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Jerry Tarkanian elected to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Fresno Bee
Friday, Apr. 05, 2013
By Bryant-Jon Anteola - The Fresno Bee
Jerry Tarkanian finally is going into the Naismith Basketball Hall of
Fame.
Eleven years after retiring as Fresno State's coach to end a storied
but controversial career, Tarkanian, 82, will be named to the Hall of
Fame on Monday at the site of the NCAA Tournament championship,
according to a source with direct knowledge of the announcement. The
person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official
announcement was pending.
Tarkanian, whose health has been deteriorating in the past year, is in
Atlanta for a trip that originally was scheduled so he could take in
the Final Four. But the Hall of Fame committee's decision to induct
Tarkanian, which required at least 18 of the panel's 24 votes, will
serve as a crowning moment for a coach with 729 career victories, four
Final Four appearances and a national title with UNLV.
"It would be nice," Tarkanian said Friday during a brief phone
interview. "I don't know if it's long overdue. I haven't really been
waiting. It would be nice."
Tarkanian, named as one of 12 finalists in February, coached 31
seasons and went 729-201 at the NCAA Division I level. His .784
winning percentage ranks fourth on the career list. He ranks 21st in
wins, with stops at Long Beach State (1968-73), UNLV (1973-1992) and
his alma mater of Fresno State (1995-2002).
Tarkanian, nicknamed "the Shark," had his most success at UNLV. The
Runnin' Rebels of the early 1990s are considered among the best in
NCAA history. UNLV won the national championship in 1990, then won its
first 34 games the next season before losing in the national
semifinals.
Tarkanian's career included multiple run-ins with the NCAA and
penalties levied against the universities after he departed, Fresno
State among them. He also sued the NCAA over what he believed was a
long-running witch hunt and was awarded a $2.5 million settlement in
1998.
In previous years, Tarkanian had told friends and family that he
understood his battles with the NCAA could negatively influence Hall
voters. More recently, he expressed greater optimism that he might get
selected.
"Personally, I think he always wanted to get into the Hall of Fame,
but he wasn't going to allow (the decision) whether he got in or not
to have a major impact on his feelings," said Danny Tarkanian, who
played and coached for his father and served as his lawyer. "To me,
his qualifications as a coach speak for itself. He's clearly one of
the greatest of all time."
Tarkanian's daughter, Jodie Diamant, made a new push this past summer
to generate interest in Tarkanian's Hall of Fame candidacy amid word
his health was failing.
In her research, Diamant compared his résumé to those of others
already in the Hall.
Tarkanian coached in 14 NCAA Tournaments and was a four-time National
Coach of the Year. He coached 44 future NBA players, including 12
first-round picks. And he still owns the highest career winning
percentage in the junior college ranks at .891.
In addition, Diamant spoke to several of his former players who
expressed their appreciation for Tarkanian and the impact he had on
them on and off the court. He often brought in talented yet troubled
recruits, believing he and basketball could help straighten out their
lives.
Among them was ex-Fresno State star Chris Herren, a point guard who
went on to play in the NBA but along the way dealt with drug
addiction. Two years ago, ESPN aired a documentary on Herren and the
role Tarkanian played in trying to get him clean.
"Thank God for second chances, and thank God for Coach Tark," Herren
said Friday from his home in Rhode Island. "Coach Tark gave me many,
many, many chances, and I'm just so thankful for what he did for me.
From: Baghdasarian
Fresno Bee
Friday, Apr. 05, 2013
By Bryant-Jon Anteola - The Fresno Bee
Jerry Tarkanian finally is going into the Naismith Basketball Hall of
Fame.
Eleven years after retiring as Fresno State's coach to end a storied
but controversial career, Tarkanian, 82, will be named to the Hall of
Fame on Monday at the site of the NCAA Tournament championship,
according to a source with direct knowledge of the announcement. The
person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official
announcement was pending.
Tarkanian, whose health has been deteriorating in the past year, is in
Atlanta for a trip that originally was scheduled so he could take in
the Final Four. But the Hall of Fame committee's decision to induct
Tarkanian, which required at least 18 of the panel's 24 votes, will
serve as a crowning moment for a coach with 729 career victories, four
Final Four appearances and a national title with UNLV.
"It would be nice," Tarkanian said Friday during a brief phone
interview. "I don't know if it's long overdue. I haven't really been
waiting. It would be nice."
Tarkanian, named as one of 12 finalists in February, coached 31
seasons and went 729-201 at the NCAA Division I level. His .784
winning percentage ranks fourth on the career list. He ranks 21st in
wins, with stops at Long Beach State (1968-73), UNLV (1973-1992) and
his alma mater of Fresno State (1995-2002).
Tarkanian, nicknamed "the Shark," had his most success at UNLV. The
Runnin' Rebels of the early 1990s are considered among the best in
NCAA history. UNLV won the national championship in 1990, then won its
first 34 games the next season before losing in the national
semifinals.
Tarkanian's career included multiple run-ins with the NCAA and
penalties levied against the universities after he departed, Fresno
State among them. He also sued the NCAA over what he believed was a
long-running witch hunt and was awarded a $2.5 million settlement in
1998.
In previous years, Tarkanian had told friends and family that he
understood his battles with the NCAA could negatively influence Hall
voters. More recently, he expressed greater optimism that he might get
selected.
"Personally, I think he always wanted to get into the Hall of Fame,
but he wasn't going to allow (the decision) whether he got in or not
to have a major impact on his feelings," said Danny Tarkanian, who
played and coached for his father and served as his lawyer. "To me,
his qualifications as a coach speak for itself. He's clearly one of
the greatest of all time."
Tarkanian's daughter, Jodie Diamant, made a new push this past summer
to generate interest in Tarkanian's Hall of Fame candidacy amid word
his health was failing.
In her research, Diamant compared his résumé to those of others
already in the Hall.
Tarkanian coached in 14 NCAA Tournaments and was a four-time National
Coach of the Year. He coached 44 future NBA players, including 12
first-round picks. And he still owns the highest career winning
percentage in the junior college ranks at .891.
In addition, Diamant spoke to several of his former players who
expressed their appreciation for Tarkanian and the impact he had on
them on and off the court. He often brought in talented yet troubled
recruits, believing he and basketball could help straighten out their
lives.
Among them was ex-Fresno State star Chris Herren, a point guard who
went on to play in the NBA but along the way dealt with drug
addiction. Two years ago, ESPN aired a documentary on Herren and the
role Tarkanian played in trying to get him clean.
"Thank God for second chances, and thank God for Coach Tark," Herren
said Friday from his home in Rhode Island. "Coach Tark gave me many,
many, many chances, and I'm just so thankful for what he did for me.
From: Baghdasarian