Tark tells all new league 'no thanks'

By nature, Jerry Tarkanian's not a big breakfast guy. But curiosity, more than anything, got him out of bed early today in Fresno to hear what the fledgling International Basketball League had to say.

At least that's who Tark thought he was going to be talking to. Instead, he found himself talking to something called the Collegiate Professional Basketball League, yet another new minor pro circuit.

This league, based outside of Boston, also claims it will begin play in 1999 with eight franchises (none in Las Vegas). The CPBL is geared for high school players who do not qualify academicially for college but aren't good enough to play in the NBA.

Either way, the 68-year-old Tarkanian is staying put at Fresno State, where he has one year remaining on his contract.

"They have some great concepts," he said of the CPBL. "It's an alternative for some of these young players. It's totally different than what I was expecting.

"But I'm not going anywhere. I have a job to do here (at Fresno State) and we haven't finished that job yet."

Tarkanian met with CPBL president Paul McMann. The coach admitted to being somewhat confused at first, but he didn't mind sitting down with a different league.

"I thought I was going to be meeting with the league that was going to be in Vegas," he said. "I was totally surprised."

The IBL, which will field teams in eight cities beginning in November 1999, supposedly is interested in having Tarkanian be part of the Las Vegas franchise. But the former longtime UNLV coach, who is getting ready to start his fourth year at Fresno State, isn't ready to abandon the college ranks for some unknown pro endeavor.

"I haven't talked to anybody," he said of the IBL.

Thaxter Trafton, the IBL president, was caught off-guard by the news.

"It's bizarre," Trafton said from his Alta Loma, Calif., home. "I thought he was talking to Doug Sanderson (prospective Las Vegas IBL owner) I guess I was wrong.

"But I knew he wasn't meeting with me. I've never talked to Jerry Tarkanian, though I think it would be great to have him in Las Vegas."

The whole Tark-IBL rumor began at Tuesday's press conference at the Thomas & Mack Center when Trafton was asked if Tarkanian's presence would lend credibility to the Las Vegas franchise.

That set off a media blitz, especially in Fresno, where television reports Wednesday had Tarkanian all but going -- even though he had told the Fresno Bee that day he had no plans to leave Fresno State.

But in the end, it didn't matter who dined with Tarkanian. He said thanks, but no thanks.

"We still have a lot to do here (at FSU)," he said.

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