Hope our countdown stokes your passion

(Trust me. I have daily proof.)

The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s countdown of UNLV’s Top 100 basketball players in history is an endeavor sure to create views at opposite ends of the court, which is a good thing. A great thing.

Matt Youmans thought it would be a series R-J readers would enjoy, and Adam Hill was quick to lend his expertise for weeks and weeks of research, neither of which is a surprise.

Matt covers the Rebels for us and has been thinking about the project for a while. He didn’t want to follow the predictable lead of other media outlets, of compiling a list that ended at 25 or, as one for the greatest NBA players did, 50. He wanted ours to be different.

“It would be too easy to do 50,” Youmans said. “Nobody does 100. I felt the program had enough good players over the years to make a Top 100 list. The Rebels haven’t had 100 great players, but they’ve had at least 50 and some really good ones after that.

“You could rank the top 50 in an hour. Getting to 100 is a lot more challenging for those voting. UNLV has been playing basketball for only 52 years, but a lot of good players have come through the program.”

A list like this takes time and effort and someone loopy enough to truly care what percentage H Waldman shot as compared to Odis Allison, someone who can’t sleep at night until he is convinced Don Helm really did play on the team known as Nevada Southern University.

Someone with the basketball passion of Adam Hill.

I won’t sugarcoat it. The guy is out of his mind about this sport. He covers mixed martial arts for the R-J, but Hill is over-the-top for hoops. He views the ESPN Full Court package like the rest of us might a winning lottery ticket. He stays up all hours replaying the day’s best Metro Atlantic matchup. He watches at least 150 games per season.

I left him in charge of my daughter’s third-grade team one week and he nearly installed the Kansas break and amoeba defense during a 60-minute practice.

He could have given UNLV coaches a detailed scouting report on Ali Farokhmanesh the minute Northern Iowa flashed on the television screen back on Selection Sunday.

The list that debuts in the R-J today needs just such a nutcase, and I mean that in a really good way.

“It was interesting to see what people weighed in the voting, how much importance they put on certain players or how long someone was at UNLV,” Hill said. “We found a lot of players that might not be as recognizable today, but when you look at their numbers and the records they held or broke, needed to be considered. I probably had heard or knew of everyone from the last 25 years at least.”

Is that all? The kid might be slipping.

I was honored to be included on the panel to vote, given my time in Las Vegas is far less than others who studied the same pages of information before submitting ballots kept under lock and key by the accounting firm of Youmans, Hill and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

I tried my best to follow the idea that only what a player accomplished at UNLV should be considered. NBA resumes were not to be counted.

It is why I voted Kevin Kruger a good 15 to 20 spots ahead of Shawn Marion. Each played one season at UNLV. Kruger led the team to a Sweet 16 that without him doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Marion led a bad team to the NIT. Marion whips Kruger 1-on-1, but what each meant to the UNLV teams they competed on is a completely different story. Kruger was far more valuable.

It’s just one of countless storylines you will discover and debate day after day as the Top 100 is revealed. I voted Stacey Augmon No. 1 overall but won’t be surprised if Larry Johnson receives the top spot. You can’t argue either way.

Or maybe you can. And will.

Feel free. What this series does is what newspapers should do more of, which is create conversation and make its readers feel part of the process.

The best part: Someone else can answer the long, rambling, irrational e-mails.

Most of all, enjoy the countdown.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618.