UNLV fires head coach Kruger after 4 seasons

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his “dedication, and devotion”to the program, while lamenting the program’s failure to fulfill expectations in a declaration revealing his dismissal.Editor’s Picks”We have significant aspirations for our men’s basketball program, both within the Mountain West and on a nationwide level, with the goal of competing in the NCAA Tournament. Our expectation is to contend for and win championships. After assessing the program as a whole, I believe a modification is necessary to achieve these objectives, “Harper added.UNLV has currently begun its look for a brand-new head coach, according to the team’s statement.Kruger went 76-55 overall in his 4 seasons in Vegas, but the Rebels never reached the NCAA tournament and finished in the leading 4 of the Mountain West standings simply once.

They went 18-14 in his very first season at the helm, followed by a low point in 2022-23 when they finished simply 7-11 in conference play.His best group came last season, when UNLV won 10 of 11 games from late January to early March to play itself into the NCAA competition bubble conversation. However the Rebels lost at Nevada to end the regular season and after that to San Diego State in their very first game of the conference competition to end any at-large hopes. They did go on to win two games in the NIT before losing to Seton Hall.Kruger was promoted in 2021 to replace T.J. Otzelberger, who had actually left after two seasons to take the task at Iowa State. He had worked as an assistant coach under Otzelberger after spending 3 seasons as an assistant under his dad, Lon, at Oklahoma.