Tuesday, April 1, 2008 | 4:13 p.m.
The call didn’t come from the Hall, but it was about the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Jerry Tarkanian, fighting a cold, just laughs softly.
“No, it’s not a surprise,” says the 77-year-old former UNLV hoops coach. “You know, for a while, I thought it might happen. Then I realized it’s not.”
Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Pat Riley, Adrian Dantley, Chris Mullin, Don Nelson, Dick Vitale and the late Dennis Johnson were among the 15 finalists Hall officials recently announced.
In one of the most secretive processes in sports, candidates who receive 18 votes from a select panel of 24 judges will be inducted into the Hall.
“I don’t even know who votes,” Tarkanian says.
After Tark the Shark left UNLV in 1992, with a record of 509-105 over 19 seasons coaching the Rebels, he made the list of finalists a couple times.
“Didn’t make it,” he says. “The longer it goes, the less you think about it. It’s nice to be named as a finalist, but it doesn’t make that much difference. I never campaigned for it.”
It would be nice for his family, kids and grandkids, he says, but he doesn’t think about it.
“I don’t think it changes anything,” Tarkanian says. “Obviously, there’s a great prestige factor. But I think I’m past prestige. I don’t need prestige anymore. I’ve had my share.”
He will attend the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend and he likes Memphis, with freshman guard Derrick Rose, to win it all.
“Nobody played better than Memphis last weekend,” Tarkanian says. “And Rose is the best point guard I’ve seen all season. He’s phenomenal. He’s the difference-maker.
“I also like what (Tigers coach) John Calipari said about them shooting free throws. He doesn’t care, as long as they play defense and rebound. I like them.”
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