Why those who know him say Kevin Kruger will succeed at UNLV
It was the summer of 2013, and former UNLV point guard Kevin Kruger was ready to conclude his professional basketball career. It had spanned seven years and seven countries, and, quite frankly, it was time to come home.
To Las Vegas.
Time, he figured, to explore a career in coaching. A career he knew deep down he’d always have, given the obvious family pedigree. Even before that journey began, he confided as much to longtime family friend and mentor D.J. Allen over lunch at Winchell’s Pub and Grill on East Warm Springs Road.
“Being head coach of UNLV is my dream job,” Kruger told Allen, a performance coach, motivational speaker, author and Rebels fan. “It’s not words. This was before he was in the coaching ranks,” Allen recalled. “This is something that he’s been thinking about.”
Something he’s been working toward. Something he’s been envisioning. Something, as of Sunday, that’s no longer a dream.
At 37, Kruger is beginning the challenge of a lifetime at a place he so dearly adores. It’s his turn to run the team for which he once starred and resuscitate the once proud program from the doldrums of national irrelevance.
Make no mistake, those who know him say he’s more than ready. He’s been preparing for this his entire life.
Sure, they admit, he hasn’t yet been a head coach, but he has nearly 38 years of experience as the legendary Lon Kruger’s son and that has to count for something. Plus there’s professional playing experience and an additional seven years as an assistant coach.
Along with the drive and desire to lead UNLV now and in the future. He was born to a coach, and perhaps born to coach.
“He’s played at the highest level and has this demeanor that he demands respect out of his players,” said Torry Johnson, who played under Kruger when he was an assistant at Northern Arizona. “It’s just a matter of time. But he’s very qualified to be the head coach of UNLV, 100 percent.
“They’re getting the player that was at UNLV, that dog, that competitor, but now he’s just coaching. He doesn’t have the shoes on anymore. Now they’re dress shoes. That’s the only difference.”
A player first
Before there was any dream job, there was simply a dream. And a ball and a gym.
Actually, lots of gyms — including the Thomas & Mack Center.
When Kruger was born, his father was already an established head coach at Texas-Pan American. Then at Kansas State. Then Florida, where Kruger most vividly remembers his immersion in the game.
He was allowed to attend his father’s practices, so long as he wasn’t shooting or dribbling while his dad was teaching. But the experiences were formative, helping to foster in Kruger a lifelong love of basketball to go with a cerebral, pragmatic approach.
“Wherever we were in terms of coaching, he was around the gym all the time and with the players all the time,” said the elder Kruger, who retired Thursday with 674 wins and two Final Four appearances. “He’s always thought the game. He’s always understood the game — regardless of what level he was playing at.”
The younger Kruger says he was a “late bloomer,” but that didn’t stop him from garnering Division I interest from Power Five programs across the country. He concluded his prep career in the Atlanta area while his father coached the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
He favored Arizona State over Georgia and Creighton and went on to become one of the most productive players in the Pac-10.
Lon had been hired to coach the Rebels while Kevin was at Arizona State, and Kevin would spend part of his summers in Las Vegas, playing pickup basketball at UNLV. It just so happened that the NCAA instituted a rule in 2006 that allowed graduated players to transfer and play immediately.
And, well, the Rebels needed a point guard and Kruger fit the bill. 
“It was really like the perfect fit for us,” said former UNLV big man Joel Anthony, who played 10 season in the NBA and won two championships with the Miami Heat. He said Kruger didn’t carry himself any differently than anyone else on the team. “He continued to work just as hard, if not more, than anyone that was there.”
With one Kruger on the sideline and the other at the point during the 2006-07 season, the Rebels reached the Sweet 16. Lon said that season was probably his “best year in coaching,” and Kevin said he learned just how much Las Vegas loves basketball.
He averaged 13.1 points and 5.1 assists and led the school’s most successful season in recent memory.
“That little spark of winning and that little run we made … brought people back overnight,” Kruger said. “This is a place that wants us to win. … It’s special.”
