Kevin Kruger brings a lifetime in basketball, a way with players, a fierce competitive instinct and a love of Las Vegas to UNLV and his first head coaching job.
Basketball
Lon Kruger, whose son Kevin was named UNLV’s coach earlier this week, plans to spend his retirement in Las Vegas.
Kevin Kruger was among the first to enter the transfer portal when he transferred from Arizona State to UNLV in 2006, so he’s familiar with what has become a major pipeline for talent.
T.J. Otzelberger made more than $400,000 more than Kruger is set to make during his first year on the job.
Lon Kruger spoke at length with the Review-Journal about his relationship with his son, Kevin Kruger, and the excitement surrounding his son’s new job at UNLV.
The hire by UNLV’s Desiree Reed-Francois is a gamble. When you hand the keys of a program to a coach who has never sat in the lead chair, unknowns outweigh certainties.
Kevin Kruger, a former UNLV player and an assistant coach the past two seasons, was introduced as the Rebels’ head coach Monday. He signed a five-year, $3.85 million contract.
Kevin Kruger, who led the Rebels to an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 while playing for his father, was named the program’s new head coach on Sunday.
Kevin Kruger was the Rebels’ point guard for Lon Kruger in 2006-07. He spent the past two seasons as a UNLV assistant.
Kevin Kruger played at UNLV under his father, Lon, and spent two years on T.J. Otzelberger’s staff. He was previously an assistant at Oklahoma and Northern Arizona.
The Rebels are in search of another basketball coach and, like so many times before, Pitino is the most popular wish among scarlet and gray fans.
Jason Kidd has emerged as a candidate of interest for UNLV as it looks to fill its basketball coaching vacancy. He currently is an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rebels basketball boosters are not happy with the state of the once proud program, which is coming off a 12-15 season and has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2013.
With the departure of T.J. Otzelberger, UNLV is looking for its sixth head coach in 10 years.
The top five UNLV teams and top five local players who made a big impact on the NCAA Tournament.