RENO — Eric Musselman hugged one player and high-fived another and chest-bumped another. He ran over to the edge of one baseline inside the Lawlor Events Center on Saturday night, one side of his dress shirt untucked, and waved his arms up and down at a raucous student section.
His smile reached from Reno to Lake Tahoe and beyond.
He swayed back and forth with his team while singing the school's alma mater.
He understood the importance of what his basketball team had just accomplished.
UNLV understood the gigantic opportunity lost.
I'm not sure how well Musselman will be able to recruit to UNR over the long term, how many players he might sign that can consistently win in the Mountain West, but in time the Biggest Little City in the World could have an annual conference contender under his stewardship.