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twitterRON KANTOWSKI:
Upside to lackluster season: Kruger likely stays
UNLV coach had been tied to several coaching jobs around the country
Thursday, April 2, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun file
UNLV coach Lon Kruger reacts to a call in the team’s 67-65 home loss to Cincinnati on Nov. 29. Kruger has been linked to far fewer coaching vacancies in this season’s aftermath than in past years.
Krugerology: 17 Roll
UNLV head coach Lon Kruger dissects the Rebels favorite version of the pick and roll.
Sun Archives
- Kruger: Recent success set squad up for a letdown (3-23-2009)
- Krugers relate lessons of the past (3-14-2007)
- The rebuilder (11-23-2004)
- UNLV begins Kruger era (3-15-2004)
Beyond the Sun
It has taken me two weekends of March Madness, four full NIT games, two live look-ins on Jayne Appel and the Stanford women, and a double-take at the live ticker upon noticing that UTEP was playing for a championship of something, to finally come up with the silver lining in UNLV’s gray cloud of a basketball season:
Lon Kruger isn’t being linked to many coaching vacancies.
Not even by ESPN’s Andy Katz.
This is wonderful news. Now I can enjoy the Final Four and Opening Day of the baseball season without fretting about what underachieving Big Ten school might be interested in luring the Rebels’ coach off the golf course and back to the Rust Belt to teach guys with names like Krabbenhoft and Stiemsma and Bawinkel how to defend against a ball screen.
Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that Kruger was linked to four Big Ten jobs — Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana. I guess everybody back in frozen spit country remembers what a fine job he did at Illinois.
And don’t forget Arizona State — remember when he was going to coach his son Kevin down there with Bob Huggins replacing him here?
Or Missouri.
Or Kansas State (where he played and coached once before).
Or Kentucky. Not this time, but before Billy Gillispie made his poor career move.
Or Georgia.
Or the Sacramento Kings.
During the past three years Kruger has been mentioned in conjunction with all those jobs. Forget about your tax dollars, that’s your Internet at work. It’s probably a good thing the Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals didn’t have coaching vacancies, or he might have been linked to those, too.
Kruger was a hot commodity after guiding the Rebels to a 30-7 record and the Sweet 16 two years ago, and, to a lesser extent, was still on the front burner for a lot of openings last year, when UNLV whipped Kent State in the Big Dance and played Kansas, the eventual national champion, close for a half in Omaha, Neb.
“Forget interviews, the offers were there,” author D.J. Allen wrote in a book about Kruger that came out just before the start of the season.
Now, Kruger’s sort of back toward the burner where you leave the pizza box before you wrap the remaining slices in aluminum foil and stick ’em in the fridge.
The only job he has been mentioned in conjunction with recently is the one at Arizona, and that’s probably only because that Seth Davis guy threw something up on SportsIllustrated.com that Kruger would be an excellent fall-back choice, or something like that, if the 'Cats don't get Tim Floyd.
Tim Floyd? Really? Not Tom Izzo?
Davis said Kruger was a “sleeper” for the Wildcats’ post, mostly because he would be cheap (tell that to Nevada’s higher education regents) and because he had coached in the NBA, and that’s important to recruits, although you wouldn’t know it judging by a lot of the guys trying to pull down rebounds and make baskets here this season.
But Kruger has been denying there is anything to those rumors since like 1984. (Actually, he started denying them in October, which seems like 1984, when you consider that it’s April and UTEP and Oregon State still haven’t finished their best-of-three series in the College Basketball Invitational, whatever that is.)
It’s flattering to be mentioned as a candidate for this job or that one but it can be a nuisance, too. Kruger said he doesn’t worry about it all that much, unless somebody asks. Then he says he is happy right where he is.
“All that is a product of the times and the technology,” he said about coaching rumors at this time of the year that spread like the Conficker virus.
But because I had him on the line, I asked about Arizona again. He chuckled. He said he (still) hasn’t talked to anybody down there.
Discussion: 11 comments so far…
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Hopefully we're reading this story next year, after the Rebels have a huge season with the transfers, Willis, Bellfield and Lopez, etc. leading the team deeper into the tournament than they've been since Tark was coaching.
And hopefully the result is the same with Kruger sticking around.
MWC:
To paraphrase Sally Field at the Oscars, I think Lon likes it here. He really, really likes it.
Nobody wants Lon Kruger and why would they? Of course the guy who wrote Kruger's books says that every major school wants him but that is because the guy is trying to SELL BOOKS. Kruger is a self promoter who is only interested in himself and his pocket book.
Read the comments that Arizona fans made about the prospect of getting Lon Kruger, they were all disgusted with the idea.
Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana never made Lon Kruger an offer and never would. Arizona State hired a better coach and are now Top 25.
Missouri, Kansas State, Kentucky or Georgia? Give me a break. Nobody WANTS KRUGER, not even UNLV fans.
