Coach Jerry Tarkanian loved the bright lights and he knew just the style of basketball that would bring the fans to watch this program.  Tark added the moniker ‘Runnin’ to the Rebels and soon this team from the dessert was the must see show on the ‘strip’!  The powers that be in the WCAC did not like this new style and especially that they were dominating the league so they were asked to leave.  Being an Indy fit the mold of what the Rebels were selling but with everybody and their dog (including the big dog themselves) joining conferences the Rebels looked for a league to join.  Problem is nobody wanted this Johnny Come Lately with their questionable rep and less than stellar academic standing.  The real reason of course was nobody wanted this program to come in and dominate their league (ask BYU and BSU football about this paradigm).  Alas the PCAA opened their doors to this program nobody wanted and the Rebels (as well as a similar program from Las Cruces New Mexcio) had a home.   In their first year in this league the Rebels dominated but did not get much national attention or exposure until late in the year.  UNLV was a bit late to the national scene and were stuck in a conference (luckily?) that was not exactly top of the heap.  Last season the team from UNLV got themselves in the conversation with a team coined the ‘hardway eight’ that showcased their incredible fast break pace and scoring acumen.  It might have got them on some highlights but the teams from the more established considered this team a novelty act who could easily get beat by bigger and better teams who played just a little bit of defense (and could slow the game down with moves like the four corners that North Carolina did at the Big Dance).  Tark knew he had the right style (especially with the new shot clock) for not only his town but to bring in the kind of athletes to get to the next level and compete with the big boys and he did not care where he got the kids from or what their background was?  He was right!  Tarkanian brought in a group of players that he knew could compete with any in the country if he could just get ‘in the game.’  Well, Tark knew the only way this team was going to get the recognition it deserved was to play everybody (that means the big dogs from the big conferences) and hopefully convince them to come to the new Thomas and Mack center to show off his thoroughbreds.  This year this up and coming team from a little mid major conference will take on all comers including some powerhouses from the ACC, SEC, Pac-10 and Big East.  This includes the top two rated teams in the country both coming to Vegas to show these up and comers how to play the game the right way.  The best thing is that these games will be on national television and Tark will be able to recruit his brand of basketball everywhere.  Be careful what you wish for Big Dogs!  These boys from Vegas can play and rumors are Tark has landed a couple of the best JC kids in the land to come to Vegas.  The best thing of all is that these ‘Rebels’ match the personality of the city they are from about as well as any program has ever done.  But more on that in a bit1  First let’s talk about this incredible season the team from Vegas just had and the players that have put this program on the map. 

Tarkanian and his team have brought respect and prosperity to the gambling capital of the world.  College basketball fans now know how good this program is out west.  The Shark has repeatedly brought in kids that nobody else wanted for one reason or another and turned them into a juggernaut.  The Runnin’ Rebels and boy do the fit their nickname, may have dominated their conference as much as nay  team outside of LA did this year  They earned a 5 seed in the tournament with  regular season and tournament titles but flamed out in the Sweet 16 when the aforementioned Tar Heels slowed things down.  Tarkanian has no desire to let his foot off the gas and has even upgraded the talent for the upcoming year.  And one of these kids might be the best incoming defensive wing in the country.  But of course all of the hype is for a man/child from Dallas who led his JC team to a national title.   

Since this team has not been around all that long there are not that many seniors on the roster and none of them are assured of playing time let alone starting.  Silas Stepp, Elburt Miller, Jerry Chandler, Bruce Chapman and Bernie Fumagalli are those seniors and none are penciled to begin the year as starters.  Stepp used to be the main man in the paint for the Rebels in the D-2 days but at 6’5 will no longer be guarding other team’s centers.  Not only does he have a terrific name but Stepp can play inside and is not afraid to mix it up.  He led this program in scoring and boards two straight years but dropped off last year and with the incoming studs from the JC world will probably lose even more time on the court.  Still, Stepp will contribute as he is a Rebel first and foremost and loves to be a part of this fast moving train that will not be denied.  Miller is a 6’4 195 wing from San Diego who can flat light it up.  A tremendous athlete, Miller transferred in from San Diego CC last year and made his presence known averaging over 10 points a game off the bench.  He played less than 20 mpg so you can see this kid can score but his defense is suspect and no matter what you think of Tark you must defend to stay on the court.  Tark’s top assistant, Tim Grgurich, was brought in from Pittsburgh to teach his only style of defense he has dubbed the ‘Amoeba.’  Grgurich basically set the tone for those Panther great defenses as he was the Head Coach there but he wanted to go somewhere a bit warmer and Tark gave him the keys to this stable of terrific athletes.  Sure, the Rebels score near a 100 a game but they also gave up less than 80 and with their frenetic pace that is something.  Grgurich also brought some kids with him including sophomore wing Larry Anderson who will be battling for minutes at a crowded position full of great athletes.  Chandler is one of those at 6’4 180 from Bloomington Indiana and he too can play.  Another J C transfer from San Francisco CC, Chandler got stuck behind the eight ball last year and did not get on the court but when he did he showed he belongs on this team.  Chapman is 6’6 and 195 but yet another JC kid from Costa Mesa California who did not play much but can score.  Fumagalli is the original Rebel but as a 6’2 forward barely played last year.  He might not make the roster this year but for a minute he was the man at Nevada Southern. 

