Graney: Kevin Kruger did everything right but win enough games
He just didn’t win enough. That’s it. That’s all.
It’s true. Nice guys don’t always finish first.
Kevin Kruger was fired as UNLV’s basketball coach Saturday, his fourth season running the program having concluded in a Mountain West tournament quarterfinal loss to Utah State.
Athletic director Erick Harper made the call on Kruger’s fate. Harper made clear in a statement the reason for such a move: He expects the Rebels to contend within the conference and for NCAA Tournament berths.
Neither occurred during Kruger’s watch.
A true professional
But he ran things, like his father, Lon, when overseeing the program, with integrity and professionalism. Kevin Kruger is the guy you root for. He did things the right way.
Winning, though, is so critical with the gargantuan product March Madness has become. Four years is a long time not to experience it. Tough for coaches to outrun that.
UNLV hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013. Coaches have come and gone and still no improvement in such an area. Nobody has figured things out in a long time. Kruger wasn’t the first.
It has led to a huge sense of apathy from a once large and enthused fan base grown small and disenchanted, a Thomas & Mack Center not close to filled for home games.
Most of the time not close to half-filled.
Folks don’t believe much in the product anymore. That’s on Harper to change. This is a big moment for him. His first basketball hire.
All eyes are watching. He needs to get it right. He did with football and Barry Odom. Basketball is just as important at UNLV. For many, it’s more so.
“It’s a shame because Kevin is a terrific guy, and everybody wanted him to be successful,” athletic department supporter Bill Paulos said. “But basketball has to come back. We have football going now. We need to do the same with basketball attendance.
“Unfortunately, if you don’t win and get to the NCAA Tournament, people won’t come to your games. We need to put people back in that arena. The only way is winning.”
Kruger won more than he lost, but could never translate that when it mattered most.
His highest finish in conference was fourth. His only postseason appearance was a run to the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals last season. Could never get over that proverbial hump that is advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Didn’t come close. Never made a conference tournament semifinal.
He could never build an NCAA at-large resume with early success. Berths are often won in November and December. Was never even on the bubble.
It’s also college basketball today. Annual turnover defined Kruger’s roster, making it difficult for the Rebels to establish a consistent style of play.
But his final team showed great resilience down the stretch this season when dealing with several injuries, which included leading scorer and point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (shoulder) missing the final seven games.
It wasn’t enough to convince Harper into giving Kruger a fifth season.
Roster turnover
“How can you not root for Kevin Kruger — I did,” athletic department supporter Tom Jingoli said. “It’s a hard profession. I’m a program guy. I want us to be successful.
“But our roster is going to change frequently with the transfer portal. You need someone who can put a roster together and coach them up and do it quickly. You look at the Utah States and Boise States and Colorado States in our conference, and how they’ve been to the tournament. Nothing against them, but we have stuff to offer here that we should be far more competitive than we are.”
Yet another Selection Sunday without mention of the Rebels. An apathetic fan base looks for entertainment elsewhere. An athletic director is under the spotlight. A coach who everyone wanted to succeed is gone.
That’s the state of UNLV basketball.
It’s not a pretty picture.
He just didn’t win enough. That’s it. That’s all.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.
