The "General" Has Vegas On His Mind; LJ Also Wants The Vegas Job

While the UNLV Rebels search for a coach there are candidates that are rumored to be interested in the job. Former Rebel Reggie Theus and BYU assistant Dave Rice are the leading candidates.

They might have company. A report in the Detroit News is saying Bob Knight is interested in the UNLV job. This is a key hire for the Rebels to sustain momentum to get back to the heights they were at when Jerry Tarkanian was coach. Knight and UNLV would be an odd mix, but he did make it work at Texas Tech.

Another person that is showing interest is former Rebel Larry Johnson Arguably the greatest player in Rebels history, has said that he would love to take on the job. He discussed the idea with Tarkanian and started doing some self promotion.

"I would love to do it," Johnson said. "This situation is just like ideal. It's close to my heart. If they hire me, we would get back to being the Runnin' Rebels."

"I've turned down several assistant jobs in the NBA that I just didn't feel good about. I would love it at UNLV."

He also mentioned that former teammate Stacey Augmon would come on board as an assistant.

"He's willing to jump at the opportunity," Johnson said, "but he didn't have much faith in what's going on there.

"We can put butts in the seats and we definitely can recruit. There's no growing pains I would have to go through, and if I have the right cast around me, I believe I can do it. And I really believe the city would be behind me."

There are questions about the lack of experience Johnson has coaching but he believes he could get the job done if given the right staff. That remains to be seen. I think Rice will end up being the next coach of the Rebels. They need a coach not someone who has a name and will fill seats.