LAS VEGAS – Charlie Spoonhour is no Rick Pitino, and that's
just fine with him.
Hopefully, it will be fine with UNLV fans, too.
Rejected by Pitino, UNLV turned to the 61-year-old Spoonhour on
Thursday to become the third coach of the Runnin' Rebels within the
last four months.
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Charlie Spoonhour brings a wealth of basketball knowledge to UNLV. He has a brilliant basketball IQ and is a superb teacher. He will be a good fit for UNLV because he is easy for people to work with.
Vitale's complete analysis
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Shortly after Spoonhour was given a three-year contract to try
and lead the once vaunted UNLV program out of the depths of recent
mediocrity, he was answering questions about how fans will accept
him following UNLV's failed pursuit of Pitino.
"I don't know why anyone would worry about something they've
never had," Spoonhour said. "There's probably a lot of people who
would rather see coach Pitino here than me. But he can't be
everywhere."
Spoonhour, who took Saint Louis University to three NCAA
Tournament appearances in seven years, was lured out of retirement
with a contract that will pay him about $400,000 a year -- about a
fourth of what was being offered Pitino to come to the desert.
It didn't take long to convince Spoonhour about the job,
considering he is a frequent visitor to Las Vegas and had planned
to retire here anyway.
"If I didn't feel like this is a special place I wouldn't be
standing here," Spoonhour said. "I like this place. I mean it. I
really genuinely like Las Vegas."
Spoonhour, who retired in 1999 after a 15-16 season at Saint
Louis, has been doing some regional television commentary since
leaving coaching. He said he hadn't planned to return, but couldn't
pass up the opportunity to coach at UNLV.
Spoonhour said the success UNLV has had in the past played a
part in his decision, as did the fact the school has some good
players returning even though it loses six seniors.
|  | | Charlie Spoonhour is coming out of retirement to try his luck in Vegas. |
"I'm here because it is the best possible world," he said.
"Is it going to happen? It isn't going to take a decade, either.
It's been done here before and it will be done here again."
Spoonhour takes over from Max Good, who was given the coaching
job in December when Bill Bayno was fired after UNLV was placed on
four years' probation for violations stemming from the recruiting
of Lamar Odom.
Good guided the Rebels to a winning season, but when the pursuit
of Pitino became public, it quickly became apparent that he was not
going to be seriously considered for the job.
Pitino turned UNLV down this month and instead became coach at
Louisville.
UNLV president Carol Harter said the school was looking for
someone who would both follow NCAA rules and put fans back into
seats at the 19,000-seat UNLV campus arena.
Spoonhour, who met with players Thursday, said he was excited
about the prospects of returning UNLV to the glory days it had
under former coach Jerry Tarkanian.
"It's not like you're selling a pie-in-the-sky dream to players
to come here," he said. "It has been done and it can be done."
Spoonhour, who has a 319-171 Division I record in 16 years at
Saint Louis and Southwest Missouri State, has taken teams to eight
NCAA tournaments, but never gotten past the second round.
UNLV was banned from the NCAA Tournament this year because of
the probation, and faces some scholarship and recruiting
limitations for the next three years. But Spoonhour said he wasn't
worried about not being able to turn things around.
"We'll have some bumps in the road and I hope people will be a
little patient," he said. "I'm not interested in presiding over
funerals. I'm here for basketball."
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ALSO SEE
Division I basketball coaching changes
AUDIO VIDEO
 Charlie Spoonhour on how he is going to change the face of the UNLV basketball program.
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Charlie Spoonhour accepts the head coaching position at UNLV.
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