Patience might be in short supply for UNLV’s Marvin Menzies

Air Force basketball coach Dave Pilipovich sat at a table at Mountain West media day Wednesday wearing a blue golf shirt with the Falcons’ logo while sitting under that school’s banner.

It was the day for Pilipovich to talk about his program and what he expects, but he didn’t hesitate when asked what he thought about conference rival UNLV.

“It’s going to take some time,” Pilipovich said during the event at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel. “They’ve got to be patient. The fans here have to be patient.”

Patience and UNLV basketball don’t get used in the same sentence often, but one advantage for Marvin Menzies is he doesn’t enter his first season as the Rebels’ coach facing high outside expectations.

Most fans understand the disaster that was the coaching search that delayed the start Menzies could make in recruiting, and he takes over a team with only three players back from last season. It’s why UNLV, which has gone 18-15 each of the past two seasons, was picked by the media to finish eighth in the Mountain West.

But the reality is he will be expected to win and win big at some point in the not-too-distant future. This is UNLV, after all, and anything short of competing for Mountain West titles and playing in the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis will not be tolerated by the fan base.

And, for Menzies, that’s OK. He can live with the expectations as long as they don’t follow him home.

“Everybody talks about (expectations) like I live with these people that are having these opinions,” Menzies said. “I’m good, man. If I had to go to the house with them and eat with them, now that could be a challenge like, ‘Seriously, yeah, I know about the point guard situation.’ But it’s not that serious. It’s a part of the business. You embrace that part.

“I love that we have the media coverage that we have. That’s a good thing. It’s all mentality. What is your perception of the chatter? Would I rather have crickets, or would I have some guys with passion saying, ‘Man, they should’ve beat them by 20,’ and we won by 16. Keep it coming. I love that. I embrace the opportunity to try to silence the naysayers. I embrace the opportunity to engage the loyal Rebel fans.”

San Diego State’s Steve Fisher, the dean of Mountain West coaches, gave Menzies his first big break by hiring him as an Aztecs assistant in 1999.

Fisher also knows the UNLV program and what Menzies faces in trying to rebuild the program.

“He’s walking in with eyes wide open,” Fisher said. “He knows the landscape. He knows the history. He knows the success. I think he knows the pitfalls. What Marvin will do is he will wear well in the community, on campus with people.

“He’s a people person, got people skills, and that bodes well for him, for Vegas, for the program. He’ll do a great job.”

Menzies is confident he’ll get the job done, but one of the key questions comes back to time and patience.

He’s still learning his current group of players and trying to figure out what they have as they prepare for their Nov. 11 season opener against South Alabama at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“I know how good they’re going to be,” Menzies said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get there.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow on Twitter: @markanderson65