Tarkanian tribute to resonate with current Rebels

On the rare occasions when Jerry Tarkanian was able to attend UNLV basketball practices in recent years, he received celebrity treatment. He was revered by players who never played for him.

He coached the Rebels to the NCAA championship in 1990, before any of the team’s current players were born. But they will get a chance to play for Tarkanian tonight.

“We’re definitely thinking about it,” freshman guard Jordan Cornish said. “He left a legacy here that’s bigger than us. It definitely will be an emotional night.”

Tarkanian, who died Feb. 11 at age 84, will be honored before and after UNLV (14-11, 5-7 Mountain West) faces Boise State (18-7, 8-4) at 8 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center, the house Tarkanian built and where the court is named for him.

A special pregame tribute in memory of the legendary coach is planned for approximately 7:45 p.m., and all fans will receive a commemorative towel in honor of Tarkanian. The Rebels will wear black uniforms, and fans are being encouraged to wear black.

Hotels on the Strip and around Las Vegas plan to dim the lights for three minutes beginning at 10:30 p.m.

UNLV coach Dave Rice, who played for Tarkanian on the national championship team, said his players have a good grasp of the significance of the moment.

“I know that our guys all have tremendous respect for what Coach Tark meant to this program and the tradition that he built,” Rice said. “All of them had an opportunity to meet him at one time or another, and they would all run to greet him when he would come to practice, so it’s special.

“There are a lot of times the younger generation is a little bit disconnected, but certainly in this particular case, they were well aware of his impact on our program and what he meant to UNLV.”

Rice and assistant coach Stacey Augmon, a star for the Rebels from 1987 to 1991, each said it has been an emotional week after Tarkanian’s death.

“It has been difficult,” Rice said. “Coach Tark is the reason I was at UNLV as a scholarship player, and he’s the reason I got my start in college coaching. He has been a mentor for me, he was my coach, and certainly Coach Augmon feels exactly the same way.”

Cornish, who called himself the “vocal leader” of the team, said the Rebels hope to ride a wave of emotion from an energetic crowd to earn a win they need.

UNLV is 4-2 in its past six games, with one-point losses at Air Force and at Colorado State. In a 76-75 loss to the Falcons on Saturday, the Rebels played without leading scorer Rashad Vaughn, who will miss the rest of the regular season.

Vaughn, averaging 17.8 points per game, suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee Feb. 10. The freshman guard is set to undergo surgery today and is questionable to return for the Mountain West tournament in March.

“We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves,” Rice said. “There are games to play and still an opportunity to finish strong.”

Another injury was revealed after the Air Force game. Dantley Walker, a reserve freshman guard, suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee and will miss three to four weeks. Walker was the last man in Rice’s rotation, which is reduced to seven scholarship players and two walk-ons.

UNLV has dropped seven conference games by a total of 26 points, including a nine-point overtime loss at Boise State on Jan. 13. That was the start of an eight-game win streak for the Broncos, who opened 0-3 in conference play.

Boise State’s streak was stopped in a 70-64 loss at Fresno State on Saturday, when senior guard Derrick Marks scored 31 points. Marks, the leading candidate for league Player of the Year, finished with 28 points in the victory over UNLV last month.

The Rebels’ plan is to contain Marks with a variety of defenders and follow the leadership of sophomore forward Chris Wood and freshman guard Patrick McCaw on the offensive end.

“It has to start with Marks. He is playing at such a high level right now,” Rice said. “He has made so many impressive plays down the stretch. When you need a basket, he gets you a basket.”

Rice bristled at the notion the Rebels can try to spoil Boise State’s push for the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t ever think about UNLV as being a spoiler,” he said. “I don’t look at us that way.”

UNLV is a program with a winning tradition built by Tarkanian.

“The basketball world was able to celebrate the life of a very good coach and a very good person,” Rice said. “It will be an emotional night.”

■ NOTE — UNLV announced a memorial service to celebrate the life and career of Tarkanian will be March 1 at the Thomas & Mack. The event, free and open to the public, will begin at 2 p.m. and last approximately 90 minutes.

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