Columnist Steve Carp: Does Tark join Haskins on sidelines?

Steve Carp is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at carp@ lasvegassun.com or 259-4087.

It's doubtful Don Haskins' decision to quit coaching basketball was forced on him by the folks who run the University of Texas-El Paso. You don't tell legends what they can and can't do, unless you're former UNLV president Bob Maxson. And we know what happened to him.

The man affectionately known as "The Bear" decided Tuesday he had had enough of coaching 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds, and the Hall of Famer pulled the plug on one of the most colorful, storied and historical careers the sport has seen.

The reason college basketball exists in its current form is due to Haskins' decision to start five black players in the 1966 NCAA title game against lily-white Kentucky. At the time, The Bear wasn't trying to make a social statement, he was merely trying to win a basketball game and a national championship for UTEP, then known as Texas Western.

But that game, which the Miners won 72-65, validated the then-gutsy move by Haskins. Thousands of black athletes have benefited from that decision.

Still, Haskins is more than just a chapter in our nation's sporting social consciousness. The man won 719 basketball games, most of the time with less than blue-chip talent.

Sure, he had some guys who went on to be great players -- Tiny Archibald, Tim Hardaway -- as well as some others who would become outstanding coaches in their own right -- Nolan Richardson and Tim Floyd. But he was able to get more out of less, the surest sign of a great coach.

But the most impressive thing about Haskins was he never changed. Never. Success or failure affected him the same way. He always drove a pickup truck. He always held court in the same El Paso bar. He was always a gruff but loveable sort of guy.

If you weren't in his inner circle of confidants, he could be difficult to get to. But once the ice was broken, he was an engaging, likeable guy who could spin a yarn as good as anyone. I always enjoyed my dealings with The Bear. He was a forthright and honest man.

And he always was a competitor. Maybe it didn't show during his final few years as UTEP struggled to field a winning team. But Haskins' fire still burned from within. He'd bark at the refs and his players. He never mellowed and he wanted to win.

He is an icon in West Texas the way Tark was, and in some respects, still is here in Las Vegas. Which leads to this question: Given Haskins' decision, is Tarkanian ready to finally call it a day?

When we talked last week, he admitted he may be ready to come home to Las Vegas. It has been an uphill battle trying to turn things around at Fresno State and at 69, Tark's not getting any younger. Like Haskins, he remains extremely competitive.

But unlike Haskins, who will play out the golden years hunting, fishing and golfing with his buddies and holding court at the bar, Tark does not partake in such endeavors. His life has always been consumed by basketball.

It's doubtful Tark's going to take up fishing or hunting. He tried golf a long time ago and bagged it. But I'm sure he's looking at Haskins' decision and is probably wondering to himself if this isn't the next logical step in his life.

Chances are Tark will eventually come to his decision the same way Haskins did. He'll wake up one morning and come to the conclusion that enough is enough. And like The Bear did Tuesday, he'll do it his way someday.

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