Big West Title Serves as Tark the Shark’s Hors D’oeuvre

The envelope was handed to Larry Johnson, in broad daylight, in front of television cameras, in front of 50 witnesses.

Johnson ripped it open and pulled out the contents, which were green, made of paper and minted in the USA.

With a slick flick of the wrist, Johnson slipped it all into his sock and looked up sheepishly, fighting off a punch line he couldn’t resist.

“That’s the money for winning the tournament,” he said.

Good one, Larry. Real good one. Jerry Tarkanian laughed. Out of the corner of his eye, Tarkanian checked to make sure everyone else was laughing, too.

“That’s his meal money, that’s his meal money,” Tarkanian interjected. Just wanted to make sure that was clear. “Now,” Tark added, “the NCAA probably says we can’t eat after a game. We’re restricted to water. However, they say if we drink the water out of a glass, it’s a violation. So we’re very careful to use paper cups.”

Johnson and the rest of the Nevada Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels were winding down Sunday afternoon after the demolition of another Big West Conference tournament, but their coach was just warming up. Tark was feeling good, feeling loose. It had been a fine day. The NCAA announced no new investigation into the Las Vegas basketball program, but then, the NCAA was busy Sunday. Tournament seedings, you know.

“I’m to the point where I’m not going to shut up anymore,” Tarkanian said. “I’m just starting. I try to be nice to them, I really do. I try to be nice until somebody makes me mad.”

For example?

Pick an allegation, any allegation.

Those outstanding hotel bills.

“We’re talking about room service on a visit,” Tarkanian said. “The NCAA has no rule for that. There’s only a rule against ‘excessive entertainment,’ which is defined as one of three things:

“One, if you hire a band to throw a party for the kid;

“Two, if you hire a limousine to drive him around;

“Three, if you rent a helicopter.

“Now how the hell does room service and watching a movie constitute one of those? That’s just incredible to me. Amazing.”

The recruitment of Ed O’Bannon.

“When O’Bannon visited, two guys took him to dinner, (Stacey) Augmon and Johnson took him out to dinner. The NCAA said that’s a violation because that meant one of them had to eat for free.

“Then, when O’Bannon came up on an unofficial visit, he worked out with Augmon and Johnson and the NCAA said he can’t do that because ‘He was displaying his talent’ to them. At that point, why’s he got to display his talent? And to them ? And, then, after that, he worked out with them all summer at UCLA. When we were recruiting Chris Mills, his dad told me, ‘You should come down to UCLA, they have some great games down here in the summer.’ But in our case, (the NCAA) determines that to be a violation.”

The Big One, the one that stands to land UNLV on probation row until the Atlanta Olympics--the recruitment of Lloyd Daniels.

“We’re going to spend a million dollars to defend the Lloyd Daniels case. . . . You can’t believe the misery they have caused us on this. We’re gonna keep fighting it, too. I hope like hell to get off their back someday, but they won’t let us.”

Tarkanian hadn’t yet learned of UNLV’s placement in the NCAA tournament, but he took the bait when someone asked if he expected the NCAA to “stack the West” against him.

“We’ll probably go to Devil’s Island and play a qualifying game there,” he quipped. “If we go to Salt Lake City, they’ll say, ‘You can go but you have to jog there. You have to jog all the way and you can’t get there until 10 minutes before tip-off.’ Or if we go to Tucson, we’ve got to walk through the desert.”

Until Tarkanian and the NCAA cut a deal last December, the Rebels weren’t going to jog, walk or crawl anywhere. UNLV had been declared ineligible for the 1991 tournament, paying now for the sins of 1977, before UNLV accepted a postponement of probation until 1992.

“Last summer, I thought it was over,” Tarkanian said. “We won the championship and I thought everything between us and the NCAA was behind us. Then came July 20.

“I really believe us winning it really bothered them. Then, to have to go into a room, where we’re 100% right and they’re 100% wrong and we’re saying, ‘What other concessions can we give you to make you happy?’ Who ever heard of having to give concessions when you’re the one who’s right?

“And you know the only reason why they agreed (to the postponement of the penalty)? The last thing on their minds was trying to do the right thing. The only thing that did it was because they knew our kids were going to go to court and they knew our kids were going to get an injunction.”

Tark paused to come up for air.

“You guys all ought to go up before that infractions committee sometime,” he said. “If Joe McCarthy were alive today, he’d be working for them on that committee.”

Joe McCarthy?

And all this time we figured that the only McCarthy that Tark knew was Neil, the coach at New Mexico State.

“I didn’t know who Joe McCarthy was until somebody told me about a month ago,” Tarkanian said, biting again. “I thought that was real nice. I’m glad he told me. I don’t want anybody to think I’m really a well-read person.”

Minutes later, Tarkanian learned where his team would begin its defense of its NCAA championship. Just as he feared: In Tucson, headed for a likely second-round matchup with Georgetown, Alonzo Mourning and the Hoyas’ stun-gun of a defense.

“I’ve been scared of Georgetown all along,” Tarkanian said. “Georgetown can beat anybody.”

Touche, NCAA?

“Last year in the tournament they told us, ‘You know, we’re really behind you guys,’ ” Tarkanian said, rubbing his head. “I’d like to know what the hell would happen if they weren’t behind us.”