Tarkanian Omission from Hall A Head Scratcher
I have never been a huge fan of halls of fame. The reason is because the discussion around who is omitted seems to dominate the conversation not allowing those who actually are enshrined to be honored as they should be.
There are always players and coaches who are no-brainers. They’re simply men or women that you can’t deny change the game or had an enough impact that they must be include. Sans any major gambling scandal, omission of guilt, or crimes, most who deserve to get in somehow find their way in.
That is why the case of former University of Nevada-Las Vegas coach Jerry Tarkanian is so perplexing. Tarkanian single handedly built a small school program into arguably the most dominating team in NCAA basketball history in the early 1990s. UNLV is still in the Top 5 of all-time winningest Division I college programs despite having started their program 50 years after other top teams like Duke, North Carolina or Kansas.
Tarkanian has an all-time college coaching record of 990-228 and 706-198 at the Division I level at Long Beach State, UNLV and Fresno State. His stifling defense and up-tempo offense changed the way college basketball was played. Simply put, there is simply no compelling or legitimate reason why he has not been elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Only one problem: he’s not in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Most observers who talk about Tarkanian’s snub are quick to pin it on the perception that Tarkanian was somehow a “bad egg” who violated NCAA rules and was constantly on probation. The reality is, that observation is not founded in any fact and is based on unproven allegations over Tarkanian’s career. In fact, current Hall member Larry Brown, the former Kansas, UCLA and NBA journeyman coach, was found to have violated more NCAA rules and with more bravado than Tarkanian ever was, yet he found his way into the Hall. 
To add insult to injury, Tarkanian has also been omitted from the National Collegiate Hall of Fame. That’s just overt prejudice and the hall (which I’ve visited) is a complete sham.
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