THE ELEVATOR

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005 | 7:59 a.m.

By Ron Kantowski

Who's headed toward the penthouse on the local sports scene -- and who's getting the shaft:

GOING UP

Chris Ault: The former UNLV football assistant, now in his fourth or fifth stint (give or take a couple) as head coach at UNR, led the Wolf Pack to a startling upset of Fresno State -- just one week after the Bulldogs nearly gave vaunted USC what for in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Those rumblings about somebody in the UNR athletic department perhaps wanting to pull rank on the "Little General" surely have quieted for now.

Carol Harter: Who would have guessed the UNLV president would wind up on this side of the elevator? But give her credit for leading interference on the events that led to the bastion of higher learning (and fluctuating grade-point averages) on Maryland Parkway dedicating the floor at the Thomas & Mack Center to former basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian after all these years.

Louis Amundson: The Rebels' power forward has had his ups and downs during a UNLV career that seemingly won't end. But in a 68-61 victory against Hawaii, he delivered a Bill Russell-type effort. That would be the Bill Russell who pulled down rebounds and blocked shots for the Celtics, not the Bill Russell who played shortstop and batted .263 lifetime for the Dodgers. Twenty-two points and 21 rebounds in a single setting? They should change Amundson's jersey number to 6.

Tina Kunzer-Murphy's lucky stars: Every year, the Las Vegas Bowl executive director sweats out the matchup for our so-called postseason classic. And darn near every year it turns out ideal. With Brigham Young's presence that already has generated 19,000 ticket buys and either Cal or possibly UNR headed this way as the Cougars' opponent, the Las Vegas Bowl could actually sell out for the first time. Beer sales are another matter.

GOING DOWN

Pat Hill: The former UNLV assistant with the Fu Manchu was headed toward the penthouse after his Fresno State Bulldogs nearly upset No. 1 USC last week. This week he gets the shaft for letting UNR muzzle the 'Dogs 38-35 at Mackay Stadium on Saturday.

Jo'Van Adams: The Rebels' (not so) hotshot came off the bench firing against UNR on Saturday night. Too bad there wasn't a silhouette of Nick Fazekas on the backboard. Adams made just four of 17 shots in UNLV's 68-61 defeat, his quick and errant trigger finger helping to spoil the festivities on Jerry Tarkanian Court dedication night at the Thomas & Mack.

College basketball schedule makers: Last weekend, Oklahoma State was in Las Vegas to play in a tournament at Valley High School. But instead of hanging around for a day or two so they could play the Rebels, the Cowboys returned to Stillwater, where they will host the Rebels tonight. Keep that in mind the next time these schools (and the NCAA) complain about travel budgets.

The Florida Marlins. And the Minnesota Twins. And the old Montreal Expos. And anybody else who insists on continuing to use Las Vegas as leverage to get a better deal on a ballpark in their own back yards.

Ron Kantowski can be reached at 259-4088 or at ron@lasvegassun.com.