Dave Rice Resigns as UNLV Head Coach: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team announced head coach Dave Rice resigned on Sunday, according to Matt Youmans of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Youmans reported that Rice had been fired, but the university later announced that Rice had resigned. ESPN Las Vegas radio personality Dave Cokin said assistant coach Todd Simon will be the interim head coach.

One person who is not excited to see Simon be named the interim coach is Leslye Augmon, the wife of former Runnin' Rebel legend and current UNLV assistant coach Stacey Augmon, per MWC Connection:

Leslye Augmon later deleted the tweet and offered this explanation:

The Runnin' Rebels dropped to 0-3 in Mountain West play after a 59-57 loss to the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday. UNLV led by as many as 17 points in the first half but lost for the fifth time in its last six games.

This is an excerpt of the release from UNLV, per Willie Ramirez of the Associated Press:

“I am particularly proud of our accomplishments, not only on the court, but also academically and in recruiting,” Rice said in a statement, per Taylor Bern of the Las Vegas Sun. “It has been a great honor to coach at my alma mater, and I wish the players, the coaches, the university, the program and the fans the very best as they move forward.”

Steve Guiremand of MyLVSports.com provided a video of Rice meeting with the media Sunday night to discuss his resignation:

Rice's job security had been in question over the last two seasons. After leading UNLV to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in his first two seasons in 2012 and 2013, the Rebels missed the tournament the following two years.

Despite fielding one of the best recruiting classes in the country in 2014, which included Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick Rashad Vaughn, UNLV went 18-15. Rice and UNLV athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy met on March 16 after UNLV was eliminated from the Mountain West tournament and mutually agreed that Rice was the right coach going forward:

"

I met with Coach Rice earlier today and we had a productive and candid discussion. He shared his vision for the Runnin’ Rebel program and how he, as its leader, will move it forward. I also had a chance to share with him our expectations as we go from this season into next.

Included in those expectations are to reaffirm our status as a leader in the Mountain West and our position as a national program.

"

Rice signed a two-year extension in April after it seemed as though UNLV would lose him to South Florida. He had three years remaining on his original deal at $700,000 per year.

Albeit an intriguing name per ESPN's Jeff Goodman, one coach that could be in the mix is former Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown:

"

One name already in the mix to replace Dave Rice at UNLV is former NBA head coach Mike Brown, sources told ESPN. He has support among a segment of UNLV boosters. Another question is whether UNLV will pay to attract a big-name guy.

"

The end of the Rice era is another mishap for the UNLV athletic department. Former football head coach Bobby Hauck resigned in 2014, one year after signing a three-year deal and leading UNLV to its first bowl game since 2000.

Rice had many chances to succeed and recruited at a high level. His firing comes at a cost, and UNLV has to pay.