Reaction to the death of former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian

Reaction to the death of former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian

Published Feb. 11, 2015 5:55 p.m. ET

Quotes and reaction to the death of Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian:

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''Our hearts are broken but filled with incredible memories. You will be missed Tark.'' - wife Lois Tarkanian

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''He had an uncanny ability to take star players, and mold them into cohesive and selfless teams. That is a testament to how well he related to his players. They adored him. As coaches, we admired him as well. His teams were a joy to watch, unless you were playing against one of them. He taught pressure man-to-man defense as well as anyone has ever done.'' - Duke and U.S. national team coach Mike Krzyzewski

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''He was well-known and was able to recruit kids pretty much all over when he was at UNLV because of their success and the fact that they were sold out all the time. I was happy to see that they named the court after him because there were two types of fans: People who didn't like having him coach at UNLV and a lot more people who did like having him.'' - former Arizona coach Lute Olson

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''HOF coach & great friend Jerry Tarkanian has passed away. We've lost two icons in the same week. Sad week for all who love this great game.'' - Kentucky coach John Calipari via Twitter

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''He fought and fought and fought.'' - son Danny Tarkanian

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''He was one of the few coaches who were successful playing more than one style. At Long Beach he was low possession, walk it up the floor, zone defense and at UNLV it was the Runnin' Rebs. Not many coaches can change styles that dramatically.'' - North Carolina coach Roy Williams

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''He instilled in me a confidence and commitment to doing what I believe is right for all people I am around. He will always be a part of UNLV, and our university is a better institution because of that.'' - current UNLV coach Dave Rice

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''Coach Tarkanian's contribution to UNLV and southern Nevada stretches far beyond the game of basketball. He made Runnin' Rebel basketball a brand name during his 19 years on campus, inspiring our community and creating a legacy that endures to this day.'' - UNLV President Len Jessup

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''Jerry Tarkanian is one of the true legends in the coaching profession. He was successful at so many different levels in college basketball. Coach Tarkanian welcomed me in from the first day I arrived in Fresno. He loved the Bulldogs and stayed connected with our program throughout the years.'' - current Fresno State coach Rodney Terry

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''As a player it's one thing, but as I've gotten older and started coaching, the relationship changed. I remember sitting in a restaurant talking to him and going through a stack of 100 napkins, doing plays and showing me different things on the napkins.'' - former UNLV player and current Cal State Northridge coach Reggie Theus

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''He was a good friend and great coach. His style of play really impacted college basketball. When he got to UNLV, he started to run-and-gun and that set up a style for other teams.'' - former Nevada coach Sonny Allen, who faced Tarkanian's Rebels 12 times from 1980-87

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''Coach Tarkanian will be forever memorialized by sports fans across the nation as an iconic figure who changed the sport. Nevadans will remember him as a man who brought fame to our young UNLV and a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather.'' - Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval

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''If you didn't have it together offensively, and you didn't have some really good guards, you wanted no part of playing those guys. He was a great teacher of the game.'' - former Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo, whose team lost in the Elite Eight to Tarkanian's famous 1991 team at UNLV

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''Every time I saw Jerry Tarkanian, at the end he'd say, `You guys are unbelievable.' His team was 32-2 and we were like 24-10. He would say, `I can't believe you do that.' He would do that almost every time I'd see him. People are different than their personas that the media cultivates. He's one of the humblest, nicest guys and one of the best coaches ever. I don't think people know that he was a great guy and he was a great basketball coach.'' - Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim

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''Coach Tarkanian was one of the most charismatic and talented coaches of his era. He was a great defensive specialist whose teams were always well-prepared. But most importantly, he always cared about his student-athletes. Jerry will be sorely missed.'' - former St. John's coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Lou Carnesecca

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''People forget that when he went to UNLV, no one knew who UNLV was. And he created that. I thought it was a shame how long they made him wait to get into the Hall of Fame. I never thought that was right or just. I had a problem with that, and I actually voiced it way back. He fought the NCAA when no one else would. He could have taken his fine, but he said: `No, I'm not. I'm going to fight you.' And I just find it interesting now that the things he was fighting about is basically what we've all found out - he was right. So I hope he passed away knowing that he had a just cause for everyone. So I'm a big fan.'' - Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers

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