Tark was an excellent coach. Came to Long Beach State from a JUCO college in Pasadena and built a powerhouse program at the "Beach". He could recruit from anywhere in the country. His biggest prize was a guy named Ed Ratleff from Ohio who was a prep all American. Ratleff went on to lead Long Beach as one of the top teams in the country, losing to UCLA at the last minute by a point or two, at a regional final. UCLA won the NCAA title that year. Ratleff was selected as a first team All American. Tarkanian continued to have powerhouses at the "Beach" until he was lured to UNLV where he continued to produce all those powerful teams over the years.
I had the pleasure of knowing Tark at Kelly's, a watering hole by the beach. All the hoop maniacs hung out at this joint to discuss or argue about hoops. I had a lot of ammunition because UTEP was also a powerhouse at the time. Tark had great respect and admiration for Haskins - UTEP was admired and respected in the college hoop world, along with LB State and later UNLV. Rest in peace Tark.