“The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.” Jerry Tarkanian

Passing on recently was former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian. He was 84.

Helping a number of college players with their basketball mental game, Coach Tarkanian had a long and prosperous coaching career.

Winning 706 games during his time as a Division I college coach, Coach Tarkanian showed toughness during his time as a coach. Often times, Tarkanian and the NCAA clashed heads as he openly criticized anything he had a problem with.

Known for stating his opinion, he often showed toughness when taking heat from college basketball fans and reporters across the nation. Understanding basketball psychology, Coach Tarkanian was able to separate off the court issues from the final product on the court as his teams experienced a great deal of success over the years.

Making four Final Four appearances including two before winning his first National Championship, Coach Tarkanian always managed to lead his teams to success through thick
and thin, through good and bad, no matter what happened.

They were the last team to go undefeated before Wichita State achieved that feat last season.

Sports psychology for basketball is not easy to understand, as there are many coaches that do, yet very few succeed in implementing it. Those coaches that do in fact succeed know basketball
psychology inside out, and Coach Tarkanian was no different.

A colorful character, he knew how to separate his two personalities– the one on the court and the one off of the court.

As a coach, he did an excellent job giving his team opportunities to win games while of course he was a bit outspoken in press conferences. No matter what, Tarkanian chased after wins and nothing else.

It was for this reason that players enjoyed playing for Tarkanian. He would always have his player’s backs, no matter what criticism he received. He did not care what the media thought of him as long as his team was happy.

During his time at UNLV, Tarkanian went 509-105 and also had a successful tenure at Fresno State– going 153-80 in seven seasons.

For part of the 1992-1993 NBA season, Tarkanian showed toughness when he tried to take his talents to the next level by coaching in the NBA. Briefly serving as the San Antonio Spurs’ head coach, Coach Tarkanian was not a fit at the next level and went back to what he did best.

As a coach, Tarkanian and the UNLV Rebels won twenty or more games in 13 straight seasons, a mark which still stands today.

Coach Tarkanian – RIP