Jim Bolla

James Daniel Bolla Jr. (March 27, 1952 – October 21, 2022) was an American college basketball coach. He was the head women's basketball coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 1982 to 1996, with his 300 games won the most in the team's history.

Early life and education Born in Pittsburgh, Bolla graduated from Bishop Canevin High School in 1970.

Coaching career From 1975 to 1977, Bolla was a volunteer assistant coach for Pittsburgh men's basketball. He was promoted to graduate assistant in 1977 and full assistant in 1978. In the 1979–80 season, Bolla moved to the Pittsburgh women's basketball program to be an assistant coach.

Bolla joined UNLV in 1981 as an assistant coach, then was head coach from 1982 to 1996. In those 14 years, Bolla had a 300–120 (.714) record, including seven NCAA tournament appearances and 11 seasons with 20 or more wins. During the 1989–90 season, UNLV moved to second in the nation, the highest ranking in school history. That team finished with a 28–3 record, the best mark in school history. He is a three-time Big West coach of the year award winner, because of his work at UNLV. He coached six all-Americans, three Big West player of the year winners, and 24 all-conference selections. UNLV won seven Big West titles under his leadership. The firing followed unfound accusations of verbal and physical abuse from a few players who merely wanted a new coach over playing time.

Career outside coaching In the 1980–81 season, Bolla was a photographer for the Eastern Eight (now Atlantic 10) Conference.

In 2015, Bolla began co-hosting a daily sports talk show on KDWN radio in Las Vegas, Coaches' Corner with his friend, longtime NVHOF Las Vegas sportscaster Rich Perez, and later with former Raider Greg Townsend.

Personal life Bolla was married to Dallas Boychuk. They later divorced just prior to his death. Together, they had one daughter, Sasha. He resided in Las Vegas during his later years.