Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

rebels basketball :

Forgotten players feels welcomed back to UNLV basketball by new coach

Past players such as Reggie Manuel and Patrick Savoy come back to support new coach Rice, say they are proud to be Rebels

Reggie Manuel

Courtesy UNLV Archives

Reggie Manuel was recruited to UNLV by legendary men’s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian shortly after the Rebels won the NCAA championship in 1990. By the time he graduated in 1995, he had played for five coaches in four years.

Click to enlarge photo

Left-hander Patrick Savoy was the top recruit in 1993 of Rollie Massimino, who coached the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team after Jerry Tarkanian.

Dave Rice introduced at UNLV

Dave Rice, left, UNLV's new head basketball coach, chats with Regent Jack Schofield before an introductory news conference Monday, April 11, 2011. Former coach Jerry Tarkanian is seated at right. Launch slideshow »

KSNV: Dave Rice Returns

KSNV coverage of Dave Rice's introduction at UNLV, April 11, 11:00 p.m.

UNLV Fans Meet Dave Rice

UNLV's new head basketball coach, David Rice, meets with students during a Runnin' Rebel Fan Reception at UNLV Monday, April 11, 2011. Launch slideshow »
The Rebel Room

Rebel Room — The Dave Rice Era begins

Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Case Keefer and Ray Brewer talk about the excitement surrounding the hiring of Dave Rice as the UNLV basketball coach. Rice, a reserve on the 1990 national championship team, will look to bring the program back to its ways of playing run-and-gun basketball.

Reggie Manuel has been forgotten about by some.

A prized recruit by Jerry Tarkanian to the UNLV basketball program in the early 1990s, the 3-point specialist Manuel arrived in Las Vegas from Macon, Ga., with hopes of Final Four appearances and national championships.

Then Tarkanian was forced out by the end of Manuel’s freshman year in 1992 and the program rapidly devolved from the top in college basketball to a dim state that is rarely celebrated or remembered by locals.

By the time Manuel’s career ended in 1995, one of things he was most associated with isn’t found in the history books: “I probably have the record. I played for five coaches in four years,” he jokingly said.

As the program slowly collapsed in the early to mid-1990s, one link to the past was always present trying to will the program back on track. Dave Rice, a member of the 1990 national championship squad and a young assistant learning the ropes of the coaching profession, developed a certain trust with players they still value.

They describe Rice as being someone who poured his heart and soul into the program. He preached honoring the friendships formed with teammates and the pride of being a Rebel — win, lose or draw.

That’s the same message Rice delivered Monday when he was announced as the program’s next head coach. Fittingly, players such as Manuel were in the crowd at the Board Room at the Thomas & Mack Center to welcome Rice back.

What was lost in the gathering was the fact that Rice was also welcoming those forgotten players back. Even though they were part of teams not celebrated, they are still Rebels.

“This is our program. It’s not mine,” Rice said. “I’m just a caretaker, but I’m just honored to be the one who has the chance to be a big part of Runnin’ Rebel basketball once again.”

Former coach Lon Kruger, who after seven seasons left UNLV two weeks ago for Oklahoma, is credited with reaching out to legends of the past and bringing them back into the fold. He retired the jersey of Greg Anthony, the point guard of the national title team, and Armen Gilliam, who helped lead the Rebels to the 1987 Final Four. He also named the court after Tarkanian and held a celebration on the 20th anniversary of the 1990 championship.

Rice will continue honoring past teams, including those from the forgotten years. After all, it’s a group he was part of and equally proud to be associated with.

“It’s a great hire for me, because I’ve very close with Dave,” said Manuel, who ranks seventh in program history in 3-pointers made with 155. “I was just happy and so proud he got the opportunity to be a head coach at UNLV.”

It was a reunion of sorts Monday for several of those players. Hidden in the crowd was Patrick Savoy, a lanky forward who was the top recruit in 1993 of Rollie Massimino. Massimino replaced Tarkanian but left after two seasons when it was revealed he had a secret contract with then-UNLV President Robert Maxson for a higher salary.

After the mess with Massimino, UNLV reached back to its past in hiring Tim Grgurich, Tarkanian’s top assistant. Grgurich, however, only last seven games before stepping down for health reasons. Two coaches took the reigns to close out the year, with Howie Landa and Cleveland Edwards closing the books on a 12-17 season. The following year, UNLV went 10-16 in Bill Bayno’s first year — two of the three sub-.500 seasons in the program’s 53-year history.

Hence the players from that era — such as the 1995 regulars Manual, Savoy, Sunshine Smith and Kebu Stewart — have been overlooked. Also, sharpshooter Ken Gibson from the forgotten years was at Rice’s press conference.

“We got forgot about because all of the coaches we had, but Dave always had our back. He still does,” Savoy said. “I was supposed to come here with a sign that said welcome back D-Rice. He was like a brother to me. He was young, and I could talk calmly to him and get a calm response.”

Rice, whose coaching debut came on Tarkanian’s last staff, returned to UNLV under Grgurich. He stayed until 2004 when he was retained by Kruger, eventually serving as an assistant under eight head coaches.

“It started with coach Tark, and then it was coach Grg, and then one year we remember it was coach Landa, and then coach Edwards, and then coach Bayno, and then coach Good, and then coach Spoonhour, and then coach Jay Spoonhour,” Rice said. “If you’ve had the ability to learn from a lot of different experiences, then I should be a pretty smart guy.”

Warren Rosegreen, who played for Rice at Chaffey Junior College in California and then at UNLV during the Bayno era, was recruited to Las Vegas by Rice. He considers Rice one of his closest friends.

“I can explain to recruits why they should (come to UNLV) because of the man he is and what he did for me,” Rosegreen said. “He isn’t going to hold a kid back. If a kid can run and shoot, he will let them run and shoot. He will bring the speed and tempo back to Las Vegas.”

He’ll also bring back some of those players several have forgotten about.

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