UNLV hoops notebook: Kruger unveils his ‘Playbook’

By Rob Miech

Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Lon Kruger admits that he and his wife, Barb, have egos.

It’s one of the more revealing lines of the UNLV basketball coach’s first effort as an author.

In Lesson (or Chapter) Nine, which he dubbed Quiet Confidence, Kruger wrote that he and Barb have worked hard and are fortunate to have been blessed with their lifestyle.

They are proud of their successes on the court and in the communities in which they have lived and been active.

“Thus, we work hard to protect our names,” Kruger wrote. “That is called having an ego the last time I checked.”

That stems from the lessons he learned, growing up in Silver Lake, Kan., from his late father Don.

Never talk about yourself, the patriarch of the Kruger family told his children. If you do something well enough, others will speak for your accomplishments.

“To this day, I am very confident in myself, in my abilities and the abilities of those people around me,” Kruger wrote.

“We take great pride (there’s that ego again) in producing winning teams and graduating players. Without an ego, this would not be as important.”

The first seed of “The Xs and Os of Success: A Playbook for Leaders in Business and Life” (Stephens Press, $19.95) was sown 18 months ago between Kruger and D.J. Allen.

Allen is the founder of Imagine Marketing, a public relations and advertising firm in Las Vegas. He met Kruger soon after he started coaching at UNLV in 2004.

The Sun obtained an advance copy of Kruger’s first book, whose proceeds will be donated to local charities.

It is filled with keys to Kruger’s success, which are as important in basketball and business as they are in life.

It is a must read for any Rebels fan who wants to learn more about the man who has resurrected one of the country’s powerful programs.

He believes you can tell a lot about someone by the way they treat the wait staff at restaurants or the support staff in other venues.

Many, he wrote, have gone out of their way to treat him and his wife with respect because of their position over the past 25 years.

“However, I am very interested in seeing how those same people treat other people who are not in the public eye like we are,” Kruger wrote.

“This is where sincerity comes in and I appreciate those who treat all people with respect. When it comes to relationships, status should be irrelevant in regards to kindness.”

The book easily moves from stories on the hardwood to strategy planning, how those are applicable to business and personal tidbits from Kruger’s life.

The margins are about the only thing to fault with it. The pages on the right side are fine. There’s some space between the binding and the left margin.

The pages on the left side, though, have the same spacing between the left edge of the page and the margin, which nudges the right margin close to the binding.

So you have to flatten the book to comfortably read the words on the far right of the left-hand pages.

But that’s minor, if not insignificant, compared to the value of Kruger’s words.

Soon after the 2007-08 season, four players who had started that campaign as Rebels were no longer associated with the team.

While Kruger doesn’t specifically mention names or focus on those departures from last season, he addresses issues that seem pertinent to what happened.

He does not soften his message.

When an individual’s well-being takes precedence over the well-being of the entire team, to a level that is detrimental to the success of the team, that individual should be removed from the environment.

Strong leaders, Kruger wrote, don’t necessarily like dealing with such moments of crisis.

“However, they proactively address the situation in a timely manner while anticipating and protecting against possible fallout every step of the way.”

It’s straightforward and no-nonsense, like Kruger’s teams.

One week finished

The three UNLV freshmen who were in high school just a few months ago finished their first full week of Division I practices Friday morning.

“I’m sore,” said center Brice Massamba. “It wasn’t that hard, just long. We broke down all the plays. It went pretty well, like I expected.”

Guard Oscar Bellfield was wide-eyed after that initial three-hour session.

“I just had to get used to it,” he said. “I’ve adjusted to the pace. It’s challenging and hard, but I like it. Right now, I can do a lot better.”

DeShawn Mitchell remembered UNLV assistant coach Lew Hill telling him in high school about the demands of Rebels’ practices.

“He told me I’d have to give 100 percent all the time, not just sometimes” Mitchell said. “That was the biggest shock. The hardest part, really. I’ll be able to do it.”

Mitchell has kangaroo hops and plans to regularly excite fans inside the Thomas & Mack Center with a wide array of dunks, as he’s displayed in practice.

Not just a couple a game, either.

“A couple a half,” said Mitchell, smiling. “That’s what I’m looking forward to. That’s my strong point … finishing.”

How did that freshmen trio start its second full week of practice? With two on Saturday. Welcome, indeed, to elite D-I hoops.

Free throws

Sophomore point guard Tre’Von Willis ended Thursday’s practice sitting in a chair with a heavy dose of ice wrapped around his right knee and his jersey pulled up to his mouth. No worries, though. He practiced at full strength Friday and Saturday morning. He got knocked over a teammate Thursday and also banged knees with another. “Just sore,” he said. “I iced it to be able to practice Friday and the two-a-days Saturday. I keep it iced to get better.” … senior guard Joe Darger, meanwhile, has felt tightness in his back for a couple of months and got a couple of shots to treat it Friday. Kruger couldn’t confirm if the shots were cortisone. Darger watched Saturday morning’s practice wearing gray sweats and a long black T-shirt. Kruger called Darger’s injury minor and said he will be fine for the season … junior guard Scott Hoffman had hoped to graduate next spring, continue work on an MBA and then make a fortune in investments. Nice economy, eh Scott? The current global crisis is a daily topic in his economics classes, he said, and he now ponders a career in renewable energy. Coaching seems like an option, since few Rebels are as well-versed in the details of Kruger’s system. But Hoffman shrugged, knowing how difficult it is to pay your coaching dues ... seats in the front section of the Mack have been rolled back and covered in clear plastic as a bull-riding event takes over the arena. Sixteen inches of dirt will be laid over the ground floor. Time to use the Cox Pavilion practice court.