Kruger is a 56 year OLD man in the twilight of a mediocre College Basketball career. He is a mid-level coach who had THREE lucky NCAA runs in 23 years of coaching College Basketball. That is right folks, 23 years of coaching college Basketball and Lon Kruger only made it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament three times (1988, 1994, 2007). Three good seasons in 23 years on the job. Get Real, nobody wants this guy.
Look at Kruger's UNLV Record:
2004-05 UNLV (17-14, 7-7) 4th MWC - NIT 2nd Rd.
2005-06 UNLV (17-13, 10-6) 4th MWC - NOTHING
2006-07 UNLV (30-7, 12-4) 2nd MWC - NCAA Sweet 16
2007-08 UNLV (27-8, 12-4) 2nd MWC - NCAA 2nd Rd.
2008-09 UNLV (21-11, 9-7) 5th MWC - NIT 1st Rd.
Mediocre mid level coach. UNLV will never be anything with this guy and no other school will ever want him. When Kruger is removed from UNLV he will be forced to go to a lesser conference and smaller school. His career is on the downslope, not on the upswing. He was never a great college coach and never will be! It was a huge mistake for UNLV to hire him.
Pretty strong remarks. I do think that overall Kruger has been good for UNLV. At least the program is back in the NCAA picture and we just had a disappointing year of 21 wins(including at Louisville, and wins over Arizona and BYUx2). I do think that next year is critical to determine if Kruger is the right guy. He has shown that he can rebuild programs to a certain point but he has never stuck around long enough to sustain success. At K-State(17-15) and Florida(12-16) his last year at each, the program took a down turn and then he quickly moved on. Illinois(14-18) also dipped before he left. So can he keep a program at a high level? So far his record would say otherwise. That is what scares me. I believe his weakest point has always been recruiting. He has really only had three players his entire career that have acheived long term life in the NBA (Mitch Richmond, Brian Cook, and Andrew Declerq) with Richmond being the only guy that had a stand out career in the pros. He seems unable to get the premier players to come to any of his schools. That definitely concerns me. If after the resergence the UNLV has enjoyed the last 3 years, this incoming class flops, a hard look will have to be taken at Coach. I hope that he proves that he can get us back to being a perennial top 25 team. Next year is the most important.
Kantowski, you should consider expanding the number of sources your read. His name has been in the mix for Arizona for months.
Gumby:
Yes, recruiting is huge in this day and age. Indiana used to win with good college players -- how many of Knight's guys were true NBA stars? -- but a firm knowledge of the X's and O's will only get you so far.
Me: I thought that's what I said -- the only job LK has been mentioned for is Arizona. He denied being interested on Halloween, before Christmas and again on Wednesday when we spoke.
Thanks for chiming in, everybody.
I understand what you are saying Ron and to a certain extent you are correct. However I would say players like Isaiah Thomas, Quinn Buckner, Kent Benson, Calbert Cheaney, Randy Wittman, Alan Henderson, Dean Garrett, & George McGinnis all had lengthy careers in the NBA and some were all stars so Knight was certainly not devoid of talent. I believe Kruger is a good tactician (although his offensive strategies could use some tweaking) but recruiting errors such as Santee, Roberson, Cage, Lawrence, and Adeife (not to mention the jury is still out on Bellfield, Massamba, Mitchell, Wallace etc) are costing this program. He and his assistants need to do a better job evaluating talent and then getting them to Vegas. I have not seen Marshall or Hawkins but I am going to get my first glimpse at Lopez today on ESPNU and I hope they are all players. This team needs more talent. I want the Runnin Rebels, not the walk it up grind it out Rebels. Thanks for your insight Ron, I hope this next class makes me eat my words because I will gladly do it, if they are ballers.
well, I thought Lopez impressed in all the games he played on TV. He has a few coachable areas, of course, but he looked like he COULD start right away at Center for UNLV.
As far as Kruger goes, its clear he won't do what the other schools do to get the big names...and quite frankly, UNLV can't do that stuff anyway. We're far more scrutinized than other schools.
Kruger's staff and he have made errors in recruiting, but in my opinion, the coaching has always been there. Sufferin'RebelRobert needs to get on his meds, AGAIN! Dude, stop POSTING here!!!
Anyway, with Kevin buying a home here, Kruger's daughter moving here for a job where her husband has a job.....is/WAS there any doubt he was staying??!!!???!! Who cares if his name is brought up, look at the evidence....the guy wasn't and isn't going anywhere.
Lopez did look good at the RISE tourney. I was impressed, and he was playing with the top talent in high school ball. That dunk he had in the second half against oak hill was nice. It would be amazing to see a Rebel finish like that down low next year. I was also impressed with his breakaway layup. It was a great pass that he had but finished well. And the shot fake, drive to the lane shot was sweet too. I think he will get the start next year in front of Massamba, but those two will improve a lot in the next couple years and it looks like UNLV will have some post presence again. Go Rebs! and Great Job Pilots! Way to show those east coast boys what real basketball is!
Dear Lon,
Theus needs a job and a degree.
You desperately need a recruiter.
Make it happen!!!!!!!!
Jeff,
From your mouth to God's ears.