The junior class, or the Hardway 8, is a bit more stocked and were the group that put this town on the basketball map.  Junior Reggie Theus might well be the best player on the team but has still not started a game for the Rebels.  That is how deep this team is. Theus is a shooting guard who can score from anywhere and often.  He has been the perfect sixth man for this program due to this ability but  Tarkanian has promised to get him into the starting lineup this year before he loses him to the pros.  He almost left after last year and would have been a first round pick with his complete skill set.  Theus is a good outside shooter (mainly mid-range as he inconsistent from behind the arc) but is best going to the hoop.  Reggie loves to run the floor and whether he is finishing off the wing or leading the break and doing a nice little drop off pass to one of his teammates he knows how to get the ball in the hole.  In the half-court game he is impossible to defend as he uses his size (6’7 190) and great first step to get to the hoop and either finish or get fouled and he rarely misses at the free throw line.  He is also a much better passer than given credit for (he averaged almost five assists a game) though like all Rebels his defense does let down at times (or should we say they are a little more interested in scoring).  Theus is from Inglewood California and was Tarkanian’s first major recruit to come to Vegas.  Reggie loves the night life (as do many of the Rebels) and supposedly has an apartment right next to the strip.  Reggie is also a smooth operator with liquid Jeri curls and a porn mustache that would make John Oates jealous.  Yes, the chicks do dig him.    He might not be the King of the Strip but he is one heck of a basketball player that did what was right for this team to get to the next level.  He is and underrated of a great player as there is in the country and Unselfishness should be his middle name.  Bob Florence and Booker Washington are another pair of wings battling for minutes.  Florence was recruited all the way from Des Moines and yes is a bit of a fish out of water here but has started some games for the Rebels.  He can score and at 6’4 190 has the size to get his shot off and defend other wings but not quite the quickness.   Washington (Damn, I wish I had his name) is as cool as the other side of the pillow and can flat fly but is only 6’2.  This kid with the famous name (after a great man) can shoot the rock with anyone and can defend so he has a shot but man if he was 6’5 he might be all world.  Speaking of All-World, Eddie Owens is back starting at small forward for the Rebels.  This 6’7 210 pounder from Houston is a true three and has a smooth stroke who defines the Rebel style.  You see this thoroughbred can flat fly up and down the court and finishes with a flair.  His offense is All-World as he led this high powered offense in scoring but with the long-armed wunderkid from Pasadena playing the same position, Owens will not be averaging 30+ minutes per games this season. Glen Gondrezick is a different style completely.  This is a hard working every man who played because he worked his tail end off every day in practice and was willing to do whatever it takes to help the Rebels win.  Not heavily recruited out of Boulder Colorado,  ‘Gondo’ was waiting for Oregon to decide (they kept putting him off waiting for a kid named Adrian Dantley to decide) when Tark came to his home.   Gondrezick liked Tark and told him “the hell with Oregon, I am going to UNLV.”  The rest is history as Gondo became Tark’s favorite pupil.  His all-out hustle and competitiveness sets the standard for Tark’s teams.  You know that character ‘Bull’ played by Reb Brown in the classic movie Fast Break.  That is Gondo.  He would run through a wall for Tark and his teammates and took more charges than a bull fighter in Mexico City.  At 6’6 218 he sets a screen Wes Unseld would be proud of and he pushed the ‘new’ kids in practice every day.  Gondo gave his heart and soul to this program and Tark keeps him coming off the bench as a not so secret weapon anymore.   Robert Smith could be the fastest player dribbling a basketball on the planet and was the cure to Tarkanian’s quest to find someone who could ‘run’ his fast-paced offense. Only 5’11 165, this Crenshaw kid understands the energy of the street game growing up in LA.  Tark has had to actually slow him down at times as Smith’s style is all out, up and down the court, for 40 minutes.  Not a great outside shooter, Smith makes up for it with his quickness but he needs to improve on his assist/turnover ratio, as no matter how fast he is, the Shark will not have a point guard running his team who turns the ball over unnecessarily.  Tony Smith is another junior (a transfer from Houston though and not part of the 8) who loves Bruce Lee and got some minutes last year behind the other kid named Smith.  A more standard 6’2 180 this kid from Saginaw Michigan is nowhere near as dynamic as Smith but is way more consistent and can hit an open jumper.  Jumpin’ Jackie Robinson, also from Dodger Land, is part of the 8 but missed the last half of the year and might miss the first half, at least, this year with a knee injury.  The legendarily named one can defend and finish but has a long road to hoe to get back and when your legs are your moneymaker an injury like that could derail a promising career.  Last and definitely not least of the juniors is big man Lewis Brown.  Another LA kid, Brown gives this team some real size down low.   At 6’11 225, Brown has been dominant at times and in some rather big games.  He does not run the court like everyone else but is a solid goalie when this team presses which is often.  Brown can score and board and block shots and if he was a bit more consistent could own this town.  For now, Brown gets minutes down low but after a mid-season slump lost his starting role to a freshman who is two inches shorter but oh so much bigger. 

