We head west for this edition of The VN Interview. Coach Lon Kruger enters his fourth year at UNLV having led the Runnin’ Rebels to their first Sweet 16 since 1991 last season. Thanks to Andy Grossman of the UNLV SID office for his help in coordinating the interview. Here’s the interview:

1. VN-How is your health after having offseason bypass surgery?

Coach Kruger-”It’s good. We were lucky to catch it early, during a routine, annual treadmill stress test. I feel very blessed.”

2. VN-Do you sense UNLV has more credibility on the recruiting trail after last season’s run to the Sweet 16?

Coach Kruger-”We do. Recruiting is about exposure. Playing as one of 16 teams left shows that we are a good program with good players. Good players want to play with good players.”

3. VN-What are the pros and cons of coaching your son?

Coach Kruger-”All pros for us. Kevin had played 3 years in the PAC 10 before he came to us, so he had credibility.” Coach Kruger went on to say that the other players were very welcoming of Kevin and that made the situation “very comfortable.”

4. VN-What is the biggest crisis facing college basketball?

Coach Kruger-”I wish we had greater access to the players in the summer.” Coach Kruger also stated that he feels coaches “lose touch” with players, to an extent, during the summer and that it would be much better if coaches had “a little more contact, to monitor the player’s progress.”

5. VN-Have your young players progressed as you would hope in the early season?

Coach Kruger-”They have so far. The young players have made progress in every game, so far. With Louisville coming in on Wednesday, I hope they continue, because they(Louisville) have a very good team.

6. VN- What is your philosophy on nonconference scheduling?

Coach Kruger-”You want your nonconference schedule to prepare you for conference play.” Coach Kruger added that players and fans really enjoy the marquee nonconference matchups. He also said he believes UNLV’s schedule will have them well prepared for Mountain West play.

7. VN-Are you suprised at how quickly Bruce Pearl has gotten Tennessee into a contending position?

Coach Kruger-”Not at all. Bruce has done a great job everywhere he’s been.” He further stated that the combination of Bruce Pearl and Tennessee’s program is one he would expect to succeed.

8. VN-What are your thoughts on the three point line being moved back next season?

Coach Kruger-”It’s OK they moved it, but I’m not sure why they moved it past the international line.” Coach Kruger expressed that he felt putting the line at the international distance would make more sense, because he didn’t see how adding three extra inches made much of difference.

9. VN-Having coached extensively in international competition, what step do you think needs to be taken to get the USA back to winning gold medals?

Coach Kruger-”I think we’ve already taken that step. Getting the best players on the floor and having an extended training camp. Instead of going year to year, this team will have been working together for three years when they reach the Olympics next year. Hopefully, that will result in winning the Gold.”

10. VN-What does all of the turnover in the coaching ranks of the Mountain West say about the state of the profession?

Coach Kruger-”Expectations are up and patience is down.” He went on to express that programs that change coaches too often struggle to maintain any stability. Also, he said it is the “nature of the profession” and coaches “don’t feel great about it.”

I hope everyone enjoyed this VN Interview. We’ll have more coming soon.