Nevada Might Not Make It To The Mountain West

The Universtiy of Nevada has been a pretty competitive mid-major school in both football and basketball in recent years. They've had a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament back in 2004 in basketball and the football team has made a few bowl appearances in the past few years.

You think with that recent success while competing in the WAC and moving to the Mountain West in 2012, they would have a few dollars in the athletic department coffers. Not so fast. The Wolfpack might be in danger of losing their status in Division I athletics.

Athletic director Cary Groth says the school is facing a $1.5 million cut in state-appropriated funds that could "change the face of the department."

The cuts, which are part of a proposed $59 million university-wide budget reduction at UNR, could threaten Nevada's ability to maintain Division I status or force the department to cut another sport. The reduction is contingent on the state legislature's final higher education budget and board of regents deliberations.



"I would say maintaining the integrity of a Division I program is our main focus right now," Groth said. "We're right on the line of a few things as is."


In the past three years, the Wolf Pack's state-appropriated funds have decreased from $7.054 million to an estimated $3.817 million for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The school doesn't have too much margin for error financially, so it may have to cut sports or reduce scholarships. Hopefully the move to the Mountain West can pump more money into the school, that's if they make it there.









 

TCU Gets Some New Duds

Fresh off an undefeated season and Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin, TCU has been outfitted for new uniforms by Nike. They're not the emperor's new clothes but I guess they're not that bad.

The look is a little more basic than the past. They did away with the frog on the helmet and I wonder if they're going to still break out the frogskin unis for special occasions.

Quote Of The Week: Larry Johnson

Former UNLV great Larry Johnson has expressed an interest in the vacant coaching job at his alma mater. His comments about it were kinda comical if you ask me.

"I'm definitely a scientist in this. It wouldn't be no problem at all. You recruit and get some good people around you.", when describing his qualifications for the job. I don't think he'll be seriously considered but it would be interesting to see how it would turn out. I never thought that Johnson would call himself a scientist at anything.

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.

Using The Eugene Robinson Handbook

Southern University athletic director Greg LaFluer didn't learn from Eugene Robinson's mistakes. Instead he used his handbook om how to get arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

LaFleur was busted in a reverse prostitution sting by undercover officers Sunday night in Houston. The ironic thing was that he was there looking for candidates to be the school's head basketball coach. I know all this is under investigation, but Southern may be looking for someone to fill LaFleur's job if this charge holds up.

LaFluer is free on bond right now, and I'm sure he won't do any real time. But possible job loss and the embarassment of having this go public is bad enough.

LaFleur has been Southern's athletic director for six years. The Ville Platte, La., native and former LSU star tight end and receiver played with the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. He's also the father of Gonzaga center Robert Sacre.

I'm sure Sacre will hear it when he goes on the road next season.

Michael Jackson Statue Unveiled Outside Of Soccer Stadium

I don't profess to know anything about soccer and I never will, but this story caught my eye.

Fulham of the English Premier League has unveiled a statue of Michael Jackson outside of their stadium. Owner Mohamed Al Fayed was reportedly a close friend of Jackson's. He unveiled the statue outside Craven Cottage to jeers from the home fans. He also told those same fans that they can "go to hell" if they didn't like it.


"Why is it bizarre?" Al Fayed asked reporters after the unveiling. "Football fans will love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift that this guy gave to the world, they can just go to hell."

"I don't want them to be fans if they don't understand, and believe the things which I believe in… they can go and support Chelsea or somewhere else," he said

Spoken like a true owner. Al Fayed said that Jackson loved Fulham and that he wanted to honor Jackson's memory and talent.

I never knew Jackson liked soccer, but he was a bit of an eccentric.

Source: New York Daily News













 

Pat Riley Thinking Hard About Signing Eddy Curry

A Yahoo Sports story is saying that the Miami Heat are seriously considering signing big man Eddy Curry. The same Eddy Curry that hasn't played for nearly two years.

Pat Riley went to see Curry in a workout in Chicago recently and plans to bring him to Miami for another workout. The Heat are hoping he can be somewhat of a low post presence for the playoff run. I say fat chance, and I mean that in a literal sense. Curry still weighs in at a robust 350 pounds and I don't see him whipping himself imto shape to be any kind of help to the Heat.

The Heat seem desperate since they don't have much depth. They're thin on the front line and playing Chris Boshn at center and LeBron James at power forward isn't gonna get it done in the playoffs against the East's elite. They recently signed defensive liability Mike Bibby for backcourt help and now this.

A league source said this signing is a "better than a 50-50 chance" probability. Good luck with that one. If this were about three years ago I might say it's a good deal, I just don't see Curry offering much help.