So what’s next for the Arkansas basketball program after finishing the season with six straight losses, the most to end a season in school history?
Don’t expect anything earth shattering. Recruiting and off-season workouts will be the name of the game.
Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long told us here at WholeHogSports.com on Tuesday he was not changing his supportive stance on Coach John Pelphrey. He reiterated that sentiment Thursday night after the Razorbacks’ 77-64 loss to Georgia in the first round of the SEC tournament, which gave Arkansas its second consecutive losing season.
In fact, even though Arkansas’ SEC record (7-10) improved by five wins from last season, the 2009-10 campaign was technically the worst. Arkansas finished the season 14-18, compared to 14-16 last season.
Coach John Pelphrey watches from the bench in the closing minutes of Arkansas' loss to Georgia in Nashville at the Southeastern Conference tournament. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STATON BREIDENTHAL)
— What’s going to be interesting is the future of the assistants on the staff. Rob Evans, Tom Ostrom and Isaac Brown each have a contract ending this fiscal year, which is in June at the UA. Will anyone leave? Do we see coaches getting raises any time soon?
We’ll wait and see on that, but Pelphrey expressed his support of his assistants last night.
— What’s next, and possibly detrimental to the UA, is the release of the new Academic Progress Rate scores in April or May. The Razorbacks are in danger of losing a scholarship and practice time dependent on the new, four-year rolling score. Arkansas had an 888, well below the 925 benchmark set by the NCAA, last year.
— Pelphrey’s name has come up a few times in recent days on the national scene. Clay Travis of FanHouse.com, for example, believes Pelphrey should be fired. He posted those thoughts on Twitter, calling Arkansas’ loss the most disappointing sight of Day 1 at the SEC tournament:
Travis expanded on those thoughts later in a column, “Georgia Destroys Once-Mighty Arkansas:”
As a kid, I remember attending SEC tournaments when Arkansas Razorback fans rivaled Kentucky fans for the loudest and most passionate fans in the arena. This year? It’s not even a contest. Aside from the actual results on the court, which have been fairly unimpressive, John Pelphrey isn’t igniting the Arkansas faithful.
As such, you have to truly wonder how many years he’s got to get things turned around. The guess here? One more year.
— On Thursday, The Tennesseean, printed a poll of 12 veteran sportswriters in the SEC and were asked to rank the coaches from best to worst in the conference. Pelphrey came in at 11th.
— Vanderbilt, meanwhile, may be a bit upset the Razorbacks lost Thursday. You see, the Commodores have struggled against Georgia in two games this season, and much rather would have played today against Arkansas, a team they demolished by 17 points this season, according to The Tennesseean.
— And Rick Bozich of The Courier Journal in Louisville, Ky., is concerned about Pelphrey:
Worried about the future of former UK star John Pelphrey at Arkansas. The Hogs tapped out in the first round with a 77-64 loss to Georgia. Not good for a third-year coach to lose to a first-year coach (Mark Fox).
Most importantly, what do the fans think? You’re the lifeblood of the program. You buy the tickets, the merchandise and donate to the Razorback Foundation.
What are your thoughts?
Make sure to check out WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more coverage. You can also follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates with @bmarcello and @wholehogsports.
another year of pel ball and the lady ‘backs may have larger attendance than the men. this program is on life support and another season of Pel may pull the plug. He needs to go now, not a year from now.
I grew up an avid Razorback basketball fan so it breaks my heart to say this, but I have never cared less for the team. This was my first year in memory not to attend a single game and my first year maybe ever to not listen to the radio or watch them on TV/internet. I stuck with them in the early Nolan days, with the FB team during the Jack Crowe debacle, and with the late Nolan/Heath fall-from-grace… but my heart just isn’t in this team anymore. It is painful to admit that.
Much stuff was going from sexual assault to Fortson’s suspension. Not many fans give him enough credit for stepping up and handing down some tough measures. Yes, he’s answerable in making the program a successful one. Pel has one more yr. I think staffing changes are needed. The players played hard but must be said. They weren’t playing even at 3 star level. The bench was lacking. Recruiting must focus on interior. Too many guards, not enough big men. Pel has a rocky road ahead. Let’s see how he improves over the summer and get returning players back on track. I felt there was upside for the Hogs pre-season. Then it imploded. It’s up to Pel if he can turn things around. If not, many possible names will come up 2010-11 season.
