It’s been over five weeks since the selection committee announced the field for the NCAA Tournament. The Hogs, of course, were not invited to any of the post-season tournaments for the second year in a row.
The Razorbacks collapsed down the stretch, losing seven out of their last eight games. That losing skid was eerily similar to last year when they lost 11 of 12 to end the season.
Those types of finishes are not what most would call “signs of improvement.” Much to the contrary, they are indicators that real problems exist in the leadership and management of the men’s basketball program and to pretend otherwise is just foolhardy.
Having seen these signs, Athletic Director Jeff Long and Head Coach John Pelphrey quickly moved into action and began making changes to get the Razorback basketball program back on track.
First, it was announced that assistant Isaac Brown would be reassigned. One of the ways to improve a program is to upgrade your coaching staff. And, apparently, Isaac Brown was standing in the way of getting us back to national prominence.
Second, Jeff Long released a statement in support of Coach Pelphrey. Of course, it didn’t actually provide any details as to why he felt so strongly that Pelphrey was the man destined to bring Hog basketball back from the dead. But actually, we think that’s a sophisticated PR move — being vague is better. As any good entertainer will say, “Always leave them wanting more.”
Third was to bring in top notch recruits. It’s always important to keep that proverbial cupboard stocked with talent ready to fill in the gaps as you build the program back “the right way.” So far, Coach Pelphrey has done that by not landing Ricardo Ratliffe, a 6-9 power forward heavily recruited to replace Michael Washington.
Instead, it looks like Pelphrey is planning to go with a smaller lineup to better run his “40 Minutes of Pel” style that Razorback fans have “groaned” accustomed to watching since he took the job.
The final step was sharing with fans how the Razorback basketball program will return to prominence. Coach Pelphrey recently did just that at the Razorback Club in El Dorado. Speaking with fans, Pelphrey promised, “I will get you home.” He compared building a winning basketball program to flying cross-country on a plane. Uh…okay.
Now, if all those “changes” don’t get you excited and ready to renew your season tickets, then I don’t know what will.
You may be wondering why post an article on the basketball program so long after the season has ended. Well, to be truthful, I intended to write a season wrap-up earlier. But I wanted to wait and see how Pelphrey and Long were going to respond to another disappointing season.
Now here we are into late April with an assistant vacancy to fill…a post player to replace…and an explanation still due to fans on the plan to get Razorback basketball out of the ditch.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that explanation is coming. Jeff Long is too busy doing his best Nero impression while the Razorback basketball program burns.
Yeouch! But true.
Zzzzzz, ummm, just like the basketball program… this was a sub-par post!
I thought it was a good post!!
Emotions were running high (or low) to end the season. A little cooling off period was probably a very good thing. There has been no response to this mess through official channels of course but, we have recieved plenty of differing explanations through sports talk radio and the message boards as to why the program must lanquish for another year or two. No one spends much time defending Pelphry. He has failed as a recruiter, managing the program, off the court issues, building teamwork, and game day coaching. I guess that is why the scholarship issue and the negative effect of firing him after 3 years gets so much play. Of course both of those are hooie. This is all about the money. They don't want to buy out Pelphry who is working for cheap and then turn around and shell out big bucks to hire someone of the caliber needed to put this back on track (Not to mention, if the pay a basketball coach 3 mil they will have to pay Petrino 4 mil.)
Will they ever? Are we a football school again? What is the real state of the Razorback foundation? They may just keep trying an up-and-comer until one hits. That could be a while, years, decades.
Golfhog, those last two sentences pretty much tell the tale of the Razorback basketball program. Pelphrey is probably a good guy and probably a good role model for these young men, but he's proven to be pretty mediocre as a basketball coach. One could easily argue that the program is in worse shape now that when Nolan was forced out and all the crap that followed his exit was playing itself out.
Words of truth: We are stuck with Pel or possibly another "up and coming" coach who wants a pay raise. The Head Hog job is no longer a job very many good coaches want. We found that out when we showed Stan Heath the exit door, only to find out that nobody worth a flip wanted to fill the job vacancy. We couldn't even steal a no name coach (Dana Altman) from a no name school (Creighton) despite a hefty pay raise. That alone should speak volumes.
