Coach cherishes memory of almost derailing UNLV
Most people outside of Muncie, Ind., and Las Vegas get the answer wrong to the obscure bit of college basketball trivia.
Dick Hunsaker is proud to correct them.
“To this day, 80 percent of America thinks (Rick) Majerus was coaching the team,” Hunsaker said, “and he wasn’t.”
Before UNLV won the national title in 1990, the Rebels ran into No. 12 seed Ball State in the Sweet 16 at Oakland, Calif. The Cardinals’ coach is often referenced in man caves by fans trying to stump their friends. But what many forget is that David Letterman’s school reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament the previous season, and Majerus was then hired at Utah.
Hunsaker, Majerus’ assistant, took over at Ball State before the 1989-90 season, which makes him the answer to UNLV fans’ favorite trick question: Who coached the team that gave the Rebels their biggest scare on the way to the title?
“UNLV had a very exceptional collection of personnel, (led) by a Hall of Fame coach,” Hunsaker said. “We were tough. I believe my naiveness was a strength. We were fearless. And we took what some consider to be the greatest team in college basketball history to the brink. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out our way.”
Hunsaker, now the coach of Utah Valley, still has vivid memories of the game nearly 25 years ago. Ball State, which knocked off No. 5 seed Oregon State — featuring Gary Payton — and fourth-seeded Louisville to reach the Sweet 16, trailed UNLV 69-67 and called timeout with 12.6 seconds remaining.
Hunsaker set up a play for Paris McCurdy, but McCurdy slipped near the 3-point line and, from his knees, flipped the ball to Mike Spicer at the top of the key. Spicer took one dribble and tried to lob a pass to Chandler Thompson at the rim, but UNLV center David Butler intercepted it with one second left to preserve the victory.
“You don’t ever live life looking backward,” Hunsaker said. “Again, good fortune came our way to have the chance at the end. But it was a terrific run. We were an eyelash of being a little bit ahead of our time of midmajors across America.
“I’ve thought that before. The greatest game of my career is a loss. I don’t like that. I’ll go the other direction. I’ll go Louisville and Oregon State, the two previous games.”
The ugly footnote to the game is that a scuffle broke out between the teams after the final buzzer, and Hunsaker followed with some choice words about the Rebels in his news conference. According to a 1990 Associated Press article, UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian later called Hunsaker “a complete idiot,” and one of Tarkanian’s sons eventually had to intervene to end the brief rift.
Hunsaker went on to coach in the Continental Basketball Association, and in 2000, when Majerus took a leave of absence at Utah, Hunsaker earned the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year award as the Utes won the regular-season title.
Hunsaker, 59, is now in his 12th year at Utah Valley, where he built the Wolverines into the Western Athletic Conference champions in their first season in the conference.
The top-seeded Wolverines (19-10) open the WAC tournament against No. 8 Texas-Pan American (9-22) at noon today at Orleans Arena.
“We’ve had a lot of success. There’s been a lot of sweet moments during this time that no one else noticed. We did,” Hunsaker said. “As we are approaching the (WAC) tournament, it’s all been part of the process and, frankly, it’s been the funnest experience of my coaching career. And most gratifying.”
Hunsaker took over at the school in Orem, Utah, in 2002 when it was still a junior college known as Utah Valley State. Since then, he has produced an NBA player (Ronnie Price) and guided Utah Valley as it made a successful transition to Division I.
The Wolverines spent six seasons as an independent before joining the Great West Conference, and they qualified for the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2012. Utah Valley moved to the WAC this season, and it can clinch its first NCAA Tournament berth this week after previously being ineligible to qualify.
“It’s been an incredible journey from when I first got on campus four years ago,” Wolverines senior center Ben Aird said. “It’s always exciting to be a part of building something new.”
Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.