I liked Pelphrey’s get-after-it attitude from the beginning. I thought the post game interview he gave during his first season as coach where he apologized to the fans for the team’s poor performance on the court was one of the most candid, honest post game interviews I have ever heard. However, as time has progressed, I continue to question the coaching moves he makes during the games. We haven’t seen good basketball in a long time (that includes Stan Heath). I don’t understand why he begins possession-substitutions with 7-8 minutes left, why he doesn’t press more, what offense he’s running (or not running). I understand that he does not have 100% control of what happens off court but he can heavily influence what happens on the court. I agree with this article – we have quickly erased 20yrs of hard work in the basketball program. Regarding attendance, if our baseball team played at Arvest park, they would outdraw Men’s BB. I hate to say it, but we need to pony up and go hire a big timer to right the ship.
Pelphrey was asked about the stamp he wants to leave on the program on March 5, as you may remember. Here’s a portion of his response, which you can read more of by going here:
http://blogs.nwaonline.com/slophouse/2010/03/pelphrey-hogs-still-building-toward-identity-but-getting-closer/
“Nobody will ever be able to duplicate Coach (Nolan) Richardson’s style of play. There will be a bunch of imitators, but they’ll never get to the speed and quickness … you just can’t,” the third-year Arkansas coach said. “That’s why he’s great. That’s why he is who he is. But certainly we aspire to be similar and to be even faster than we are now on offense, and take care of it and don’t turn it over, and then defensively be able to play and become even more reckless — so to speak — with our defense.”
The calling for Coach Pelphey’s job by Arkansas fans and local media is ridiculous. The guy has tremendous upside and is still coaching players he didn’t even recruit. Look at his resume… he has played an integral part of helping several programs including Florida and South Alabama turn the corner. I’m shocked that Arkansas fan is so obtuse in their thinking. A true fan would consider coach Pelphrey’s past successes combined with arguably the school’s best recruiting class in years, and realize that this program is turning the corner as well. Add on his ability to handle off the court issues swiftly and with integrity (despite the potential on court results) coach Pelphery deserves more loyalty than the so called AU fans are currently giving. Getting a big name is nothing but a pipe dream, so fans really have no choice but to be optimistic for at least another year… after all the same ones that are criticizing him will be praising him when they rip off their first winning streak – just as they did when the Hogs won 5 in conf. earlier this year.
Cayce,
When has the local media called for Pelphrey’s job? Who? I have yet to see anyone in the local media call for Pelphrey’s ouster.
Pelphrey’s best performance so far at Arkansas is his stiff penalties for poor off-court behavior. I do applaud him for that. And if the AD is to give him every possible benefit of the doubt, he will get one more year to turn things around. Because of the player turnover last offseason, he was dealing with a big group of newcomers this year. OK, that’s a tough situation to deal with. However, there can be no excuses next year. If all eligible players return, there will be no reason to repeat this year’s struggles. If a lot of players leave again this offseason, I’m sorry, there is no grace period for next year. Whether or not players return for next year, this coach is responsible for turning this program around beginning next season. I think 21-23 wins and no more than 10 losses are required for satisfactory progress for Pelphrey to be retained after next season. I don’t think that’s too much to expect at this point.
I’m sticking with Pel – for one more year. I do hope that staff changes are in order, however. With the incoming class and core of this team returning, anything less than 20 wins and an NCAA bid next season would be very disappointing, if not unacceptable.
I loved the fact that coach Pel really sought the job at Arkansas because he knew how passionate the fans can be. Remember…other coaches just used Arkansas to get a raise! Coach Pel knows what the fans of Arkansas want and expect in a bb team. Up tempo Rollin with Nolan type ball. I would like to see him have the recruits to play that type of ball again. I think he is working toward that but the turn-over of players (their fault or not) has caused us to need newcomers every year step up in starting positions…rather than maturing in the program and improving behind a veteran player. It takes time to build a program to that point…especially, when there is such a high turnover rate. Given enough time, I think Pel can right this ship. However, I don’t know how long his lease is?
If Long won’t fire Pelphrey, then he should be fired. The basketball program was FAILED. On the court and off. Pel seems like a nice man but he is not capable of fixing this mess. Our AD needs to get his head out of his butt and do his job or get fired. That’s what happens in real life when you don’t do what you were hired to do.
If Long won’t fire Pelphrey, then he should be fired. The basketball program has FAILED. On the court and off. Pel seems like a nice man but he is not capable of fixing this mess. Our AD needs to get his head out of his butt and do his job or get fired. That’s what happens in real life when you don’t do what you were hired to do.
