If Hamrick exits, UNLV must look locally

A few summer thoughts …

I’m stunned. UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick is a whisker short of being named to the same position at his alma mater (Marshall), and he didn’t telephone to gauge my opinion.

What with how close we have grown these past three years.

The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, W.Va., reports of a news conference today to make the hiring official, which probably makes the odds of Hamrick turning the job down at this point comparable to he and I exchanging Christmas presents.

Which means — must hide excitement — it’s never too early to talk replacements.

The first thing whoever in charge of making such a hire at UNLV — and what with the mess of a university president’s office they have out there right now, Lord knows who that will be — would have to realize is that local is supreme.

If it’s true Hamrick is about to vacate his post, whoever next assumes it must own an intimate knowledge of how the town works and how best to raise money in it.

There should be no national search, no thousands of dollars spent on some headhunter who doesn’t know the Venetian from the Rio, no lining the pockets of Chuck Neinas or any other search firm honcho. Las Vegas is a different animal in which to succeed, and plenty of local candidates would do a terrific job running the department.

And here’s a fresh idea: have the ability to fundraise at incredible levels while also relating to others better than a desert tortoise to photo-snapping tourists.

Here is my wish list of viable candidates, should Hamrick decide he can’t stand being away from Huntington one second longer:

• Steve Stallworth: The former UNLV quarterback and now South Point Equestrian Complex and Arena director just might have it all if the job opens. He is an alum. He knows the inner-workings of college athletics and Las Vegas. He is well liked by anyone who passes within a mile of the guy. He would fundraise his pants off. This guy would make a stellar AD.

• Dwaine Knight: The longtime UNLV golf coach often is brought up first in discussions about who best would lead the athletic department. Knight is beloved locally, and his fundraising efforts in golf alone tell you he has a touch for getting others to write large checks.

My only question: Could he remove his coaching cap and fire a high-profile coach when the need arose?

• Don Logan: I know how tough it would be for the 51s president to tear himself away from the palatial domain that is Cashman Field, but he’s smart enough to make a strong athletic director and has the local contacts to succeed.

• Tina Kunzer-Murphy: She has built the Las Vegas Bowl into one of the better postseason games in college football. I’m pretty sure she capably could run UNLV athletics. She also has Brigham Young on speed dial should any issues arise with the Cougars.

But maybe today passes and this doesn’t happen.

Maybe someone is just playing a cruel joke on me. …

They wrapped another NBA Summer League on Sunday, and you can describe five former Mountain West Conference players hoping to make the league as rookies in this manner:

“The best thing about the Mountain West around here this week,” one sideline observer said, “was Molly Sullivan.”

Sullivan does a fine job as a reporter on The Mtn. I have no idea how her jump shot is, but I’m pretty sure she could handle sitting on a bench for a few hours, standing periodically to cheer a teammate — which is about what those Mountain West players did during most games.

This isn’t charity work. People have no clue how difficult it is to make an NBA roster. None.

Wink Adams has a better idea today. So do Lorrenzo Wade and Kyle Spain and Luke Nevill and Lee Cummard.

Adams totaled seven minutes and one shot for the Knicks.

It’s a harsh but realistic dose of reality shown the former UNLV guard. He was a good player and terrific representative of the community for the Rebels, but in the unsympathetic and cutthroat world of the NBA, Adams is undersized and can’t shoot or run a team well enough to open any eyes.

“There are so many hurdles for most of these players to make — training camp for Summer League, Summer League, working with the veterans — just to have a chance,” said Phil Weber, the Knicks’ Summer League coach. “Wink had a few good practices with us. His attitude is the best. … If he continues to work hard on all facets of his game, there might be some European interest.”

I’m telling you. It’s a brutal business. …

I feel bad for Tom Watson not finishing things at the British Open. I feel worse for a friend who got Watson at 40-1 odds following Friday’s second round, when the 59-year-old was a co-leader.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He also can be heard weeknights from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. on “The Sports Scribes” on KDWN-AM (720).