Instant Analysis: Best way to honor Tark is for current UNLV team to keep fighting

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015 | 10:35 p.m.

The best way to honor the late Jerry Tarkanian, the founding father of UNLV basketball, is by not wasting what he built.

Tark never lost at home. His teams never were this inadequate offensively.

As witnessed tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center during a 53-48 loss against Boise State, the current state of UNLV basketball is nothing like Tark left it. The Runnin’ Rebels, after all, scored just 48 points and their season has been so mediocre they are three games under .500 in Mountain West play.

In the first home game since Tarkanian died last week, UNLV (14-12 overall, 5-8) paid tribute with a touching pregame video and left an empty seat on the bench for their legendary coach. It was a blue chair from the 1990 Final Four in Denver when Tarkanian’s Rebels beat Duke by 30 points for the national championship.

That victory was the shining moment in Las Vegas sports history. Tonight was simply another step in the wrong direction in returning to national relevance.

It’s the same drill as past games: Blown assignments on defense, untimely misses from the foul line, surrendering offensive rebounds and poor execution.

Fans packed the Mack to honor Tarkanian and desperately wanted something to cheer about. UNLV, who shot just 18 of 60 from the field, couldn’t deliver. They likely won’t deliver the rest of the season.

And while it seems far-fetched considering the dismal results, I’m not ready to throw in the towel on coach Dave Rice. I firmly believe he’ll get the job done.

Rice, a reserve on the national championship team, understands the program’s history and tradition. He lived it, helped build it. More important, he knows what it takes to get back.

UNLV will never make three Final Four appearances in five seasons like Tarkanian from 1987-91, but no team outside of Kentucky in the modern era has that potential. At this rate, UNLV would gladly settle for making the NCAA Tournament in three of five seasons.

But that doesn’t mean Rice can’t get the job done.

He is recruiting the high-caliber players needed to become a perennial top-25 team. Those players have yet to consistently produce and that’s squarely on Rice. He accepts the blame and understands improvements must be made.

He has to develop the players, and more important, keep them in the program. Time will tell who stays and who leaves in the offseason, but the potential next season is off the charts.

Chris Wood is arguably the best player in the league and could easily leave to test the NBA waters. But he’d be smart to stay one more season and develop. The same for Rashad Vaughn, whose is likely lost for the season with a knee injury and is desperately missed.

Outside of Jelan Kendrick’s 15-point night, the Rebels were lost offensively against Boise State. Pat McCaw has been arguably the Rebels most valuable player, but he managed just five points on 2 of 10 shooting. Jordan Cornish had two points on 1 of 7 shooting, but plays with a chip on his shoulder and toughness his teammates painfully lack.

There’s still about three weeks left for the Rebels to salvage the season. They’d have to win the Mountain West tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament, which will be easier said than done considering a team with seven scholarship players would have to win four games in four days.

That, though, would be one way to honor the legend Tarkanian. Tarkanian was a fighter and never quit. Those are two good traits for the current team to follow.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21