Coach Tarkanian throws in the towel

By

Posted 2:43PM on Friday, March 15, 2002

FRESNO, Calif. - Jerry Tarkanian is retiring from college basketball, ending a coaching career that spanned four decades and mixed success with scandal, a source close to the coach told The Associated Press. The 71-year-old coach and Fresno State officials were to announce the decision Friday at an afternoon news conference, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Tarkanian will continue as a consultant for Fresno State, his alma mater, the source said. Tarkanian won an NCAA title with UNLV in 1990 and is the fourth winningest coach in major college basketball. He was an unmistakable presence on the sidelines through the years, with his bald pate and hound-dog eyes. There was also his trademark habit: He chewed on folded white towels as a way to ease the tension. The Bulldogs ended their season Wednesday with an 81-75 loss to Temple in the NIT. They finished 19-15, only the second time in Tarkanian's 31 years in Division I his team failed to win 20 games. After the game, Temple coach John Chaney grabbed a microphone and praised Tarkanian. ``I'm saddened to see him leave,'' Chaney said. ``Tark, I love you!'' Tarkanian, whose career has been marred by long battles with the NCAA, complained about problems off the court that hurt the team. This year, star point guard Tito Maddox was dismissed from the team in August for accepting gifts from an agent. Maddox' replacement, Chris Sandy, was suspended for receiving a loan to pay for a community college course. Leading scorer Melvin Ely missed six games for receiving improper benefits. Tarkanian finished with a 778-202 record. Before coming to Fresno State in 1995, he coached at UNLV. He coached the Rebels to 12 NCAA tournaments, winning a national title and reaching the semifinals four times. He also coached at Long Beach State. Tarkanian returned to Fresno State, where he graduated in 1955, after a brief stint coaching the San Antonio Spurs that ended when he was fired after 20 games. The rest of his 38-year career has been spent on college courts, where he coached junior colleges in California before jumping to Division I, where he took four Long Beach State teams to the NCAA tournament. At Fresno, he revived a program that had gone 13-15 the previous year, winning 22 games and reaching the NIT quarterfinals. The previous two seasons, his Fresno State teams made the NCAA tournament. Tarkanian said at the beginning of the season he wanted to coach through 2003. His team got off to a good start and was ranked in The AP's Top 25 poll for three weeks in November and December. But the Bulldogs began playing inconsistently and failed to make the NCAA tournament. Tarkanian hinted recently he would not return. He said he was tired and becoming a lazy recruiter. School officials discounted such talk, saying the coach had made the same overtures toward the end of previous seasons.