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StumbleRebels old and new celebrate 20th anniversary of 1990 title
Championship squad meets to shake hands, recall the glory days at Monday’s gala event
Anderson Hunt, a member of the 1989-90 UNLV championship team, poses with Jerry and Lois Tarkanian during the gala event Monday at the Green Valley Ranch in Henderson celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the squad.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.
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Freshman guard Anthony Marshall wasn't even born when Jerry Tarkanian's 1989-90 UNLV men's basketball squad simultaneously captured the country's adoration and the program's lone national championship.
Still, growing up in the backyard of the Thomas & Mack Center, he knew all about that legendary bunch that slammed Duke in the 1990 title game, 103-73.
"I used to play for a rec team, and my coach was a big Rebels fan back in the day, so we would go over there before a game, and he'd pop in random tapes or DVDs he had, and sometimes it would be old Rebels games," the former Mojave High standout recalled. "I got a good idea of how they played under coach Tark and what they did."
Monday was the first time Marshall met some of those local legends who once took on much younger appearances on his coach's television screen.
To kick off the 20th anniversary of that historic season, the whole team — minus Stacey Augmon, who now works as an assistant coach with the NBA's Denver Nuggets — is in town, and will be recognized at the Mack tonight when the current Rebels take on Washburn in an exhibition bout.
Monday offered up an opportunity for the whole group to relax with fans, boosters and old friends in reminiscing about the good ol' days, as a gala event at the Green Valley Ranch was preceded with a good hour of mingling in the lobby, with drinks and a bevy of old memorabilia setting the mood.
"I'm so glad to see all the old guys come back," said former Rebels big man David Butler. "It's a great bunch of guys. All of these guys are still really, really close. Like family. I think this year we're going to start coming out a little more, supporting the younger Rebels, talking to them, giving them some support."
Butler, who lives in Washington D.C., and works as both a trainer of college and pro ballplayers and as an assistant high school basketball coach, met with the current Rebels forwards earlier in the afternoon along with former teammate Moses Scurry.
He said he preached to the youngsters the importance of gaining an education during their time at UNLV, but also gave some hardwood-related advice.
"No one man is more important than the team," he said. "Everyone on our team had a role to play. Myself rebounding, Moses rebounding, Larry (Johnson) scoring a bunch of points. Greg (Anthony) just controlling the team and Anderson Hunt was one of the greatest shooters of all-time in my opinion."
The lengths that current UNLV coach Lon Kruger and his staff have gone to in reaching out to the members of those teams from the glory years are well known.
Kruger, his assistants and his entire team were in attendance on Monday.
"In a way, these are the guys they've heard about and read about," Kruger said. "They've met several of them, because they come by and give little pep talks before practice and all. It's a special group, and it means a lot to our guys.
"It's a reminder of how much impact this group had on the program and the city in many ways. It's great to have them back in town."
Of anyone currently affiliated with the program, Kruger's memory of how dominant UNLV was back in those days is more vivid than anyone's, despite coaching at the time at Kansas State — his alma mater.
"Physically dominating, defensively they were great, rebounding the ball they were great. They dictated on both ends of the floor every night out," he said. "We actually played Tark's 1986-87 team in the NCAAs in the second round. We wouldn't have played that group, either, voluntarily. They knocked us around."
Meanwhile, former guard and longtime NBA veteran Greg Anthony made it sound like this year's group could turn out to be one that those teams of the late 80s and early 90s would be proud of.
Having already done his homework as a CBS analyst, Anthony and his former teammates are looking forward to getting a first look at the team tonight.
"They're tough. This team has some toughness on it and a little bit of swagger," he said. "I like the athleticism. I think it's the most athletic team coach Kruger's had since he's been here. Arguably the most talented.
"The question's going to be the leadership. Oscar (Bellfield) is coming back, was a freshman at the point and now has that year under his belt. Not having Wink (Adams) there, it's going to be interesting to see who takes that mantle of being the go-to guy and that leader, both on the court and off. If we get there, and I think coach feels pretty optimistic about this group, it could be a special year."
Still, most fans who approached Anthony on Monday night opted to recall the glory days.
One young fan, who informed Anthony that he recently did a report on him in school, snapped a photo with his hero. He then beamed when Anthony handed him a business card with his personal e-mail address on it, requesting a copy of it once he gets a chance to send it off.
Seeing former coaches and teammates, then signing multiple posters that depicted his image from an athletic prime of two decades ago, Anthony couldn't help but recall the significance of the most rewarding accomplishment in his hoops career.
"The journey was by far the most important, because every day was just a great day," he said. "We all came from different backgrounds, but we all had that common goal, and that's the beauty of a team sport. It's a family. All of us dealt with loss and disappointment in our lives, but that's something we can look at fondly, and we were whole for that moment as a group. We accomplished everything we set out for.
"Nothing's come close to it with anything I've done in my career."
And though Marshall only knows of the 1989-90 team's greatness through old videos and word of mouth, he'll get a true feel for what that group meant to its fans and the city on Tuesday night.
"I really don't think this happens too often, where you get a 20-year anniversary like this and they come back to watch the first game — it's a very special feeling," he said. "I feel like once the game starts, there's going to be a lot of electricity in the building, not just for our first game, but for them being there, so it's going to be pretty exciting."
Discussion: 9 comments so far…
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As a lifelong Rebel fan and UNLV graduate, that championship was one of my greatest joys, of course not including my two kids. That team was a great team and you could see that they truly loved to be on the court together. I wonderful memory, one that I am hoping to feel again. Go Rebels.
What a great team they were! Best team in college basketball history. It was because of them I wanted to attend UNLV, and no other school. I hope this year's squad will bring some of the same electricity to the T&M as they did. Go UNLV!!!
The Championship was great, I had opportunity to meet Larry Johnson and he seemed like a class act.
BUT, I can't look back at the Championship and not remember how it was the beginning of the end, the catalyst that started the fire the UNLV has yet to recover from.
I can't help but remember the front page picture of three of the basketball team members and convicted black book memeber, Richard 'the fixer' Perry.
Shame on Tark, he brought us a Championship at a terrible cost!
ia richard"the fixer" perry going to be there?
Hey Ryan,
What were they doing with all those framed photos of the starting five standing in front of the American flag (from picture #6)? Those are bad a$$. I would like to get my hands on one.
That championship was easily one of the top moments of my life, and I've had a few. It would've been the beginning of a "Dynasty in the Desert," if it wasn't for Bob Maxson's ego. I'm happy Coach Kruger embraces our history, giving young recruits a sense of the past, so the program can move forward in the future. It's a privilege and honor to suit up for UNLV basketball, something that was lost for too long. Here's to the 1990 National Champions. Let's hope some of that old Rebel magic rubs off on this year's team, and we return to former glory. Emotions are going to run high tonight. As a fan, I can't wait to be a part of it, just as I was 20 years ago.
The UNLV NC is ONLY moment of relevancy in non-combat sports Nevada has ever had (unless you count Findlay Prep). We have had some bright spots in boxing (club ((UNLV)) and Pro) and MMA but they dont feel the same.
The CSN baseball team won a national title a few years back.........that's not too bad.
Wrong reno. Golf and tennis teams had nat'l champions. UNLV rodeo is top rated program. UNLV professors screamin for more money is a top rated program.