Todd Simon brings fiery demeanor to UNLV sidelines in replacing Dave Rice

Sleep is optional, not necessarily a requirement for Todd Simon this week. After receiving a work promotion Sunday night, he went home to his wife and three sons.

"I had a chance to hold the baby for a couple hours until 3 or 4 in the morning and recharge," he said.

His phone was jammed with about 600 text messages, he said, and he answered as many as possible before returning to work, where he's the UNLV basketball interim coach for the remainder of the season. It's a great career opportunity, but it also comes from great disappointment.

Simon was picked to replace the man who hired him. The Rebels have lost five of their past six games, and with the team headed in the wrong direction, Dave Rice was fired in the middle of his fifth season.

"It's heartbreaking," Simon said. "As an assistant, you get hired to do a job. Going through something like this, we didn't win enough. Dave is a dear friend, and that part of it is difficult."

Simon makes his college head coaching debut when UNLV (9-7, 0-3 Mountain West) faces New Mexico (10-6, 3-0) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center. Ironically, in a bit of bad timing, Rice's photo is on the game tickets.

But it will be Simon stalking the sideline, and it's a good bet he will be more demonstrative than Rice. The timing for that seems right, because a motivational jolt is what the Rebels need as they sit winless in the conference basement.

"Inherently, I'm probably a little bit more fiery, a little bit more emotional," Simon said. "Dave is a little more poised."

Junior forward Ben Carter, who played for Rice's brother, Grant, at Bishop Gorman High School, said he was "very sad about the news" of the coaching change and determined to turn around the season.

"We're all-in for this season," senior guard Ike Nwamu said, dismissing the idea that the players have abandoned their goals.

Simon directed high-energy practices Sunday night and Monday afternoon at the Mendenhall Center. He was surrounded by Stacey Augmon and Ryan Miller, assistant coaches who were bypassed when UNLV athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy promoted Simon. Max Good, a special assistant to Rice and the Rebels' interim coach during the 2000-01 season, took Monday off but plans to stay on the staff.

When asked about staff chemistry and potential divisions, Simon said, "They are all professionals. These guys have been in the business and they have been through stuff."

Simon, 35, earned his bachelor's degree from Central Michigan in 2003 and his master's from UNLV in 2010. He was a graduate assistant to former Rebels coach Lon Kruger from 2004 to 2006 before moving to Findlay Prep. In his one season as the Pilots' head coach in 2012-13, he led the team to a 35-1 record.

This was Simon's third season on Rice's staff, so he's partly responsible for the mess. But he believes it can be cleaned up, and he has a message for anyone who thinks the season is a lost cause.

"I wholeheartedly disagree," Simon said. "Fans who believe this is a lost season obviously have not been in our meetings, have not been at our practices and don't know the character of these kids.

"We all have our own spin on things, but we're not far off, either. This isn't a situation where we need to tear it down and try to rebuild something in 24 hours. This is a quality basketball team that has a couple systemic issues that we've got to correct, namely turnovers and (missed) free throws."

Simon will change a few things. He probably will alter the starting lineup and substitution patterns. He plans to commit to the full-court pressure defensive attack that Rice had strayed from in the past month.

"I just believe we're a better transition offensive team than the other team," he said. "We may be giving up layups and we may give up a couple open 3s, but what you're strategically doing is saying in the midst and tempo of the game, we're going to get more."

A lot of his work will be psychological. With one win in the past month, the Rebels are not bursting with confidence and playing with a swagger.

"That's been the whole message: You gotta believe," Simon said. "And they believe. We are the same team that's been successful. We are the same team that led Indiana and Oregon wire to wire.

"I really hope for these guys. Some of their struggles come from they want to win so bad, and I really hope the community understands that this group is trying. This is a good group of guys. It's not because of character flaws or selfishness. I hope people understand that and get behind this team."

Simon said he wants a team that refuses to get rattled or back down, a team mentally strong enough to not blow double-digit leads and collapse under pressure.

He's got a more demanding job now, which means less time at home with his wife, Kati, and kids. Their third son was born Dec. 3.

"She's phenomenal. She gets it," Simon said. "It's been such a whirlwind."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247