Wildcat Larry
11-28-2005, 03:54 PM
In his recently released autobiography Jerry Tarkanian Runnin' Rebel, the former Nevada Las Vegas coach remembers recruiting against Kentucky, specifically Leonard Hamilton during the Joe B. Hall era.
In 1979, the word reached Tarkanian that a gangly 7-footer from Lebanon, Pennsylvania was listing UNLV among colleges he was considering along with, North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky.
Tarkanian was beside himself and hurried to Lebanon to let Sam Bowie know the interest was mutual. Throughout the recruiting season when the Runnin' Rebs coach checked into Lebanon's only motel, the Rodeway Inn, Hamilton was registered too.
Years later, Tarkanian asked Hamilton about staying every night at the Lebanon Rodeway through the winter.
Hamilton told Tarkanian "we kept that room all year just in case we wanted to fly in, we'd have a place to stay."
"I was blown away," Tarkanian writes. "That's really nice that the University of Kentucky has that kind of budget. They rented a room for the entire year just to recruit one player."
Later Tarkanian says he discovered Kentucky rented the room for the entire year but gave the key to Bowie. "Any time he needed a place to hang out or do whatever he needed to do, he just went to the Rodeway Inn."
And so it goes.
Bob Watkins - Sports in Kentucky (http://www.spencermagnet.com/articles/2005/11/23/sports/watkins.txt)
In 1979, the word reached Tarkanian that a gangly 7-footer from Lebanon, Pennsylvania was listing UNLV among colleges he was considering along with, North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky.
Tarkanian was beside himself and hurried to Lebanon to let Sam Bowie know the interest was mutual. Throughout the recruiting season when the Runnin' Rebs coach checked into Lebanon's only motel, the Rodeway Inn, Hamilton was registered too.
Years later, Tarkanian asked Hamilton about staying every night at the Lebanon Rodeway through the winter.
Hamilton told Tarkanian "we kept that room all year just in case we wanted to fly in, we'd have a place to stay."
"I was blown away," Tarkanian writes. "That's really nice that the University of Kentucky has that kind of budget. They rented a room for the entire year just to recruit one player."
Later Tarkanian says he discovered Kentucky rented the room for the entire year but gave the key to Bowie. "Any time he needed a place to hang out or do whatever he needed to do, he just went to the Rodeway Inn."
And so it goes.
Bob Watkins - Sports in Kentucky (http://www.spencermagnet.com/articles/2005/11/23/sports/watkins.txt)