Former UNLV teammate on Kevin Kruger: ‘He’s Lon, Part 2’

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, March 22, 2021 | 2 a.m.

When it comes to the subject of new UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger, there may not be anyone (aside from his father, of course) who has seen him from as many different angles as Curtis Terry.

Terry was a teammate of Kruger’s on the 2006-07 UNLV team that won the Mountain West and advanced to the Sweet 16, and for the last two seasons he has served as the program’s radio analyst, giving him unique access to the team at practice, on the road and behind the scenes.

Terry has had an up-close vantage point for Kruger’s development from player to assistant to, now, for the first time, head coach.

And he believes UNLV has made a good choice.

“I was ecstatic about the hire,” Terry said. “I think Kevin is the right guy and has the right makeup not just to lead UNLV basketball but to lead a basketball program. Obviously he’s a coach’s son and he’s played at the highest level, and in terms of what he’s done in his coaching career he fully immerses himself in everything he does.”

Terry’s experience with Kruger actually stretches back prior to their time at UNLV, as Kevin’s father, Lon Kruger, coached Terry’s older brother, Jason Terry, when both were with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks from 2000 to 2003.

They became friends and at that time and grew even closer as they teamed up to lead UNLV to a 30-7 record during the younger Kruger’s lone season in Las Vegas. Kruger averaged 13.5 points and a team-high 5.1 assists while Terry scored 4.5 points.

Even back then, Terry had an inkling that Kruger would eventually go from being a coach’s son to being a coach himself.

“Kevin has always been a leader,” Terry said. “Kevin always had that innate ability to rally people and get them moving in the same direction toward a common goal, and that’s what he did in his one season at UNLV here with us the year we went to the Sweet 16.”

After the 2007 run ended in the Sweet 16, Kruger went on to a professional career overseas and eventually got his coaching career started in 2013-14 as a grad assistant at Oklahoma, working under his father.

Kruger moved on to an assistant job at Northern Arizona from 2014-16, then returned to Oklahoma as an assistant from 2016-19. T.J. Otzelberger hired him to be part of his staff at UNLV in 2019, and after his two-year apprenticeship UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois decided to put him in charge.

Terry said Kruger distinguished himself in his two seasons under Otzelberger.

“In a way he reminded me of coach [Lon] Kruger,” Terry said. “He’s so goal-oriented in what he has to do. I think that’s the biggest thing that stood out to me was his preparation for every task that he was tasked with when he was working under T.J. He was always prepared.”

Terry hesitated before making the initial comparison to the elder Kruger, but then doubled down.

“Honestly, I think he’s going to be Lon Kruger part two,” Terry said. “He’s going to be his version as Kevin, but there have been times last year and this year, we’d be at practice or on the road at shootaround and Kevin would say something or he’d be standing and his mannerisms would remind me of coach Kruger. It was kind of eerie. I think he’s very meticulous in his preparation, like Lon is. He’s never going to be caught off guard. Always on his toes and ready to adapt and adjust. Kevin can be very fiery and passionate, and I know there’s going to be nothing Kevin is more passionate about than getting UNLV basketball back to where it’s supposed to be.”

UNLV fans can only hope Terry's latest prediction about Kruger proves to be just as prescient.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.