Now we are neck deep in this situation with players leaving the program without graduating and facing scholarship cuts because of it. Now another kid (Fortson) leaves the program with virtually no chance of making it in the NBA. He might could play for some foreign team for chump change money, woo hoo!! I don't think the kid had any intentions of graduating when he came to the university, and whereas he is a good player he is not outstanding by any stretch of the imagination. I wish him well and truly hope that he is successful in whatever he chooses to persue in life. I just don't think basketball will be in his future for very long.
How can the people at a school like Butler build a program like they have built with all the bigger name schools around them that they have to compete against? It might be a fluke, but there are smaller schools that do it year in and year out. How do they get the players? What is their formula for success? It most likley boils down to the integrity of the coaching staff, who refuse to give away scholarships to student athletes who lack the grit and integrity to be STUDENT athletes. How many quality young men will want to come to a program riddled with so many off the court issues and with a departure rate that is off the charts? The answer rhymes with NERO and starts with a Z.
This is one of those statements you thought you could never see in print, not in a million years. But, based on everything that has transpired your really have to ask yourself.
Why did we fire Stan??
He was a better recruiter, a better coach, and he actually wanted the job which I don't think Opie does any more.
Maybe the naysayers are right. No coach will come here, no top 100 kids will come here. I don't know how that can be right. If Baylor and New Mexico can hire good coaches and rebuild, Fayetteville and Bud Walton and 19,000 screaming fans should be enough of a foundation to work with. I thought Altman was a perfectly good hire once Gilespie turned on them. I would love to know the real truth of that story although, I fear I have heard it.
Well, we all know what happened to Nero.
I agree that now is the time. The argument is made that you can't tear it apart during the season to fix it, so right now is the best time to apply our changes so we can start preparing for next season. Right now, "basketball programs" around the country are looking back and saying "How can we improve before next year?"…. and our answer to that question is reassign Brown, and give Opie a statement of support?
Like him or not, Fortson put points on the board. I am not a fan, but I realize we need to replace those points. He also wasn't scared to take ownership of the team – or really the game, he didn't care much for the team. But when everyone else was standing around wandering how we are going to get a couple of points, Fortson would try to take it to the hole.
I do like Powell. His claim of leadership will be a good thing. Mike is gone, Fortson is gone. At least we have one man on the team. One man to step up and say, I am Razorback Basketball. I think if we had a few more with his attitude, things could be different. We don't have a good leader as a coach. He hem-haws around with no real certainty of anything. Powell said "I am the leader of this team." Claiming ownership will maybe give him a sense of responsibility.
It really sucks that we couldn't get Ratliffe. From what I heard, it was based on SEC student athlete requirements that the Big 12 doesn't have? If so, I can't entirely blame Pelphrey. But, how long has we known about this, and what wasn't done – how short of the requirement was he?
It's good for Mike Anderson. It also shows that Mike can recruit. Our "in" with Ricardo was Powell. Mike got him anyway.
Razorback fans WANT to forget about basketball. Who wouldn't? We have a great baseball team that needs our support as they hit the road in some big-time series. The football team is just popping right now. They are back. Get ready Hog fans. And Foundation – do whatever it takes to keep Petrino. We have a Heisman candidate out with injury right now, and the team still looks awesome. That's a system.
But – Basketball Midnight Madness is coming – Fall 2010… Then non-conference play… What are the Razorbacks going to look like when we hit the floor of Bud Walton Arena in November? It's time to get a system. We are all tired of hodge-podge, hem-haw, scattered, flustered, and covered. Bud Walton is a BIG Arena… You can't put anymore ribbon boards in. Maybe they could bring back Captain Dynamite from the old Travs games for Halftime entertainment?
I like Powell.
I like Mike.
If you do nothing, they will depart.
Nothing says I don't care like I support mediocrity.
Maybe we should drop basketball and pick up mens volleyball.
All together now: WWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
What your wife says after another unfulfilled experience.
She, unlike you and the rest of your ilk, does not have unrealistic expectations and thus, is never unfulfilled or disappointed.
Y'all did grab great bunches of your panties when you did that, right? If not, go back, grab 'em, and do it again.
Your panties?
As Gonzo said, this is all about the money.
I’ve heard that the Foundation just can’t afford to pay off Pelphrey right now. I’ve also heard that the powers that be are trying to “encourage” the hiring of a certain assistant coach. Pelphrey’s strategy seems to be to wait them out and do whatever he wants. What are they going to do, fire him?