I think high player turnover last off-season is a REASON (not an EXCUSE) for a poor season this year. I think Pelphrey should probably get a pass once for that. If it happens again this off-season, though, I don’t think Pelphrey should be excused for another poor season. If Fortson or any of the other players screw up and get suspended and cost the team victories, then they have to realize that their actions are likely going to cost their coach his job. Basketball is a sport where a quick turnaround can happen with the right player or two, so I think Pelphrey is granted next season to get to the NCAA tournament (with 21+ wins, and not sneaking in with a sub-par team pulling off a conference tournament championship); otherwise next season should be his last.
Pel will be the man next year and for many years…I’m sorry Hawg Fans, but you cannot win with a Washington, Welsh, Britt and an off Clarke…Clarke lost his stroke…he should come off the bench next year…but I believe that Pel is going to take the last two years and turn things around very quickly starting with recruiting…Arkansas is a great program and with the Frank Broyles damage from the Nolan Richardson’s days still being used by coaches in recruiting, I think that Pel will change the young men minds about Arkansas now…with the invite of Richardson last year to getting a Powell on your team, things are going to get better…I don’t like to see my Hawgs lose, but I believe better days are ahead…and this is from a man living in Indianapolis watching my Hoosiers look like an AAU team…this, my friends, is a fall from grace…
Three years is an eternity these days in basketball. We should have seen a huge improvement (20+ wins) from Pel’s team this year (his third year). I say it’s time to cut our losses (literally) and move on…
I was disappointed that last year they didn’t take the opportunity to go after Mike Anderson. Look the school is going in the right direction, we finally recognized the 94 team, we need to go after Mike Anderson and bring this program back to what it was. I know people will say well lets let Pelphrey have one more year because of what happened at the beginning of the year, ok that’s fine but look at what Mike Anderson has done for Mizzou. Dissappointing season, they win 5 or 6 in a row and looked like a legit team and than just flat at popped like a balloon. looked like NC. Looked promising but in the end the true colors came out. Inconsistency. It is just like in football, Petrino and company better have a great year and that is what we expect. Basketball better have a great year or Pelphrey has to go. If not you better go after Mike Anderson and stop the bleeding.
Pelphrey is not an Arkansas alumn and as such cannot be expected to coach this Arkansas team to a level of competition that will compete for the SEC title EVER!!!! He is a Kentucky Wildcat and will always be. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he is being given specific instructions to have the Hogs perform at a subpar level because it would be in his best interest to not allow the Hogs to do well. I also am an avid fan and it pained me greatly to see the Hogs play in Bud Walton against ole Miss and lose by two points in a game that they had led all but the last minute. Pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A high school team could beat these gus without even trying. Give it up Pelphrey and let someone with passion for the game come in and get this program going in the right direction.
A very disgruntled Hog Fan…..
I’m not totally convinced that Mike Anderson is the easy answer for our problems. I’ve done a little research into his statistics. He had a .685 winning percentage at UAB, while Pelphrey had a .544 percentage at South Alabama. Anderson’s 1st Mizzou team was 18-12, and he was 16-16 in his 2nd season. His 3rd team was 31-7, with an Elite 8 finish, which of course is very good. This year, though, he sits at 22-10 after getting upset by Nebraska (which was 2-14 in conference play) in the Big 12 tourney. Is this enough to qualify him for the Arkansas job in the eyes of our rabid fans? I don’t know if it is. He was a great assistant under Nolan, but Pelphrey was also a great assistant under Billy Donovan; that doesn’t really translate into automatic success. Anderson signed a 7-year extension at Mizzou last year, which I would assume would make it difficult for him to leave there anytime soon. Besides, I hear Auburn may make a run for him after firing Jeff Lebo.
Anyway, Arkansas hiring Mike Anderson is not the same thing as hiring the 2nd coming of Nolan Richardson; it doesn’t necessarily mean we are suddenly national championship contenders. Let’s also not forget that our downward slide began during the last few years of Nolan’s time here. He took us to our greatest heights, true, but we also started to go downhill under his coaching. I’m not saying he wasn’t a great coach, just reminding us that it wasn’t all peaches and cream with him.
Oh and another thing. If you sympathetic fans want to keep giving the coach another try, why don’t you pay his salary for a year or two and see if you still feel that strongly about keeping an employee who doesn’t perform for there money.
Hmmmmmmm??????? I think if the sympathetic fans were paying Pelphrey he would be run out of Fayetteville on a rail!!!!!!!!!!!!
