Jerry Tarkanian

The Supreme Court, in a key ruling supporting the enforcement powers of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn., ruled Monday that the organization may force Nevada Las Vegas to suspend its highly successful basketball coach, Jerry Tarkanian, for recruiting violations and other irregularities. On a 5-4 vote, the high court said that the NCAA does not have to follow the same constitutional guidelines that cover government agencies in investigating violations of regulations.

Louisville Coach Rick Pitino is among seven people elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Joining Pitino in the class of 2013, announced Monday, are former NBA stars Bernard King and Gary Payton, former Nevada Las Vegas coach Jerry Tarkanian, North Carolina women's Coach Sylvia Hatchell, former University of Houston coach Guy Lewis, and former University of Virginia star Dawn Staley. The inductions will be in Springfield, Mass., in September. Inductees announced previously were Edwin E.B. Henderson, a direct elect by the Early African Pioneer Committee; longtime Indiana Pacers guard Roger Brown; Oscar Schmidt of Brazil, the leading scorer in Olympic history; Richie Guerin, a star for the New York Knicks in the 1950s; and Russ Granik, the longtime assistant commissioner of the NBA. :: Bob Cantu, a longtime USC basketball assistant who served as interim coach after Kevin O'Neill was fired in January, will not be retained as part of new Coach Andy Enfield's staff, the school announced.

The big question facing Jerry Tarkanian all season was whether his Runnin' Rebels could rewrite the record books by going undefeated and winning a second straight national title. Those heady days over, the question now is whether Tarkanian still has a future in college basketball. And a figure from one of the sport's darkest chapters could be involved in the answer.

Combing through the artifacts of Long Beach State basketball, which plays home games in "The Pyramid," is quite an archaeological dig. What an eclectic mishmash of characters, hoop dreams and hiccups. The school nickname is the 49ers, but could easily be "The Asterisks," or "The Elevators. " "It's been up and down," Glenn McDonald, a founding forward from the 1970s, said of the program. You can guess Sutter's Mill for the nickname inspiration and be off by only a century.

University of Nevada-Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian said Saturday that he "conferred" with Assembly Speaker Willie Brown about problems he might encounter in landing the head coaching job at San Diego State University. But the outspoken coach said he was unaware that the powerful politician had actually called SDSU on his behalf to urge that he be hired.

In a highly unusual move, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown personally lobbied San Diego State University to hire Jerry Tarkanian, the controversial University of Nevada-Las Vegas basketball coach who has been dogged by charges of NCAA rules violations. Jimmy Lewis, Brown's spokesman in Sacramento, said late Friday that the powerful politician made his wishes about Tarkanian known in a phone call to the San Diego school. "He did make a call to San Diego State, recommending that they consider Mr.

It was checkout time. Jerry Tarkanian was ticked and tired, ready to toss in that towel he used to gnaw on. It was Jan. 4, 2000, at Logan, after a 17-point loss to Utah State. It was the night Tarkanian, the Fresno State coach, mentally walked away from basketball. Danny, Tark's son and a Bulldog assistant coach, was supposed to leave from Logan on a recruiting trip. Jerry told Danny, "Don't even go. This is my last year. If I could quit now, I'd quit, but I'd be too embarrassed."

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas was barred by the NCAA today from defending its men's basketball title, making it the second champion ever--and the second in three years--to be denied the right to defend. The penalty involved violations originally detailed by the NCAA in 1977 that started a 13-year battle with UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian that finally ended up in the Supreme Court.

San Diego State will end a month of speculation today by naming UCLA assistant Tony Fuller as the new Aztec basketball coach, sources said Tuesday night. The announcement will put an official end to the candidacy of former Nevada Las Vegas Coach Jerry Tarkanian, whose name provoked more interest this winter than the SDSU basketball team ever did. Fuller, 33, will become the 14th basketball coach in SDSU history and succeed Jim Brandenburg, who was fired Feb. 11.

