Busting Brackets
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UNLV Basketball: Why T.J. Otzelberger is the right man for the head coaching job

By Jason Burgess

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 22: Pyrotechnics shoot from the hands of UNLV Rebels mascot Hey Reb before the team's game against the New Mexico Lobos at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 22, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rebels defeated the Lobos 74-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 22: Pyrotechnics shoot from the hands of UNLV Rebels mascot Hey Reb before the team's game against the New Mexico Lobos at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 22, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rebels defeated the Lobos 74-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 01: UNLV Rebels mascot Hey Reb spins a basketball on his finger before the team’s game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Thomas & Mack Center on December 01, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bearcats defeated the Rebels 65-61. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 01: UNLV Rebels mascot Hey Reb spins a basketball on his finger before the team’s game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Thomas & Mack Center on December 01, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bearcats defeated the Rebels 65-61. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Some UNLV fans are disappointed in the hire but don’t know much about Otzelberger

Once Reed-Francois hinted at the possibility of finding a coach that is a household name that would bring excitement back to the program. Fans clung to that ideal, especially when the names of Thad Matta and Rick Pitino were thrown around. VCU’s Mike Rhoades was another potential candidate and Memphis assistant Mike Miller was another name floated about, the latter was the name that a lot of UNLV fans became attached to and began clamoring for, insistent that Miller would be the one that could bring the Runnin’ Rebels back to prominence. While Miller has been active in the AAU circuit since retiring from the NBA, he has only one year, this year of coaching experience as an assistant on Penny Hardaway’s staff at Memphis.

If you were to listen to social media buzz among fans, Miller was the only answer for them, saying things like,” We need excitement and buzz.” And, “We need to sell tickets and put butts in the seats.” There were also claims that Miller would be able to bring high-level recruits to UNLV, like those currently linked to Memphis. To which I would say, if you want excitement, go see Wayne Newton at the Bellagio or whoever has the latest residency in Vegas because you don’t really want to support the basketball team, you want a show.

Off of less than a calendar year to look at, gambling on Miller to bring the quick success that fans claim he would is a gamble this program cannot afford to take. Some other complaints among fans during the search included, former coach Marvin Menzies was fired because the arena was empty, and they tried a mid-major coach and it didn’t work. Want proof that it does work, look no further than the Mountain West Champion Utah State Aggies who won the league under first-year head coach Craig Smith, who came from South Dakota, who plays in the same league as SDSU.

I completely disagree with all of these sentiments. First Menzies was let go because of a lack of success which led to an empty arena, if a team wins, that fills the arena and that brings excitement. As for trying a mid-major coach, I would argue that Otzelberger is more like Chris Beard, who the team hired to replace Dave Rice three years ago but Beard left for Texas Tech before coaching a game.

Three years ago, fans were fine with hiring a mid-major Beard from Little Rock coming off just one season where he pulled off a double-overtime upset of Purdue, but now fans don’t want another up and coming coaching commodity with more of a head coaching track record? Why, because they think he is the same as the grizzled vet who has been coaching at the D1 level since 1999, that was just let go? I may be a Rebel fan from the east coast, but to me, this logic doesn’t add up.