Ex-Rebel Stacey Augmon on Rice’s radar

As Dave Rice prepares to return to his alma mater, he might not be the only former Rebel coming home to coach basketball.

Stacey Augmon, Rice's teammate on UNLV's 1990 national championship team and 1991 Final Four squad, is considering whether to return to the school where he became an All-American and NBA lottery pick in 1991.

"Nothing's been finalized," Augmon said Sunday from Denver, where he is the Denver Nuggets' player development coach. "I should know something in a day or two. But I probably should hold off commenting until everything gets finalized."

Rice also is looking to bring San Diego State assistant Justin Hutson on board. Hutson, 39, who has been with Steve Fisher for five seasons and was a major factor in the Aztecs signing Kawhi Leonard in 2009, would head up UNLV's recruiting under Rice.

Rice, who arrived in Las Vegas late Sunday afternoon from Provo, Utah, with his wife Mindy and sons Travis and Dylan, said he'll address his staff situation in more detail at today's 4 p.m. news conference at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"I've gotten a lot of calls, emails and texts," Rice said of interest from coaches looking to join his UNLV staff. "But we're still working on it."

Augmon, 42, has spent four years on George Karl's staff, working with the Nuggets' young players. In an interview two years ago, Augmon said he would consider returning to UNLV to coach.

"I think I'd have a lot to offer," said Augmon, who played 15 years in the NBA. "I've been at peace with (UNLV) for quite a while."

Jerry Tarkanian, who coached Rice and Augmon, said if Augmon comes on board, it would be a real positive for the program.

"Stacey is well known," Tarkanian said. "He's done a really good job in Denver from what I hear and he'd be a real asset to Dave on the floor and in recruiting. If Dave can pull that off, it would be a real plus."

In addition to his strong West Coast recruiting ties, Hutson has overseen the Aztecs' defensive strategies. San Diego State held opponents to a school record low 39 percent shooting from the floor this past season. The fact he is familiar with recruiting the West, particularly California, and knows the Mountain West Conference makes him an attractive candidate to join Rice's staff.

One person who likely won't be joining Rice's staff is his brother Grant Rice, the boys basketball coach at Bishop Gorman High School.

"I've been at Gorman 10 years and I love it there," Grant Rice said. "Dave and I are really close but things have happened so quickly, we really haven't talked about it. Whatever he thinks is best (for UNLV), that's what I'll do. I'm just happy and excited for him. This is his moment and it's great that he's coming home."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.