Kruger went on to play professionally in the G League, Bulgaria, Italy, China, Mexico, Belgium and Germany. He retired in 2013, prompting his transition into coaching.
“I think the running joke was always not ‘If Kevin is going to coach, it’s ‘When is Kevin going to coach?’” said former UNLV teammate and longtime friend Curtis Terry. “He wanted to play and pursue his playing career as long as possible. You could always tell that Kevin was going to come back (to coaching.)”
A coach at heart
Don’t get it twisted. Kruger can still play.
He reminded players like Johnson of that every so often while they were together at Northern Arizona from 2014 to 2016.
“I’m surprised he ain’t still playing, because that man is like JJ Redick shooting,” said Johnson, a former Northern Arizona guard who went on to transfer to Wake Forest. “He’s going to talk his trash. He would be like ‘Oops, that touched the net. I’m not even trying to touch the net.’ He would back it up.”
Kruger arrived at Northern Arizona by way of Oklahoma, where he worked one year as a graduate assistant under his father. It was with the Lumberjacks that he began to find his voice as a coach, establishing himself with a confident, caring and competitive personality.
He also had a way of remaining calm in adverse situations, prompting former Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy to call him “even keeled.” 
“Kevin was that, and you could feel it early on,” said Murphy, a Las Vegas native and assistant coach at Arizona. “I could certainly see Kevin as a future head coach. … He has a way with players.”
Kruger worked overtime to help develop Northern Arizona’s players. Johnson said that his tutelage ultimately helped him improve enough to play in the ACC. Kruger left Northern Arizona in 2016 to become a full-time assistant under his father at Oklahoma and continued to learn the tricks of the trade while helping the Sooners reach two NCAA Tournaments.
Lon was grateful to have Kevin on his staff, explaining that they “went about business as we’ve always done.” Kevin said he absorbed as much information as possible during his three years with the program and seemed particularly impressed by his dad’s attention to detail.
He certainly enjoyed his time in Norman, Oklahoma, but couldn’t resist the allure of Las Vegas when his predecessor at UNLV, T.J. Otzelberger, offered him a spot on his staff.
“To be here and to be on the staff here is something I’ve always wanted,” Kruger said. “When that opportunity presented itself, it felt like the right thing to do.”
Coming home
Kruger has lived in plenty of places. Such is life as a coach’s son turned professional basketball player turned college basketball coach.
But there’s something about Las Vegas that appeals to Kruger, his wife Alli and daughter Cameron. Something intangible that’s hard to quantify.
“This is where he spent the majority of his early adulthood, growing up and maturing,” Terry said. “That’s why Kevin is so ingrained in this community. … Kevin really connected with UNLV.”
Kruger spent the last two years on Otzelberger’s staff, knowing that he wanted to someday be the head coach. That day just so happened be last Sunday.
A little earlier than he’d anticipated. 
Allen believes Kruger’s wealth of basketball experiences makes him the perfect fit, even if he lacks experience as a head coach. He’s played professionally, coached and competed against NBA-caliber players.
“He never took it for granted,” said Allen, who co-authored a book with Lon. “He knows the game of basketball, but he knows the business of basketball from all angles. If you took the last name away, he’s qualified. I think that’s what people need to understand.”
Kruger seems to know he’s in for a challenge, given that the program hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2013 — his last year playing professionally. He said during his introductory press conference that he’d consider opening practices to fans and observers.
His dad did the same thing to include the community.
Kruger also understands the nuances of a modern game that favors 3-point shooting and versatility. He says he wants to employ an uptempo, efficient style of play. He’s in the midst of retooling a roster that posted a 12-15 record in 2020-21.
His work at UNLV is just beginning.
But that’s fine with him, because if he has it his way, it won’t be ending anytime soon.
“Whether I’m 37, 47 or 57, I want to be in Vegas and I want to be the head coach at UNLV,” Kruger said. “That’s kind of all me and my wife talk about is what do we have to do to make this work as long as possible. This is absolutely where we want to be.”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
