Henson in no rush to leave Kruger or Runnin' Rebels

By Rick Dean

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

OMAHA, Neb. - In four seasons playing under Lon Kruger at Kansas State, the term "coach on the floor" became even more trite when used so frequently about Steve Henson.

But that was when Henson was in his 20s. Having turned 40 last month, he now faces a different question from people who initially knew him as a basketball and multi-events performer in track at both McPherson High School and K-State.

Isn't it about time, they ask, that Henson begins coaching his own team?

"If the right deal came along and the timing was right, sure," he replies.

The thing is, that deal will have to be better than the one he now has as a Kruger assistant at Nevada-Las Vegas.

Now in his fourth season at UNLV, Henson - who started for Kruger at K-State - says he enjoys working for a coach he knows well in a program that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of last year's NCAA Tournament.

"He's a great guy to work for," said Henson, who last summer was named one of the nation's top 25 assistant coaches by Rivals.com. "He allows us to have input, he gives us freedom. He's got great balance in his life, and that carries over to what he allows us to do.

"You know, you hear a lot of assistant coaches talking about how worn out they get, but that doesn't happen with us. He's so positive with everything, I look forward to coming to work every day.

"It's going to take something special to leave what I have now, because I really think we can build something special in Vegas. I think we can make a run at the national championship."

The Runnin' Rebels took a step in that direction last year when they upset No. 2 seed Wisconsin in the second round of the Midwest Regional at Chicago, then lost by four to Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen at St. Louis. Asking them to do the same today for a second consecutive year against top-seeded Kansas with a team that lost five starters from 2007 may be unrealistic.

This year, anyway.

But Henson, a 1990 draftee of the Milwaukee Bucks who worked as an assistant coach and advance scout when Kruger was with the Atlanta Hawks, sees no reason the Rebels can't return to the national prominence of the Jerry Tarkanian era, only with less controversy.

"We work in an exciting place to live, a fun place for kids," he said. "We've got great facilities, great fans. That's something you build on."

It won't surprise anyone who knows Kruger or Henson to learn how the Rebels, despite rebuilding almost from scratch, fashioned a 27- 7 record.

Once the paragon of offensive basketball under Tarkanian, UNLV now plays a stifling defense, one that took Kent State out of all semblances of an offense and held the Golden Flashes to a tournament- record low 10 points in the first half of their first-round game.

"Almost all these guys were at least around last year, and they learned how we do things and the way we're going to play," Henson said. "That's really carried over on the defensive standpoint. We're doing some things even better than we did last year in denying things and taking charges and doing the things that give you a chance every night."

Rick Dean can be reachedat rick.dean@cjonline.com

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