‘Gondo,’ Theus shared bond

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It was an unforgettable era that brought Glen Gondrezick and Reggie Theus together.

In the dimly lit Las Vegas Convention Center, more than three decades ago, Gondrezick, Theus and a record-setting team helped lift UNLV basketball into the national spotlight.

Gondrezick and Theus were teammates and roommates on the road for two years, from 1975 to 1977, and their final season together produced the Rebels’ first Final Four appearance.

"It was the best because it was new, because the city was so much smaller and everybody was on a first-name basis, and UNLV basketball was mentioned with the headliners like Frank Sinatra and Wayne Newton," Theus said. "The city wanted to be known for more than the Strip.

"I have a lot of great memories."

Theus maintained a close friendship with Gondrezick, who died Monday at 53 of apparent complications from a heart transplant he received in September.

Gondrezick’s jersey No. 25 and Theus’ No. 23 were retired on the same night in December 1997.

"He had a tough life after college, but he fought through all of it," Theus said. "There’s no way you can talk about the history of Rebels basketball without talking about Glen Gondrezick."

The 1976-77 team remains one of UNLV’s greatest. The Rebels ran to a 29-3 record while recording 23 100-point games, including 12 consecutive.

"That team was really unbelievable. It was a fun team that really played well together," said Jerry Tarkanian, who was in his fourth year as Rebels coach.

Gondrezick and Theus were joined by teammates Eddie Owens, UNLV’s all-time scoring leader, point guard Robert Smith, Lewis Brown, Larry Moffett, Sam Smith and Tony Smith.

Tarkanian still speaks in amazement about the man-to-man pressure defense and scoring ability of the 1976-77 Rebels, who averaged 107 points per game when there was no 3-point line or shot clock.

"You put a 3-point line in the game and we might have averaged 120 points," Theus said. "We had six guys who could shoot it."

UNLV suffered an 84-83 loss to North Carolina in the national semifinals in Atlanta. The Tar Heels shot 28 free throws to the Rebels’ five, a fact that bothers Tarkanian to this day.

The Rebels beat North Carolina-Charlotte 106-94 in the consolation game, which marked the last of Gondrezick’s 115 games in a UNLV uniform.

Gondrezick, who spent the past 17 years as the color commentator on the Rebels’ radio broadcasts, became a fan favorite as a relentless hustler.

"A lot of the attitude of that team was exemplified by a guy like Gondo," Theus said. "He was pretty much the hard-nosed guy on the team.

"If Tark said to run through a wall, we didn’t ask why. We said, which wall? And Gondo would literally try to run through a wall. The thing that made Gondo who he is basketball-wise is he played so damn hard all the time, and he wasn’t afraid of anything.

"What I remember most is he was a character at the same time. He was the prankster on the team."

Gondrezick wanted to see Robert Smith also honored from the 1976-77 team by being inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame.

"Gondo told me, ‘Coach, it’s sad that Robert is not in the Hall of Fame and his jersey number is not up there,’ " Tarkanian said.

Theus remembers Gondrezick as an unselfish teammate and friend.

"The great thing about our group is we’ve always remained in touch with each other," Theus said. "We did a lot of amazing things. We shared a bond."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.