This effects me personally as I had quite a few interactions with the man over the course of my 16 years in Vegas and he was pretty humble and quite the character. He single handily put a small school in the desert on the map and he is the man responsible for my love affair with college basketball and the reason I always wanted to live in Vegas and go to UNLV. He was more than a coach to people in Vegas, he was an icon, a legend and a showman. He transcended the game with his style of play and his Shark like persona. He gave so many young people a 2nd lease on life and his kids would have gone to war for him and many did. Sad to see him go as he was a really good guy and I am so glad had the opportunity to meet and know him. He will be missed ..... http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12309855/hall-fame-coach-jerry-tarkanian-dies
One of the most iconic teams in NCAA Tournament history, it still hurts me to this day they didn't go back to back. They would have been immortal had that happened.
That may have been the best team of all time, they should have gone back to back and been undefeated.
Yeah I agree the 91 team might have been the best of all time, I believe all 5 starters made some sort of All American team. LJ was a man among boys, Greg Anthony was a cool customer, Stacey Augmon quite possibly the best defender ever at the college level. Anderson Hunt just made plays and George Ackles. Funny thing is Tark and many others will tell you his 77 team was ever better than the 91 team. I wasn't around for that so I don't know but the 91 team was the best one I've ever seen at the college level. The only one I can think of at least in my lifetime and it kills me to say it was the Jay Williams Duke team.... that team was loaded.
As a Rebel who lived in Vegas, went to UNLV, and who got to personally know this guy, that's more than good enough for me to offer to you: my sincere condolences BtB.
Thanks, I wish everyone got to know the guy, he would have talked your ear off and his personality was bigger and brighter than the lights of Vegas. I can't even name how many kids he gave a second chance to and so many of them never forgot it and made something of themselves. He had his faults and he loved Lloyd Daniels for some reason but he saw so much in the guy and wanted him to become somebody.
I disagree there, they were really talented but I think the '99 duke team was much better than 2001. I think UK '96 and UNLV '90/'91 are the best teams I have seen in my lifetime. I was really young for Carolina '82, they are up there but had no depth like UNLV. My favorite "what if" team was 1996 UNC had Stackhouse and Wallace returned to go w/ Jamison, Carter and co.
I didn't know this but apparently if the school president and Steve Wynn didn't throw Tark under the bus his 1992 starting line up would have been. PG - Jason Kidd SG - Anderson Hunt SF - JR Rider PF - Ed O'Bannon C - Shawn Kemp ARFKM? He also had the inside track on Jalen Rose, Shon Tarver and Chris Webber. He could have gotten any player he wanted. It's painful to think what could have been.
Brooklyn.... this is for something I wanted to share with you because I know you get it. This was from Jerry Tarkanian's funeral. His son Danny said this at his funeral. My father came from humble beginnings. His mother, Rose, barely escaped the Armenian Genocide. She watched her father and oldest brother beheaded and the rest of her family and friends herded into a church and burned alive.