Sophomore center Sidney Green is that kid who beat out Brown and should do so again.  Green matched up with some of the best big men on the West Coast last year and did pretty dang good.  Tark brought this kid in from Brooklyn last year and he is a fast developing project that gives the team some size and toughness at center.  He is not at the level of the great ones but his skills translated into a very good season.  Green is the big man who can defend the post and also score from inside the paint.   Even though he is only 6’9 220, Sidney is the man in the box in Vegas.  He might be better suited for the four but on this team is the five.  He brings consistency and the ability to defend and grab boards to a team that really needs these things.  There is no way you can have the vaunted Rebel break without somebody grabbing the boards and hitting the outlet passes and of course playing goalie when the other team come back at them in some of the track meets this team gets involved in.  Probably more than any player on this team the Rebels could not have been the team they were without Green.     

Another sophomore who had a huge year in Vegas is Freddie Banks.  Banks is terrific long range shooter whom when he gets going can make it look as easy as a video game.  As much as the Rebels scored they were not a great three point shooting team as they preferred the run and gun fast break style.  But you do not average over 100 points a game if you cannot shoot the three and Banks is by far their best three point shooter.  He had a few games that he absolutely carried the Rebels off the bench.  For instance against Memphis he came off the bench to hit 7 second half threes and in the semifinal of the conference tournament he hit 8 threes including a fall away game winner from 26 feet to beat Long Beach in the 4th overtime in one of the greatest games of the year in college basketball.  Banks is not a true big guard (though he is a solid passer and does defend well) however and at six two is not quite big enough to play the two on a regular basis and is not going to beat out Theus.  Still, Banks is invaluable coming off the bench and hitting clutch threes as a nice combo guard and the fans love him.   

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels may have been the most entertaining team in the country.  The problem is unless you lived in the Southwest you did not get to see them.  Add to that the East Coast pundits hated them and dubbed them more a novelty than a true power.  With their high flying antics and their patented fast break, this team scores in bushels.  The Rebels averaged over 100 points a game and never scored less than 80 in any game.  The Rebels were the highest ranked mid major for most of the year in the polls and got a high seed in the Big Dance.  Even though they won twice, a Sweet Sixteen loss to ACC powerhouse North Carolina put a damper on their breakout year.  The season might have ended before the fans were hoping as they but the Runnin’ Rebels were now on the map.  Those fans were not disappointed as they got to see this program once dubbed ‘Tumblewood Tech’ not so long ago become one of the best programs in major college basketball virtually overnight.  They were the top draw in this city with all of those show stoppers and circus acts (and other things) but they have a few of those of their own.  The Shark definitely took a bite out of college basketball this season and with almost everyone returning this year I am sure he will be back for seconds.