Tarkanian takes one step closer to basketball hall

Jerry Tarkanian took a major step toward landing a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by becoming a finalist for the induction class of 2013.

Tarkanian, 82, who coached 19 years at UNLV and guided the Rebels to four Final Fours and the 1990 national championship, received enough votes from the nine-member Board of Trustees to advance to the final stage of voting. To advance, a candidate needed a minimum of seven votes.

He and the 11 other finalists will need 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee to be inducted. The 2013 class will be announced April 8 at the Final Four in Atlanta. The Hall of Fame induction weekend is Sept. 6 to 8 in Springfield, Mass.

“It’s real nice,” Tarkanian said Friday upon learning the news. “I wasn’t expecting it, so I feel good that it happened. But there’s one more vote to go.”

Tarkanian’s wife, Lois, said the good news was a great way to start the weekend.

“We’re overjoyed,” she said. “The kids know this would make their father happy. But the next hurdle will be the tough one.”

UNLV coach Dave Rice said he was thrilled for his former coach.

“It’s certainly well-deserved,” Rice said. “You think of the success the program had enjoyed during his time at UNLV, and the way he helped change the game, and he definitely belongs.

“For us, it’s a big deal, and it raises the national exposure of the program. It helps us in recruiting, and it’s one of the things we use to help sell the program.”

Tarkanian was on the ballot in 1992 and 1996, and he was a finalist in 2001. There has been a recent groundswell of support for his candidacy from many in the game, from Hall of Fame members to writers, broadcasters and fans who have used social media such as Twitter and Facebook to stump for his inclusion in Springfield.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their support,” said Tarkanian, who has 990 career wins at the junior college and Division I levels. “I’m very grateful.”

Joining Tarkanian as finalists are Las Vegas residents and former Seattle SuperSonics stars Spencer Haywood and Gary Payton, Louisville coach Rick Pitino, former Houston coach Guy V. Lewis, former Boston Celtics coach Tom Heinsohn, and former NBA stars Bernard King, Maurice Cheeks, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond. Three-time U.S. gold medalist Dawn Staley and North Carolina women’s coach Sylvia Hatchell are also on the final ballot.

Haywood, who won a gold medal with the U.S. team at the 1968 Olympics and an NBA title in 1980 with the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 14,592 points and grabbed 7,038 rebounds in 12 NBA seasons. He also was influential in changing the league’s eligibility rules, as he went to court in an attempt to join the NBA as an underclassman.

“It felt pretty good,” Haywood said Friday from Houston, where he is attending NBA All-Star Weekend. “I’ve always wanted it, but it wasn’t going to be on my time; instead, it’s on God’s time.”

Haywood said he thinks his 1971 court battle with the NBA, much like Tarkanian’s numerous battles with the NCAA, was the reason he isn’t in the hall yet.

“My case was pretty dramatic,” he said. “It was ‘Haywood vs. the NBA.’ It took people a lot of time to get over it. But all these young players today who’ve heard the name ‘Spencer Haywood’ will be able to put a face with the name.”

Payton, who has an NBA championship ring from his 2006 season with the Miami Heat and was an Olympic gold medalist in 1996 and 2000, was a nine-time NBA all-defensive first-team selection, which earned him the nickname “The Glove.” Payton, also in Houston for the All-Star Game, said he is thrilled to be a finalist his first time on the ballot.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “As a kid growing up in Oakland, Calif., I never dreamed of this. As a player, there can be no higher honor.

“But it would be really great to go in with Spencer and all the great coaches and players.”

Haywood said if he, Payton and Tarkanian could get inducted this year, it would be a great day for Las Vegas.

“I’m hoping I’ll have more to celebrate come April 8, and I hope Coach and Gary will be there, too,” Haywood said. “Imagine having three guys from Vegas go into the Hall of Fame together? That would be tremendous.”

The hall also announced Friday inductees for its class of 2013 from other categories. Selected for direct election were Richie Guerin (Veterans), Roger Brown (American Basketball Association), Oscar Schmidt (International), E.B. Henderson (African-American Pioneer) and Russ Granik (Contributor).

The hall’s Curt Gowdy Media Awards also were announced, as John Feinstein (print) and Eddie Doucette (broadcast) were honored. Former college coach George Raveling was honored with the hall’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@review
journal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.