketeers or Mouseketeers, what difference does it make after a weekend of playful mischief in the NCAA tournament?
But let me open this notes column with a nod toward mighty mite Xavier, which knocked my personal pick -- Mississippi State -- out of the men's basketball tournament Sunday. Playing a second-round game in Orlando, the Musketeers won for the 15th time in their past 16 games, turning back the Bulldogs 89-74 despite being a 4 1/2-point underdog.
There's nothing Mickey Mouse about Xavier's extended run, as it has also beaten then No. 1 Saint Joe's (by 20), Alabama, Dayton and Cincinnati in upping its record to 25-10 and erasing the unDisney-like horrors of a 10-9 start. Next up for Xavier is a Texas team that lacks a true point guard and a go-to guy, making the Big X a legitimate candidate for the Elite Eight or maybe even Final Four.
Some other random notes: UNLV is considering a move that would both honor ex-coach Jerry Tarkanian and pacify many of his still loyal supporters, as it is contemplating naming the court at the Thomas & Mack Center after him. The school should do it. ... Tark, by the way, has completed his stay at Fresno State University. He had been serving as a consultant for Selland Arena on the Fresno campus since resigning as the Bulldogs' coach. ... UNLV will miss the professionalism, honesty and tact that radio broadcaster Ken Korach brought to its men's basketball games. Korach has stepped down after 12 seasons with the Rebels, and both on the air and off he was habitually glib and textbook articulate.
Las Vegas native Steve Kazor is looking for work after resigning as head football coach at Wayne St. (Mich.) University. Kazor said he would consider a high-school job in Southern Nevada if one were offered to him, and that the only other job offer on his plate at this time is from a high school in Colorado. "I had three (NFL) interviews that didn't work out, and the college guys think I'm a pro guy who won't stay," Kazor said of his difficulties in finding a new job despite a lifetime of coaching at both the professional and collegiate levels. ... Wayne Hogan may have been a finalist for the UNLV athletic director's job that eventually went to Mike Hamrick, but he probably wouldn't have been among the leading contenders had anyone known his Montana athletic department was $1 million in the red, as recently came to light.
In keeping with the low profile of the team and league, the Las Vegas Rattlers of the American Basketball Association failed to complete their scheduled regular season. Team owner Roy Hammonds is unlikely to bring the Rattlers back next season, even if he told confidants he could afford to lose $400,000 a year on the club. Hammonds, I've learned, got the Las Vegas franchise rights in exchange for the back pay the Indianapolis franchise owed him as a player, a move that was made possible when Indy exec Joe Newman was elevated to ABA chairman. ... Tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams have seen their rankings fall to Nos. 7 and 17, respectively, as the result of injuries, and there is already speculation that one or both could retire soon.
A recent survey of 72 PGA tour regulars on an assortment of topics included this question: "Who is the cockiest player on tour?" Despite not winning a tour event since 1990, Robert Gamez of Las Vegas finished second with 10 percent of the vote, trailing only Rory Sabbatini. ... Community College of Southern Nevada baseball coach and athletic director Tim Chambers on trying to keep his programs solvent: "If we don't get some help from the state (Legislature) and student fees, we'll be in jeopardy of losing this whole thing." CCSN currently has baseball and softball teams, having dropped women's soccer and men's and women's basketball. ... In closing, a message to the hoop zealots who feed March Mania: Keep it in perspective. Sports Illustrated's ongoing look at sports attitudes in each state of the union thus far shows that 31 of 35 states surveyed have res idents who prefer pro sports over college sports. And the next No. 1 NBA draft pick will, once again, be a high school play! er, as 6-10, 240-pound Dwight Howard of Southwest Atlanta Christian is all but certain to follow in Lebron's footsteps.
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