UNLV fires Kevin Kruger, son of Lon Kruger, after four years even amid athletic department's financial peril

The Runnin' Rebels still haven't come close to recapturing the magic of their golden era in the 1990s

A long-underachieving program is making a change yet again with its men's basketball program. UNLV fired coach Kevin Kruger on Saturday, the school announced Saturday. Kruger lasted four seasons and went 75-55 at the Mountain West school. 

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Coach Kruger for his hard work, commitment, and dedication over the past four years as head coach of the Runnin' Rebels," UNLV athletic director Erick Harper said. "While there have been notable achievements during his tenure, there have also been challenges. We have significant aspirations for our men's basketball program, both within the Mountain West and on a national level, with the goal of competing in the NCAA Tournament. Our expectation is to contend for and win championships. After evaluating the program as a whole, I believe a change is necessary to achieve these goals."

The Runnin' Rebels went 18-15 this season, falling Thursday in the Mountain West quarterfinals to Utah State. The Runnin' Rebels never made an NCAA Tournament under Kruger's watch, and beyond that, never had a season wherein they finished better than 73rd at KenPom.com.

Kruger was hired due to his connections to the program (he earned his degree there in 2007), including family ties: father Lon Kruger had success 15 years ago in the desert. But the second Kruger tenure could never gain momentum.

The job was presumed for months in industry circles to inevitably come open, even as UNLV's athletic department is in financial peril and staring down more than $25 million in debt. Donors will have to help pay off the remaining $2.35 million of Kruger's contract, which goes through the spring of 2027.

College basketball coaching changes: Kyle Neptune out at Nova, Fran McCaffery done at Iowa

Matt Norlander

In the 1980s and through the first half of the 1990s under Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV was one of the most popular and successful programs in college basketball. It hasn't been able to recapture that magic since. Vegas has missed the NCAA Tournament 12 seasons in a row.

When UNLV makes its next hire, that coach will mark the seventh at the program since 2011 — Lon Kruger's last of his seven seasons, marking the most successful era for Vegas since the Tarkanian years.