The SEC tv contract must have made up for what must be a near $3 million revenue shortfall from the glory years. SEC NCAA revenue is dropping due to fewer conf teams in the tourney. By not fixing this we are leaving a lot of money on the table. Foundation donations are surely to drop off for bball. Season ticket sales will drop further. This will be hard to bring back from the dead.
I think the truth is we’ve decided to be a football school for a while.
Who you callin' Gonzo??
I think you're right; bring in an $800k guy every five years until one hits and save all of the money for football. That would have worked well enough if they had gotten a guy smart enough to put some kind of basketball on the floor. They won't fill Bud to the rafters without a contender but, they can draw 8-10k with a .500 ball club that is entertaining. The odds are in their favor. They can't do as bad as Pelphry next time. They just need a clause that says there is no buyout after 4 years if he is not above .500.
Sorry…I get lost
Oh, and yeah, you're right twice. They made Pelphry mad back there, probably with sitting Fortson. He is phoneing it in, daring them to show him the money. He needs to go on TV and make the Nolan statement. Maybe he is saving that for next year.
Nice try. Back to reading comp class for you.
I have been trying my best to find the reason for keeping our coach. The only think he has done is make our team worse. If he does get a good ballplayer, he will find some reason to kick him off the team… I am 70 years old, and I can coach better than him… No brag, just fact.
Well done!
Well, this sucks. Fortson leaving is a huge loss. What's strange about him leaving in my mind is he had no buzz this year, was hidden under the Kentucky fab 3 all year and had a big discipline problem. How someone convinced him he is gonna get paid after this year is beyond me. He had a great opportunity to shine next year….maybe he is afraid he will follow Mike Washington's path..big expectations to big letdown?
Most of you have bashed Pel all year and I have defended him. I can't defend him on this one. The fact that he couldn't convince Fortson to stay another year is horrible, particularly given all of the downside mentioned above. To me this is worse than the losses last year, a recruiting disaster, and certainly this falls square on his shoulders.
No point guard and no center and your most experienced returning players are a small forward and a 6 foot guard who can shoot but can't create. It's going to be quite the interesting year next year. At least they have succeeded in lowing expectations. I can't wait to see the non-conference schedule. It should be something to behold.
One thing is for sure…Razorback Basketball is becoming quite the spectacle.
40 minutes of Pel!!
I don't have a clue what you guys are hyperventilating over? Fortson is leaving because of the guard depth we'll have next season. Don't you guys get it? Pelphrey is tired of the drama.
If Pel want's to keep his job, a REAL PG (that means a leader on and off the court and distributer of the basketball offensively, while giving maximum effort defensively) will have to emerge.
If that means sitting Fortson, (which by the way, Pel had no way of doing before,) then fine.
Who really believes Fortson would have willingly taken himself out of the limelight? Honestly? Isn't that what he came here for? Doesn't that have a lot to do with why CJP recruited so hard for Wade and Scott, and convinced a very solid and academically sound Jeff Peterson to transfer here?
And who cares if Pelphrey still hasn't filled the assistant coach job vacancy? Does he owe the fans some kind of freakin deadline? Jesus!
Good comments, GonzoHog!
what a great article on bashing Pelphreym you should be writing for a major newspaper like turkeytrot times, and the picture is amazing. its people like you thah just wants to keep stuff stired up. Ratliff knew he couldn't get the grades to go to UA but stil he tell Pel he's coming mizzu is easeir to go to with not so good grads, and he has until oct. to guaslify there, i think thats what i heard, Coach Pel will have point gaurds next year as Gonzo said, better defnders with scott and wade plus their shooting ability. There is no use trying to fire him now we have done been told he will be the coach next year, get behind the team or go watch the mens vollyball, my self i had rather watch the womem but make your own choice.
Sorry about my spelling, but i am handicapped and use the on screen keyboard,oh by the way good commint Gonzohog.
and to the haters out there remember turn that frown upside down or at least quit bitching, you sound like an old woman with constipation
have a nice day.
Thinking back to something Pel has said in the off-season about not having another scholarship, "these things tend to work themselves out." I think he KNEW that Fortson wasn't coming back. In addition, didn't Hall say something about Fortson not coming back last fall?
Our team just got much better in the backcourt. I think Peterson will be a much better team-player than Fortson and Wade/Scott will be able to show more shooting consistency than Fortson/Welsh ever have.
We still need another big and a good scheme, though.