Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Ray Brewer:

For UNLV’s Marvin Menzies, ‘It’s about the program’

New Coach Marvin Menzies

L.E. Baskow

New UNLV basketball coach Marvin Menzies appears before the media and invited guests sporting new hat and ball after the Nevada Board of Regents approved his contract on Friday, April 22, 2016.

Menzies Introduced As UNLV Coach

New UNLV basketball coach Marvin Menzies with Director of Athletics Tina Kunzer-Murphy appears before the  Nevada Board of Regents to get his contract approved on Friday, April 22, 2016. Launch slideshow »

A handwritten message on UNLV letterhead is taped to the lid of Marvin Menzies’ laptop. He wrote the message — which he titled, "Why do I coach?" — after he was hired as the Rebels' basketball coach in mid-April.

The six answers, including “Family First!” and “Deal with the Ws and Ls the right way,” help detail his coaching philosophies. The first item on the list reaffirms why the 54-year-old former New Mexico State coach could be the right fit at UNLV: “It’s About The Program,” he wrote.

Like a lot of other people in the community, my first impression of Menzies is there's is a lot to like about him. He’s sincere, outgoing and energetic. Highly energetic. Most important, he understands the history and tradition of Rebel basketball.

“At the end of the day, it is not about me. It about putting a product on the floor (everyone) can be proud of,” he said. “There is another dynamic here. They want you to play a certain way. That style of play is important. When the name of your men’s basketball program is the Runnin’ Rebels, you can’t walk the ball up the court.”

On a bookshelf on the back wall of Menzies half-decorated office are two Mountain West championship trophies from nearly a decade ago. In the lobby, there are photos of such players as Rashad Vaughn, Christian Wood and Anthony Bennett, who have reached the NBA in recent seasons. The hallways leading to his office are dotted with images of the greats from the Jerry Tarkanian coaching era.

Many programs document successes with pictures and trophies, and coaches often promise recruits, alumni and boosters a future filled with more memorable moments. Menzies isn’t different.

But when he talks about his plans for UNLV, it comes with credibility. He’s already helped produce a winner here. And not just any winner — the best UNLV team since the days of Tarkanian.

Menzies was part of Lon Kruger’s first UNLV coaching staff in 2004-05, helping recruit three key contributors on the 2007 Sweet 16 team. The players, Wendell White, Joe Darger and Gaston Essengue, delivered the best UNLV run since the Rebels advanced to consecutive Final Fours in the early 1990s.

“When I was here, we had some players,” Menzies said, rattling off those key cogs from '07. “I know we can get guys here. We can get guys who can help us win. It is going to be a process, but I don’t want it to take forever. I want to put the best product on the floor as soon as possible, but also a product that has the best potential to grow.

“You have one chance to put together the best roster. That’s when you first get hired. This is my chance."

Now comes the hard part: finding another White or Essengue, and doing it in a diluted talent pool.

The program went into a free-fall in early January when Dave Rice and UNLV agreed to part ways. By the time Menzies was hired three months later, there were two other head coaches before him — interim Todd Simon and Chris Beard — and just three remaining scholarship players. Beard lasted less than a week before leaving for Texas Tech, giving the Rebels plenty of unwanted media attention nationally.

Some called the program a dumpster fire. That may have been putting it nicely.

When you are hired in mid-April and inherit just a handful of players, and there are limited options in recruiting, the worst is expected. Some are bracing for a single-digit win season next winter. Most will give Menzies a mulligan if the Rebels stagger, blaming Rice or Athletic Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy — two punching bags — for the failures.

Menzies, though, is refreshingly positive. Remember, high-energy, and lots of it. And with one goal at the top of his list — “It’s About The Program.”

“We are going to be fine,” he said. “We are going to work our tails off. I don’t have any doubt we are going to be a success. Zero doubt. I feel confident some good things are going to happen sooner than later.”

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

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