Former Rebels great Larry Johnson, who led UNLV to the 1990 NCAA title, waves to the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center on Friday night at FirstLook 2009. Johnson addressed the current team in the locker room before the event, and said he wants to be more visible around his old stomping grounds.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019 | 4:17 p.m.
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Exactly 29 years after the UNLV basketball team defeated Duke to win the 1990 NCAA championship, a member of that legendary Runnin’ Rebels team got another reason to celebrate.
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 2019 class on Tuesday, and Larry Johnson was among the nine players and coaches selected for induction.
Johnson was the leading scorer and rebounder on the 1989-90 UNLV team that went 30-5 and won the national championship. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 20.6 points and 11.4 rebounds that season and finished the campaign with a 22-point, 11-rebound, 4-steal performance in the Rebels’ 103-73 thrashing of Duke in the title game.
He was just as dominant the following season, posting 22.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game as a senior while leading the Rebels to the Final Four. Johnson was then chosen No. 1 overall in the NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the first UNLV player to be selected with the top pick.
Johnson was named Big West Player of the Year for both of his seasons at UNLV. He was also a two-time All-American selection; in 1991, he was named the National Player of the Year.
Johnson will become the first UNLV player enshrined in the college Hall of Fame when he is inducted on Nov. 24 at a ceremony in Kansas City. Though Jerry Tarkanian was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2013, he has not yet been tabbed for the college HOF.
Other former players being inducted alongside Johnson include Calbert Cheaney (Indiana), Shane Battier (Duke), Terry Dischinger (Purdue), Ernie DiGregorio (Providence) and Todd Lichti (Stanford). Coaches Lute Olson and Homer Drew will also be inducted, as will the late Rick Majerus.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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