The Heart of Las Vegas

***Update Below*** Many people have wondered what makes Las Vegas tick. Is it the gambling? The girls? The shows? Well, the easy answer is yes, it's all of that, and more. And that more is best understood as UNLV. Not the university mind you, but the basketball team. Yep... the UNLV Runnin' Rebels are really the heart and soul of Las Vegas. When all is right in the universe, the Rebs are runnin' and gunnin' and playing a swarming defense that can completely disorientate an opponent in a few short minutes. I was fortunate to get a ticket to the game last week against Louisiana Monroe. Now I know this is not what one might call a quality team, but what I saw that night impressed me. Like most teams today, the kids, or young men, are always looking for a way to get on the ESPN highlight reels and this game was no exception. Mike Moser had a couple of reverse dunks that brought the house down in the second half. But those dunks were the product of a lock down man to man defense not seen in Las Vegas since the glory days of Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony, and current coach Stacy Augmon in the late 80's and early 90's. I watched as time after time the current group of Runnin' Rebels controlled the tempo of the game, stole the ball, and kept Louisiana Monroe from even getting a shot off before the shot clock ran out. Yes, as evidenced by a 50 point blowout of Central Arkansas last night, and the recent trashings of Cal, Illinois, and North Carolina, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels are back. And that is good news for Las Vegas. The heart is beating again. Here's a nice video of Karam Mashour's dunk from the game against Bakersfield Thursday Night... Enjoy!

Pure Joy

Bracketology, smacketology! The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are headed to the Sweet 16. Upset Kings. Bracket Busters. For those of you who don't know what this means, let me explain it to you. In the 1999 - 2000 season, UNLV had the best college basketball team on the planet. They beat Duke in the Championship game by 30 points. A record that still stands. And yes, you read that right. They crushed Duke 103 - 73. The next season they went to the Final Four undefeated but were upset in a close rematch with Duke. And that was it. Over the next 16 years, there was an occaisional appearance, but never the Sweet 16. Until now. I am not sure they can beat Oregon, but hey, who thought they could beat Wisconsin? Certainly not Timmer, who had them losing in the first round to Georgia Tech. Look at the faces of these kids. Pure joy. I love sports. There are not many things in life that can bring that kind of joy. Welcome back UNLV! Finally, for all of you bracket people, here are my Final Four picks. Florida, Kansas, Georgetown, and Texas A & M.

Tournament Time

They’re back. That’s right. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, the former basketball powerhouse of the Southwest are back in the dance. The NCAA Championship. March Madness. The thing every college basketball junkie lives for. We all owe Coach John Wooden, UCLA, and a skinny kid named Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, for our annual party, and through the 70’s and 80’s one of the most exciting teams to watch was the Jerry Tarkanian coached Runnin’ Rebels. I moved to Las Vegas in 1979 and, being a sports nut from Los Angeles, started looking for a professional team to follow. The Rebels were all we had in those days. Michael Johnson and Spiderman Burns. Not great, but good. And they played in the Las Vegas Convention Center. But Tark worked hard to bring high quality players to an up and coming program. Vegas and Tark were the perfect couple. He brought in winners and the city showered him with love. During my days there I was able to see many of the Rebel greats play in person. Ed Catchings, Danny Tarkanian, Elridge Hudson, Armon Gilliam, and Fearless Freddie Banks(pictured here). These were the guys who came before what was one of the great college basketball teams in history, the 1989-1990 powerhouse that had Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt, and of course Larry Johnson. I was also fortunate to see some great non rebel players. Guys like Patrick Ewing of Georgetown and Len Bias of Maryland. But the real stars were always the Rebs. It has been a number of years since UNLV has had much to get excited about. Since Tark left, the school has been left wondering if they were ever going to see a return to prominence. Well that day has finally come! I watched the WAC Championship Game the other day. It was held at the Thomas and Mack Arena in Las Vegas, the home court of UNLV. It was packed, the Rebs were runnin’, the defense was outstanding, and they defeated longtime rival BYU. This week they will play Georgia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. No matter how it turns out, it is good to see the Rebels back in the mix. The style of ball they play, runnin’ and gunnin’, is great for recruiting, exciting to watch, and for the first time in a long while, their future looks bright. Now if the NCAA will just leave them alone. (kudos to sports illustrated, the rj, and google for the photos)