European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 26.the stars and stripes Friday March 1, 1991 College basketball Knock Tark off his altar by Mike littwin the Baltimore Sun its a heartwarming Story of a group of Young men some from troubled backgrounds who have blossomed simultaneously in the american desert to make the University of Nevada Las vegas the Best darn College basketball team in a decade. Or More. As the coach we have Tark the shark who has exchanged his Black hat for a White one and who thinks he s father. Flanagan. His Basic philosophy is this there is no such thing As a bad boy not if he can reverse Jam anyway. Of the six players who rotate in the starting lineup four were either transfers or Junior College students and one of them was Hoth. Larry Johnson the am american Heck he s All world says he used to run the streets As a kid. And one youngster who went to one College and then to a pc and then to vegas spent 36 Days hospitalized As a manic depressive. George Ackles lived with three different families while in High school before joining the pc ranks. Then there s the Star student Greg Anthony who is vice president of the Young republicans of Nevada and who gave up his scholarship because he runs his own business. He is offered up As evidence that vegas no matter what you read is the kind of place where Young men can Prosper. And what a team it is too unbeaten. Unchallenged really. Coming Back from a National title a who s going to forget the spanking that the slamming jamming running rebels gave Duke in the championship game a vegas plays suffocating defense and whirlwind offence and can fail to repeat Only if the Portland Trail blazers regain their eligibility in Masse. A a Vvs vegas is probably the Best College outfit since the great Knight teams of the line �?T70s or maybe since the. Wooden Urcla that s just the Start. V. A in a recent new York times Story on the vegas team it was written that the Quot players odysseys to univ speak to the commentary spirit of the american you see the image of Las vegas As outlaw school has All changed. Sure Tark wants to Wim basketball games but basically he a there to help. Sure the graduation rates Are Low but hey they re Low everywhere and you done to think kids Benefit just from being on Campus a a. There a nothing wrong with College sports and Here a vegas at Long last to prove the Point. Are you buying this. you buying any of this its a heartwarming Story All right the one that Tarkanian has been trying to promulgate for years but there Are holes in it holes Large enough through which to push a burned out iraqi tank. What would be a truly heartwarming it tory is if the University of Nevada Las vegas sent its scouts across America to find troubled but promising youngsters who came to the american desert to learn How to be mathematicians. What would be a truly heartwarming Story is if the University of Nevada Las vegas sent its scouts across America to find troubled but promising youngster who stood 5-feet-9 and came to the american desert to be anything except basketball players. It is every University a duty to find pc pie who go to College under Ordinary circumstances and reach out to them. It is not every University a duty to build championship basketball teams on that you think Tark is interested in helping troubled but promising youngsters or do you think he s interested in helping Tark we have a coach who is willing to bring to school players who. Bombed out some a where else or who we re not eligible to get into College in the first place. He brings them there for two years in the Short term version of the american dream. Its the Small jumbo cd 90-Day rollover version of the american dream. And if the troubled but promising youngster turns out to be a bad kid hey now Yolk times coach Jerry Tarkanian a univ basketball players win but not in the classroom. He a in Las Vegis already so there Are opportunities awaiting him. There Are also interesting opportunities for the athlete who stays in school. At a recent symposium athletics at Fordham University the Story was told of a univ basketball trip to the South Pacific in 1987. Accompanying the team on the nine game 19-Day trip was a professor who conducted a course called contemporary i issues in social we i fare. The players called it Palm Trees. 101. And Here s the kicker they got six credits for their work on the trip. Six credits. W h Ich be ats freq Efu Filer mile age a nyx Day and they still done to graduate. The Rev. Timothy Healy formerly president of Georgetown was on the panel that Day. He had this to say according to a report in new Day Quot done to blame Tark the shark. Behind that Palm Trees course is a department a faculty a Dean a president. That s a Public University and there a a governor arid a legislature. That a a mess that can be cleaned up As easily As swabbing the deck Quot somehow this Story does no to seem to warm the heart. It does quicken the pulse though. College game As we be come to know it. Quot by Mike Embry a sportswriter Lexington by. Rick Pitin Omay receive ribbing from his buddy Ralph Willard when the season ends. Willard coach at Western Kentucky and Pitino who coaches Kentucky have Heen friends for 22 Yeai a. They talk three or four times a week and play Golf and Lennis together As often As possible. Quot i whip him at Golf and beat him in .Tennis,.&Quot Pitino said smiling. Told of Pitino a claims Willard laughed. Quot what did he say we have wars in Golf and Tennis. He a beaten me once in Tennis. Once in 999 times. In Golf i beat him every time we go on the course. There s no argument about their Success As coaches. Willard has w worked won Dors at Western Kentucky in his first season similar to Pitino a first Kentucky team a year ago. Pitino a 1989-90 team was 14-14 and fourth in the 10-8, Willard s Gilill toppers Are 14-13 8-6 in the Sun Belt new Kentucky Home Rick Pitino Ralph Willard this season. Quot the parallels Are amazing Quot Willard said. Quot during Ricks first year Kentucky had the worst loss in the school s history 150-95 to Kansas and we did too in losing to Georgia 124-65 a a Pitino a first team had eight scholarship players while Willard has Only seven on his roster. Pitino s tallest starter was 6-foot-7, Willard a 6-6. The Hill toppers lost 10 of their first 14 games and their pre season schedule was ranked the fifth most difficult in the nation. They were picked to finish last in the Sun Belt Quot i think he should be conference coach of the year Quot Pitino said. Quot i think what he s done has been phenomenal. I knew head be very successful As a coach but with the schedule and some of the injuries they be had its an amazing feat what he s done this a his High school coaching Job in 1985 to Start a "1 w As Happy with what i was doing in High school said Willard coach and athletic director for 13 years at St. Dominic in Oyster Bay . A it was a Small Catholic school with a lot of tradition and spirit about it. I also was involved in fund raising Tor a gym and got caught up in that a after leaving St. Dominic in 1985 Willard spent one season each As an assistant n a and Syracuse. He became one of Ntinos assistants with the new York kicks in 1987, and after two seasons followed Pitino to Kentucky. A. A a i Riave no problem being Rick Pitino a Guy said Willard who played at holy Cross a the 1960s. Quot i d say he s the Best. College coach in the country in All areas of the game. He s the most innovative. He adapts and brings new concepts to the game a quota a a it. The Hill toppers play a version of Quot pit Ino Ball Quot front the three Point line where they set a Sun Belt Mark this season with 620 attempts. They be made 228 for 36.5. Percent. Although Willard does no to have the court Side flair of Pitino off the court they both have a sense of humor and enjoy Quot busting shoes a a phrase they use for having a Good time. _. Willard who grew up in Brooklyn no plans to stay awhile in the relatively Stow Pace of Bowling Green by. The people have been great unbelievably supportive and Friendly a he said. A tip perfectly Happy. Everything Here is pos Quot Tive. And i did no to come Here to half Complete the Job a besides that he has to get even with his buddy on the court next season. Kentucky beat Western Kentucky 84-70 in decent