Give it up and look at the future of the Hog program instead of wearing your feelings on your sleeves…
Pelphrey should either be fired or he needs to be a man and resign. He has had his chances and the program has dwindled to the point that there is more interest in the baseball and hockey teams. I can’t believe we would keep an A
D that allows this to continue.
To rephrase a Scott Jackson quote: “___________ is not an Arkansas alumn and as such cannot be expected to coach this Arkansas team to a level of competition that will compete for the SEC title EVER!!!!” Oh wait, Nolan wasn’t an Arkansas alumnus. Hhm? Wonder how he coached Arkansas to a level of competition that till compete for the SEC title EVER?????
And one more, If you NON-sympathetic fans want to give Pel the heave-ho and get a ‘big-timer’ why don’t you pay his salary for a year or two just to see how he works out. Two advantages: Great new coach!! cause he’s a big-timer, right? and save the foundation and UA a lot of money.
Folks…Pel is going to be a great coach…put Washington, Welch, Britt and an off Clarke on any team and you are going to lose…point blank…it was not the coaching that put the “L” in the column…it was a senior commiting so many fouls in the closing minutes of the Ole Miss game that put those guys on the line and eventually won the game…believe me, you can not win ball games with Washington as a starter or with Welch and Britt playing more than five minutes…so that means that this team is already moving up…this class of recruits will be way better than those listed…Mike Anderson is good, but I will still take Pel to get the job done…as I predicted that the Hawgs will be one and done in the touney, I see better day for this beloved Hawgs…can’t say that for my Hurrin Hoosiers…
The fact that should Pelphrey be fired now by the University does not mean I or other Razorback fans did not, or would not stick by him. Heath was suppose to be the answer to a Legend (Nolan), Pelphrey the answer to Heath? We need a coach now that can bring one or two guys, or continue to support Pelphrey during the interim. Too bad there is no way to get Nolan back involved with the University as Director of Basketball Operations, AD or something; so he can take Coach Pel under his wing for a couple of years. Otherwise, just pay the money and get Mike Anderson back.
For all vou “PEL BUDS”, Mostl of the players mentioned as “LOSERS” were highly recruited, or ranked players by other SEC coaches. I look at the coach. Pel has a bench full of his own recruits and other coaches are winning with fresh. & soph. players. You can’t build a program in todays world by counting on keeping star players more than two years. So in effect, he has his “senior” team. It doesn’t matter if the problem is coaching or players, Pelphrey created both of them. Get a winner in place NOW before our bball program becomes the counter-part too the post-Holtz football debacle.
scott jackson, are you serious? pelphrey would lose to make kentucky look good. wow! thats the most ludicrous thing i ever heard. if thats the case, every coach that is not coaching at his alma mater is suspect
Maddog is right.
If your a coach worth your salt in the SEC, you have to get the great freshman and get them up to speed by mid-season.
Times and players have changed since 1994 , faster, stronger, younger. The SEC will be much improved overall in 2011 which will overshadow any improvment by Pel ,and, unless he can improve as a coach, great freshman will continue to just be “good”. One more thing. Its not just what we read on line about the Hog Nation being upset about this year, its talked about at the gas station, the local food market, the work place. People that never use a computer are upset !
Hey you up on the hill………..can you hear us !
Let’s be honest, if Coach Pelphrey were less likeable and relational, he would be fired in the next two weeks. Probably, if he were African-American or had the last name of “Nutt”, our AD would be coach shopping during the March Madness tournament. Fans and writers have been extremely patient with this coach. Nolan barely got a second year, and folks turned on Stan Heath during his second. Perhaps we all feel desparate about not just our latest team, but our prospects for change – even if the current coach leaves.
We pretty much have to suck it up and stick with him as coach – not for another year, but another five years. At this point, UA basketball is a down-and-out job. The fan base is fragmented, uninspired, and the attendance shows that. Losing a scholarship and practice time next year will probably mean another down season in 2010-11. Without recent winning tradition, a cupboard of young athletic players, all scholarships, and a supportive fan base, why would any proven coach want to come to Arkansas?
Our best hope is to lower near-term expectations, look at this as a long-term rebuild, and pray that John Pelphrey can at least find a way to make Razorback Basketball respectable contender again. For a blueprint, look at what Baylor has done in a very difficult Big 12 conference over the past several seasons after coming back from (a brief) death penalty. That’s about where we are folks, looking up at Baylor.
My prediction is for all of this same stuff to be said again in mid-March next year. No real change in performance should be expected. Buckle-up for a bumpy ride.
Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News chimed in today also. Well, somewhat, in a connected way.
Scarbinsky was discussing the firing of Jeff Lebo at Auburn, and how the Tigers may go after Missouri’s Mike Anderson, who Auburn “went after” a few years ago before they settled with Lebo.
Here’s more:
“There are few sure things in the coaching profession. Anderson might be one of them. He knows the SEC West from his long stretch as an Arkansas assistant, back when Arkansas basketball was relevant.
(Paging John Pelphrey: Your days may be numbered, too.)”
Ouch.
Nolan was a great coach, but his problems started when the NCAA investigated Arkansas and found nothing wrong. This caused most of the recruiting class for that year, I believe it was incoming class for ‘96-’97 which included Sunde Adebayo and Jesse Pate, to leave and go to another school. That is where te issues started with Nolan, he did nothing wrong and his coached did nothing wrong, but the dumb#@$ Frank broyles never supported Nolan during that time. then comes Stan Heath, which had to be the most boring brand of basketball since Eddie Sutton. Stan heath recruited well but couldn’t coach, and it seemed like his players did not repect him on the court. Pelphrey did a decent job with the players Heath left behind, went to NCAA tour. without Ronnie Brewer JR. Yes, pelphrey should have a better team, I don’t understand how commentators state that Ark likes to “push the momentum” when we play half court ball, and we never press. michael Washington plays very soft for an SEC post man. I think Pelphrey has 3 recruits coming in that gives more length and quickness. Also, the reports I read when the NCAA was investigating Ark was that Rob Evans, a current Ark asst, was the one who turned Nolan in to the NCAA. Pelphrey will have Ark to a respectable level, he needs time. Here is a proven fact that tells you fans have no patience. if anyone thinks we were better off with Houston Nutt as our FB coach instead of Petrino. YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!! GO BACK TO WATCHING NASCAR!!!
Come on people! I like Pel as much as the next guy. But a “likeable” coach isn’t necessarily a winning coach! How soon we forget that Nolan wasn’t the belle of the ball while at Arkansas, but HE WON and made Arkansas a team to be feared! The Hogs should be in the Top 25 in basketball and football EVERY year!
Nolan was a great coach, but when he was forced out, it was time for him to leave because of his antics. I would have liked to see him retire when he wanted to, but the level of play had deteriorated a lot since the mid-90’s. And even if your boss is a meddler and hard to work with, you can’t publicly dare him to fire you and expect to have a job the next day. It was not the way I wanted to see Nolan leave, but he did just about everything he could on his way out to tear down the program he had done so much to build. People can say that Broyles was wrong to fire Nolan, but Nolan gave him no choice when he dared Broyles to fire him. Dwelling on the past also doesn’t do any good when trying to figure out how to right the ship now. We’ll have Pelphrey for one more year at least, and if he produces a strong NCAA tourney team, we’ll all be grateful and maybe have a different outlook for the years to come. If he falls flat next year, then I think we can offer opinions on who the next coach will be.
Pel’s had his shot. Why is everyone so ready to give him one more year? Typically, it’s year three when coaches can claim full ownership of a team. Year 3 = FAIL. No excuses. This is big time, folks!
Coach Pel will get the job done he deserves more time.The losses hurt him as well as all of us.What has happened in the past is in the past,lets all look to the future.We have been told the recruits will be much improved,it would help if more home grown Arkansas guys would stay and play at home.
Lets all be positive and build up the coach,his staff and team,it never helps by taring folks down.
I donate to the Razorback Foundation so I guess I do pay part of the coaches salary and I say let him do his job.
GO HOGS
A great coach has a record that improves each year. No excuses. Enough said!
Pelphrey is a class act, trying to make his team into respectable men on and off the field. His struggles remind me of another coach in the sixties, who was actually burned in effigy when he lost a road game badly to a conference rival. That man was Dean Smith. Wonder what would have happened if they’d fired him after three seasons?
FYI – John Pelphrey already has twice as many losing seasons at Arkansas as Dean Smith had in 36 seasons as head coach of UNC.
I’m not of the opinion that anyone owes Coach Pelphrey more time. Other coaches have turned things around with less talent in tougher circumstances and at worse schools. However, the University of Arkansas and it’s basketball program cannot afford another revolving door coaching situation so soon.
At this point, we really need the coach we are paying a competitive salary to field a competitive team. It’s probably going to take more than just one more year, though. Brace yourselves, Hog fans.
And1 is the best period. I hate that they broke up.