Men's Info

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Lon Kruger Longtime collegiate and NBA basketball coach Lon Kruger completed his fourth year as the Runnin' Rebels' head coach in 2007-08, compiling an overall 91-42 mark (.684), after finishing a season that kept the program in the national spotlight.   Hired at UNLV on March 15, 2004, as the 10th full-time head coach in UNLV men's basketball history, Kruger's first two Runnin' Rebel teams showed positive signs of progress under his leadership - progress that has paid off over the past two seasons in Las Vegas.   Kruger has led the Runnin' Rebels to records of 30-7 and 27-8, over the last two seasons as UNLV made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2007. The back-to-back Big Dance showings for UNLV marked the first time that the Runnin' Rebels made repeat trips in consecutive years to the NCAA Tournament since 1990 and 1991.   Getting to the NCAA Tournament is one thing, but winning is another, and the Runnin' Rebels have done just that, logging three wins over the last two years - two in 2007 with the Sweet 16 appearance and one in 2008, falling to eventual national champion Kansas in the second round this past March.   Just prior to leading the squad to back-to-back Mountain West Conference Tournament championships this past season, Kruger was named the MWC Coach of the Year along with the United States Basketball Writers Association's District VIII Coach of the Year. The consecutive MWC Tournament titles for UNLV marked the first since 1990 and 1991 and was the first time in MWC history that a school repeated as the conference's tournament champion.   Over the past two seasons, Kruger has led the team to a 57-15 mark (.792) and the program's 57 victories over that span ranks ninth in the country among teams that have played in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. It also ranks as the second-most wins over the last two years among teams in the West, only behind UCLA.   Protecting UNLV's home court at the Thomas & Mack Center is something Kruger stresses and his team has responded. Over the last two years, UNLV has recorded a 38-3 mark at home, which includes streaks of 19- and 15-straight games (the 15 straight is still active and is the 11th-longest in the country). The Runnin' Rebels have also won 24 straight games against MWC opponents at the TMC, a streak they will carry into next season.   Kruger, who was a finalist for the 2007-08 USBWA Henry Iba Award, which is presented to the national coach of the year, surprised many with his team's 2007-08 performance. Not only did UNLV lose four starters off its 2007 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team, but also the top player off the bench, who was the 2006-07 MWC Defensive Player of the Year (Joel Anthony - currently with the NBA's Miami Heat). The 2007-08 squad was also without 62 percent of the scoring, rebounding and minutes played from the previous year's team. Kruger also worked his magic with just a 10-man roster and won with a lineup that averaged 6-feet, 4.5-inches tall and whose tallest starter was only 6-foot-7-inches.   Click here for full bio

Women's Info

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Kathy Olivier Former Lady Rebel Kathy Olivier became the eighth head coach in UNLV history on April 22.   Olivier comes back to Las Vegas after spending the past 15 years as head coach at UCLA.   "I'm really excited for this opportunity," said Olivier. "UCLA's been very good to me, and the job at UNLV was the only one that would have gotten me back into coaching. I am thrilled to come back to my alma mater."   At the helm of the Bruins, she guided the team to five appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 1999. Olivier also coached UCLA to a Pac-10 regular season championship in 1999, and to the Pac-10 Tournament title in 2006. Her 1999 squad finished the season ranked No. 7 in the nation in the USA Today poll, which was the highest ranking in school history, and the team posted six top-four finishes in the Pac-10 over her last 11 years.   As the Bruins' head coach, two of her players were named Kodak All-Americans and Pac-10 Players of the Year, including Pac-10 Athlete of the Decade Natalie Williams. In 14 of her 15 years at UCLA, the Bruins had a first-team Pac-10 All-Conference selection. Known as an outstanding recruiter, Olivier also saw three of her players earn Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors.   She spent a total of 22 seasons at UCLA, first beginning as an assistant coach for the Bruins from 1986-1993. Prior to joining the UCLA staff, Olivier served on the Southern Cal coaching staff for three seasons (1983-86). While at USC, Olivier coached three Olympians and one National Player of the Year in Cheryl Miller. The Trojans won the 1984 national championship and were national runner-ups in 1986 during her time at USC. She began her coaching career at UC Irvine, where she was an assistant coach from 1982-83.   The former Kathy Ricks, Olivier began her college playing career at Cal State Fullerton in the 1977-78 season, where she averaged 15.6 ppg as a freshman, and 19.3 ppg in her sophomore season. She then transferred to UNLV, where she earned Honorable Mention honors from the American Women's Sports Federation in 1979-80, after scoring 16.3 ppg and leading the Lady Rebels to a 22-8 record. She finished her career at UNLV with 975 career points in just two seasons, which ranks 20th all-time on the school's career scoring list, and her 20.2 ppg average as a senior in 1980-81 is 10th-best all-time as well.   Oliver then remained with the Lady Rebels for the 1981-82 season as a graduate assistant, and received her bachelor of science degree in physical education in 1982 from UNLV.   Click here for full bio