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Thursday, February 1, 2001
By Dave Reardon
Star-Bulletin
What a fitting place for a visit with Jerry Tarkanian.Which has taken in more basketball? The peeled-paint walls of Klum Gym where his Fresno State Bulldogs practiced yesterday? Or the hound-dog eyes of Tarkanian, the living, breathing, still coaching legend, the eyes that have seen his team win 750 major college games?
Tark might appear to be on his last coaching legs at age 70. But when did he not? Even at the apex of his career Tarkanian looked to the casual observer like he was ready to -- maybe needed to -- settle into less stressful activities.
But forget the rumors.
Tark the Shark isn't throwing in the towel just yet.
The retirement, the legacy, the fishing and the whatever-he-wants-to-do-when-he-wants-to-do-it can all wait.
GAME DAY
What: WAC men's basketball
He still has a team to coach.
And according to the voters of the Associated Press poll, it's the 19th best college basketball team in America.
Just as important to Tarkanian, it's the best team in Fresno, his hometown -- and it's led by hometown kids.
"I really like that we have three local Fresno kids starting," Tarkanian says, pointing to guard Demetrius Porter and forwards Chris Jefferies and Shannon Swills.
"The thing I like about this team is that everyone works hard. And we have good depth. I think this is our best Fresno State team. It's like our UNLV teams."
Tarkanian says you can have the McDonald's All-Americans. He's happy to recruit from the next level and maybe have a surprise or two for the other teams stocked with burger boys come March.
"For one reason or another I never seemed to get as much out of those guys," says Tarkanian, who has dealt with several underachieving, overhyped and undisciplined talents in six seasons at his alma mater.
Sometimes injuries and off-court casualties left him with practices of only five players.
But he's still managed to win 20 or more games and get to the NIT or NCAA Tournament every year at FSU, adding to the 509 wins at UNLV and the 116 at Long Beach State.
But Tarkanian prefers it this way. He's most proud of the fact that his three seniors from last year have graduated.
"We don't have big names like the past. We've got blue-collar guys. I like that."
Yeah, blue collar, but with a golden tint. This team, which has rolled to 13 consecutive victories and sits atop the WAC at 6-0, possesses star power potential comparable to Tark's glitzy UNLV teams.
A lot of it comes in the form of freshman guard Tito Maddox. Since he took over point guard 11 games ago, the Bulldogs haven't lost. Maddox is emerging as one of the best all-around freshmen in the nation, averaging 14.2 points, 9.8 assists and 6.2 rebounds a game.
Then there's junior Melvin Ely, a 6-10, 256-pound center. He's added an outside dimension to his offensive game, and averages 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.
Some say Ely will be an NBA lottery pick after this season. Tarkanian said he thinks Ely will stick around.
And nobody thinks Tark's going anywhere yet.
"I think he's having too much fun," Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said. "Why quit when you're having fun?"
If retirement is on his mind, Tarkanian isn't saying.
"I go in every year figuring it's my last year. I see how I feel, how my health is and I go from there," he says.
Surely, he will go down in history as one of the greatest coaches in the game's history.
His name is etched between those of Adolph Rupp and John Wooden, at No. 3 in all-time winning percentage at .805.
One of his 962 overall college victories is the 1991 National Championship game, when Nevada Las-Vegas beat Duke.
His legacy is intact, on the court and off. There will always be detractors, those who say he cheated. But he undoubtedly shaped today's game by taking on the NCAA and what many considered its unrealistically rigid standards for student-athletes.
Despite the Vegas glamour and the great talent he's coached, Tarkanian will also be remembered as the little guy who took on the establishment and won, and helped change it.
Another national championship would be a fitting finish for a humble guy from Fresno.
But even then, no one can predict when the end is for Jerry Tarkanian.
"Coach always says he's going to keep coaching as long as he's having fun," Porter said. "And I know he's having fun this year."
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii