Mike Wise Remembers the Late NBA and UNLV Star Armen Gilliam

Mike Wise's column in today's Washington Post offers a reminiscence of Armen Gilliam, the UNLV star and solid NBA pro who died of a heart attack this week. The death stunned many who knew Gilliam, who kept himself fit, had a sharp mind, and avoided the folly and trouble that dogs college and professional star athletes. (If any current or recent Ohio State football players bother to read anything, they should take note of Wise's article.)

It's a fun, funny, and fascinating piece that's as much about the rowdy, dreadful 1994-95 New Jersey Nets as it is about Gilliam. Wise's point is that, amidst the ribald characters on the Jersey Swamp's pro team, Gilliam was the sage. He kept his money, unlike many of his millionaire teammates. He kept his head, in stark contrast with every nearly other guy on the Net roster. Up to his sudden, tragic death, Gilliam kept his health, which some of that star-crossed team's players could not.

Another point of curiosity about Gilliam is that he came from a UNLV collegiate program that had been tarred as "rogue." UNLV's coach Jerry Tarkanian recruited talented players, most of whom were African-American and had game. Racist code words about UNLV bubbled up every so often. Some examples: UNLV's "open" style was criticized, typically by unflattering contrast with the "disciplined" game that often featured Caucasian collegiate stars. UNLV players suffered from the innuendo of being stupid because they played ball in the shadow of The Strip instead of, say, Duke. What do you think the comparative odds were that Armen Gilliam's college major was noted or explored by the media, versus Christian Laettner's area of study? And finally, UNLV was a college program in Sin City itself. How could anyone respect such a program? Weren't the stands filled with fellas, hookers, and deadbeat gamblers? Compare that randy mix to Duke's phony prep school image or Bob Knight's wholesome Hoosiers. The perception of five from the 'hood, backed by a corrupt college administration and a Mob-run city, was not exactly the NCAA's idea of a dream team. The NCAA worked unceasingly to get Tarkanian out of the college game, and that history, unflattering to the NCAA, is definitely worth reading. (The only sports organization more hypocritical than the NCAA is the breathtakingly pompous, profoundly corrupt International Olympic Committee. Dominique Strauss-Kahn would be a perfect fit for the IOC.)

Ironically, when Indiana played UNLV, it was Knight who forthrightly said Tarkanian was an excellent coach and that the Runnin' Rebels (the UNLV team name) were one helluva squad. Knight was right on both counts. Armen Gilliam was a star on that UNLV unit. He eventually made it to the mountaintop known as the NBA, wasn't dazzled by it, and managed his life well. It's sad, as Mike Wise so thoughtfully noted in his Post article, that Gilliam's time on this earth ended so prematurely.

The image shows Gilliam with his son Jeremiah during a 2007 UNLV ceremony celebrating the retirement of Gilliam's jersey and number.