This man seems to have it all - fame, looks, fortune. And those have nothing to do with basketball.

When it comes to his chosen sport, Theus can boast that he has Final Four experience as a player and coach and enjoyed a long NBA career.

Now, all he has to do is persuade top-notch talent to spend four years in Las Cruces, N.M. If anybody can do it, it's Theus.

After working as an assistant coach to Rick Pitino at Louisville, Theus was hired last March to succeed Lou Henson at New Mexico State.

Predictably, the Aggies have struggled this season, sitting at 8-10 going into tonight's home game against Utah State. They are 4-3 in the WAC, in fourth place.

Theus, a former actor, is serious about this basketball stuff. Whatever it takes, he said.

"My life is about work," Theus said after getting hired. "I get teased a lot about being high-maintenance and things, but my life is about work. Everything I've ever gotten in my life, I've had to work extremely hard for. I've had the opportunity in my life to have every job I've ever wanted."

Theus won't work magic overnight, but he should be able to restore the NMSU program. After being a regular NCAA Tournament participant over many years, the program has fallen on hard times.

The 48-year-old rookie head coach is looking to blend the quick fix - junior college and four-year transfers, including former Utah starter Justin Hawkins - with the traditional method of high school recruiting.

Even if he doesn't land every player the Aggies recruit, parents are likely to listen to his message.

"Coach Theus really has a lot of positive attributes that really help him on the road," said assistant coach Gus Hauser. "We like to give him a hard time around the office, but, obviously, he's a great-looking guy. He has a great, charismatic personality.

"With his playing and coaching experience, I think it really establishes himself as somebody that parents and high school coaches really see as a leader and somebody that they would like their kid to play for."

A California high school star, Theus played for Jerry Tarkanian as the coach was beginning to assemble a great UNLV program. The Rebels got to the Final Four during Theus' college career.

His 13-year NBA career began in 1978 with the Chicago Bulls. He went on to play for four other NBA teams and also in the Italian League.

Retired from playing since 1992, Theus has acted in numerous television shows and worked as a basketball announcer.

"As a professional basketball player, I've been able to transfer that work ethic and that desire and undying work into every situation in my life," he said. "That is one of the messages that I want to convey to our team. I want to convey to them that their life doesn't stop after their basketball career is over."

Theus caught the coaching bug several years ago, but he didn't have the experience to match his desires. He lost out on the UNLV head coaching job in 2000 when his alma mater went with veteran Charlie Spoonhour.

Theus hooked up with Pitino, helping the Cardinals reach the Final Four last season.

"One of the biggest things I learned about college basketball [at Louisville] is how to run a program," he said. "I don't think I can be taught more basketball, but how to get from point A to point Z, that is what I have been taught in the last two years."