In a town noted for last stands, is Jerry Tarkanian making his? It's beginning to look that way, a little more than a month into his first season as a coach in the NBA. Remember the Alamo? Hey, pretty soon it might be, "Remember Tark?" Right now, Tarkanian is wondering how he got into this in the first place. "If I had a hobby, I wouldn't be here today," he said. "Fishing, tennis, golf . . . God, I hate golf."

The retro UCLA jersey was endangered the moment it entered Shabazz Muhammad's house. The basketball prodigy's mother had purchased the replica of the jersey that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wore when he was with the Bruins as a gift for her middle-school son, only to later find it hanging in his closet with a large hole cut in the middle. Muhammad's father couldn't resist the urge to snip on. He played basketball for USC. "My wife was hot with me," said Ron Holmes, a wing player for the Trojans from 1981 to 1985.

The NCAA tournament basketball brackets are out, so I wanted some help before going to Las Vegas. I called Jerry Tarkanian, living and retired in Vegas, to see if he knew how I could get in contact with Richie the Fixer. Tark laughed, and again when I mentioned the words "hot tub," although I wouldn't be surprised to learn later he was chewing on the phone as we spoke.

An Assembly race in Orange County seems like an odd place for a college basketball coach who became a legend in Las Vegas. But last month, Jerry Tarkanian played a minor role in the contest for the 72nd District seat by appearing at two fundraisers for a friend, Republican candidate Marty Simonoff.

With college basketball's late signing period in full swing, it seems the most important recruit new Nevada Las Vegas Coach Lon Kruger should bag is a familiar face -- former Rebel coach Jerry Tarkanian. At least that's the opinion of Review-Journal columnist Joe Hawk, who is on a campaign to have UNLV rename the court at the Thomas & Mack Center after the Shark, just as UCLA named the floor at Pauley Pavilion after Nell and John Wooden.

They call it the House That Tark Built, a $100-million palace that rises out of an old alfalfa field at the edge of Fresno State University. That the patrons of this farming capital have dug deep in their pockets to erect not a concert hall or museum but a Taj Mahal for college basketball says something about the state of culture and entertainment here.

Retired college basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian has had it with his outlaw image, as he told the Las Vegas Sun's Dean Juipe. "I'm always made to look like the bad guy," Tarkanian said. "All the [stuff] I've taken over the years and not once has anyone found anything resembling a serious violation." Wrote Juipe: "He was repeatedly targeted by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. and all but despised by occasional critics.

Combing through the artifacts of Long Beach State basketball, which plays home games in "The Pyramid," is quite an archaeological dig. What an eclectic mishmash of characters, hoop dreams and hiccups. The school nickname is the 49ers, but could easily be "The Asterisks," or "The Elevators. " "It's been up and down," Glenn McDonald, a founding forward from the 1970s, said of the program. You can guess Sutter's Mill for the nickname inspiration and be off by only a century.

Jerry Tarkanian looks rattled. Warily he enters his nightly hangout, Piero's restaurant, a celebrity favorite in Las Vegas. The foyer is empty and hidden from the dining room. He lingers for a moment, hugging his gray cellular phone like a teddy bear. At 61, after 35 years of unequaled success on the court and contention off it, and on the eve of his 19th and final season coaching the Runnin' Rebels, the man who embodies the worst and best in college basketball is under attack--again.

USC Coach Henry Bibby acknowledged Tuesday that retired Fresno State Coach Jerry Tarkanian approached him at the Final Four and inquired about the possibility of finding a spot on Bibby's staff for his son, Danny, who had been an assistant to his father in Fresno since 1995. "He asked me about it but I don't have an opening," Bibby said. "Nobody's looking to go anywhere."

Weary of turmoil--and worn out by more losses this season than anyone could have expected--Jerry Tarkanian retired as Fresno State's basketball coach Friday at 71. "You know what is so painful--and unless you're a coach, you don't really understand this--is, you're in the hotel room and getting ready to go to the game ... and you figure, 'God, we're the underdog,'" Tarkanian said. "My last 10 years at UNLV, we lost 33 games. This year I lost 15. You figure that one out."