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Where I Stand:

Tark was beloved by his players and Las Vegans

Tarkanian Statue Unveiled

Las Vegas Sun

Lois Tarkanian talks to her husband, former UNLV head basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, after a statue of the coaching legend was unveiled in front of the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013.

Jerry Tarkanian Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Lois Tarkanian holds her husband Jerry Tarkanian's hand after he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 in Springfield, Mass. Launch slideshow »

In addition to being the UNLV head basketball coach for 19 years, Jerry Tarkanian also was a columnist for Las Vegas Sun. When he returned to Las Vegas after coaching stints in San Antonio and Fresno, he again shared his thoughts with the Sun’s readers, writing poignantly about his players, teams, opponents and basketball — the sport he loved and loved to coach.

Sun Sports Editor Ray Brewer has his own special remembrances about Tark. With our own sincere condolences to Lois and the entire Tarkanian family, we commend Ray’s effort, which follows.

— Brian Greenspun

Jerry Tarkanian wasn’t perfect. But, then again, who is?

We all need a second chance.

The basketball players Tarkanian coached at UNLV and other stops during his Hall of Fame career certainly were a little rough around the edges. They came from the inner city and with a questionable past, desperately needing someone with enough wisdom and courage to give them an opportunity at pursuing their dreams.

Tarkanian didn’t care about your background, even if it included a criminal history, coming from a broken home, living in the projects or academic struggles. He saw the good in everyone.

That’s something our city will sorely miss.

Tarkanian, who died Wednesday at age 84, made Las Vegas a better place — and not only because of the powerhouse basketball program he built. By taking a chance on at-risk players, he saved their lives and gave them purpose, showing Las Vegans that developing youngsters is not only a worthy job but a responsibility.

He transformed some into valuable members of our community. Former players are cops, lawyers, coaches and business owners. And it’s not just one generation — the children of the players Tarkanian saved also are flourishing.

To a man, they credit Tarkanian for the opportunity when others passed. In Tarkanian’s last two days at the hospital, former players Freddie Banks, Eldridge Hudson and Moses Scurry joined the family for Tark’s final hours. They prayed, cried and shared memories.

Tarkanian, and his wife, Lois, considered the players family and looked after them as if they were one of their own. Scurry was from the New York projects and says he’d be in prison if not for Tarkanian. Hudson, from the Los Angeles area, has a similar story. So did others Tarkanian mentored.

“It was a crazy idea for other coaches, but Tark gave the inner-city kids a chance,” said Hudson, who played in the program from 1982 to 1987 and now coaches at Canyon Springs High. “Tark wasn’t scared to take the inner-city kid, and because of that, he had a roster of hard-nosed kids who weren’t afraid to pop you. He believed in us and we believed in him.”

Tarkanian, the son of Armenian immigrants who was raised with simple means, saw a little of himself in the kids he recruited. He knew what it was like to be poor and overlooked. Those players had dreams of greatness, and Tarkanian was willing to give a place to pursue those aspirations. Tarkanian’s teams played hard because players didn’t want to disappoint the coach and waste the opportunity he gave them.

They transformed UNLV into a national brand with Tarkanian winning more than 500 games in 19 seasons, reaching four Final Fours and capturing the 1990 national championship. The 103-73 demolishing of Duke in the championship game ranks as one of the greatest days of my life — a claim shared by most locals from my generation.

Jerry Tarkanian

UNLV players Moses Scurry, left, and Anderson Hunt hug coach Jerry Tarkanian after their 103-73 victory over Duke in the NCAA Final Four Championship game, April 2, 1990, in Denver. Launch slideshow »

We packed the Thomas & Mack Center to watch the best show in Las Vegas. Alley-oops dunks, fast-break points, 3-pointers and suffocating defense were all part of Tarkanian’s revolutionary style. The Rebels played at a pace nobody could match, playing their hearts out for Tarkanian.

Sometimes his recruiting philosophies didn’t pan out.

Lloyd Daniels, a New York City legend and prized recruit with a questionable past, was arrested in 1987 in North Las Vegas during a drug bust. He never played a game.

His arrest fueled the arguments of Tarkanian’s critics, who wondered how Daniels, who was two years short of a high school diploma and attended four high schools in three states, could be a college qualifier. UNLV was also accused of providing Daniels improper benefits to trigger a visit from NCAA investigators.

Tarkanian challenged the NCAA his entire career, ultimately winning a $2.5 million settlement in 1998 against college athletics’ governing body after a lawsuit he filed claiming they held a 20-year vendetta and tried to manufacture evidence against him.

Tarkanian surely stretched the rules, but often he did it to help a kid. “Nine out of 10 schools are cheating. The other one is in last place,” he famously said.

Yes, he wasn’t perfect. But, for us in Las Vegas, he sure did appear that way.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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