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News Nuggets, 03.16.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Hamrick hires Kruger to restore Rebs' Tark-era glory

Less than a year after being encouraged by his former employer, East Carolina, to seek the job he currently holds as athletic director at Nevada-Las Vegas, Mike Hamrick has made his first significant personnel decision.

UNLV has hired the well-traveled Lon Kruger, a veteran college and pro coach, to lead the Runnin' Rebels basketball program back to national prominence.

Kruger accepted a five-year contract Monday, Hamrick said. The Nevada Board of Regents must approve the hiring at its Thursday meeting.

Kruger, fired last season by the Atlanta Hawks, most recently was an assistant coach with the New York Knicks.

A significant segment of UNLV boosters had pushed for the hiring of former North Carolina and NBA player and long-time NBA coach George Karl, whose NBA coaching stops included Milwaukee, Seattle, Golden State and Cleveland.

An online petition organized by UNLV supporters demanding the hiring of Karl by school president Carol Harter drew enough support to attract attention in the Las Vegas media, but Hamrick said he decided that Kruger fits the bill.

"Every criteria we set out for has been met," Hamrick said. "We wanted a successful college coach. We found everything we were looking for. We want to go back to the top and we want to do it the right way."

Kruger said he agreed to become UNLV's 10th head coach on Sunday. He said UNLV was attractive because the program didn't need to be rebuilt and had a winning tradition under Jerry Tarkanian, who led the Runnin' Rebels to a national championship in 1990.

"This is a place where you can win," Kruger said. "We're not taking over a program that's down by any means."

Coach Charlie Spoonhour stepped down a month ago because of health reasons, and his son and assistant coach, Jay Spoonhour, took over the team.

Kruger will take charge after the team finishes play in the NIT. UNLV travels to Boise State on Wednesday.

Kruger said his two biggest priorities were assembling a staff and recruiting. UNLV needs a post player who can block shots and score.

He didn't say whether he'd keep Jay Spoonhour as an assistant.

At the college level, Kruger compiled a 318-233 (.577) overall mark in 18 seasons at Pan American (1982-86), Kansas State (1986-90), Florida (1990-96) and Illinois (1996-2000).

Inspiration for 'Pitt County Offense' returns to Stanford roots

STANFORD — Bill Walsh, former coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford whose offensive philosophy influenced East Carolina's high-scoring attack during former Pirate coach Steve Logan's 11-year tenure, is returning to Stanford as a special assistant to athletic director Ted Leland.

Walsh has been working as a consultant for the 49ers since 2001. In his new job, he will work with athletic development staff on various fund-raising initiatives and special projects for Leland.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have Bill back in the Stanford family," Leland said. "He is a man of immense knowledge, expertise and integrity, and his presence will have a positive impact not only with our fund-raising staff, but with our entire athletic department staff, as well as our student-athletes."

Key concepts of Walsh's "West Coast Offense" were often cited by Logan as inspiration for the building blocks of what Logan jokingly referred to as his "Pitt County Offense." Logan, a Greenville resident who is currently on a coaching assignment with the Berlin Thunder in NFL-Europe, was dismissed by ECU at the end of the 2002 season.

While coaching the 49ers, Walsh took the team to three Super Bowl titles. He had three stints at Stanford, including twice as head coach (1977-78 and 1992-94). He led Stanford to a 34-24-1 record and three bowl victories.

AP Basketball Poll

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Mar. 14, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:

[Conference USA teams — present and future — and Carolinas teams in bold.]

Rank/Team/Record/Points/Previous
 1. Stanford 55 29-1 1771 2
 2. Kentucky 9 26-4 1621 8
 3. Gonzaga 2 27-2 1620 3
 4. Oklahoma State 4 27-3 1569 7
 5. Saint Joseph's 1 27-1 1535 1
 6. Duke 0 27-5 1472 5
 7. Connecticut 1 27-6 1397 9
 8. Mississippi State 0 25-3 1292 4
 9. Pittsburgh 0 29-4 1261 6
10. Wisconsin 0 24-6 1147 10
11. Cincinnati 0 24-6 1018 13
12. Texas 0 23-7 985 11
13. Illinois 0 24-6 863 12
14. Georgia Tech 0 23-9 845 14
15. North Carolina State 0 20-9 680 17
16. Kansas 0 21-8 629 18
17. Wake Forest 0 19-9 552 15
18. North Carolina 0 18-10 518 16
19. Maryland 0 19-11 421 NR
20. Syracuse 0 21-7 414 19
21. Providence 0 20-8 324 20
22. Arizona 0 20-9 233 21
23. Southern Illinois 0 25-4 183 24
24. Memphis 0 21-7 143 23
25. Boston College 0 23-9 106 NR
25. Utah State 0 25-3 106 22

Others Receiving Votes: Florida 96, Washington 87, Xavier 87, DePaul 86, Michigan State 72, Western Michigan 51, Air Force 29, Nevada 28, Texas Tech 28, Vanderbilt 22, Utah 19, Dayton 18, East Tennessee State 17, Louisville 17, Charlotte 16, Manhattan 6, Texas-El Paso 6, UAB 3, Pacific 2, Seton Hall 2, Virginia Commonwealth 2, Vermont 1.

Baseball America & Collegiate Baseball Polls

The top 25 teams in the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls with records through Mar. 14 and previous rankings. The Baseball America poll is voted on by the publication's staff. The Collegiate Baseball poll, which includes each team's point total, is voted on by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors:

[Conference USA teams — present and future — and Carolinas teams in bold.]

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News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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