Weems Drafted, Traded To Denver Nuggets

2 comments June 26th, 2008 11:45pm TipsterHog

Hogwired.com: Sonny Weems Traded to Denver After Getting Drafted by Chicago

After being drafted by the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, former Arkansas guard/forward Sonny Weems is now headed to Denver.

The Bulls took the first-team All-SEC selection with the ninth pick of the second round and the No. 39 overall selection in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Also:

• Ryan Malashock: Weems Drafted By Bulls, Traded To Nuggets
• Brandon Marcello: Weems drafted, traded
• Chris Cocoles: Weems winds up in Denver
• Rocky Mountain News: Trade nets ‘world class’ athletic talent for Nuggets, With Sonny Weems, football’s loss is Nuggets’ gain

Updated 6/28/08 9:10 a.m.

Best Razorback Games Of 2007-08 — The Sixth Option

5 comments June 26th, 2008 6:05am TipsterHog

The stat line was unimpressive: 1-2 from the field, four rebounds, one assist and two turnovers.

Two points in 10 minutes of playing time.  Two points out of the 92 points scored.  Two points that were ‘thrown in’ late…with just 5.3 seconds left in the game.

Yet…they are two points that will be remembered for years to come when the name Steven Hill is mentioned by Hog fans.

The #2 game in our countdown of the best Razorback games of 2007-08 is the Hogs’ SEC Basketball Tournament semifinal victory over the fourth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Hogs Beat Vols In The SEC Tournament

Afterwards, Hill used his typical dry wit to describe the play:

“I was probably the sixth option,” Hill said with a laugh.  “They’d rather have anybody on the team shoot than me.  But, hey, it happened.”

Sure…Charles Thomas played a tremendous game, scoring 24 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.  And Patrick Beverley and Darian Townes picked up the offensive slack for a slumping Sonny Weems.  Basketball is ultimately, of course, still a team game.  And this was a great game played by both teams.

But come on, now…we’re talking about Steven Hill.  You know…the 7 foot guy who, at times over four years, caused more head-scratching and cussing by Hog fans than just about any other player in the history of the school.  Yeah…that guy…Steven ‘Freakin’ Hill!!!

And now?  Well…now he’ll be remembered as the guy who, as a senior, made the game winning, turnaround jumper against a top 5 opponent to insure his team’s bid to the NCAA Tournament.

As Churchill reminded us, “History is written by the victors.”

Best Razorback Games Of 2007-08 — Out Of The Shadow

3 comments June 24th, 2008 6:05am TipsterHog

It was a shadow that hung over the program for nearly a decade.  And with just one win, it was gone.

For the first time since 1999, the Arkansas Razorbacks won a game in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  And that victory over the Indiana Hoosiers is #4 on our countdown of the best Razorback games of the 2007-08 seasons.

Sonny Weems would cement his legacy with a career-high 31 points (including 18 in the second half).  And Darian Townes would rise to the occasion as well, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

But it was Weems only assist of the game — an alley-oop pass to Steven Hill with a little over 11 minutes left — that started a 12-3 run that eventually finished off the Hoosiers.

Indiana vs. Arkansas - NCAA March Madness 2008 highlights

Afterwards, Coach John Pelphrey described his team perfectly while foreshadowing what was to come:

“They’re a resilient bunch,” Pelphrey said of his team. “They’ve been given up for dead two or three times, and they bounced back. … The challenge for them is to have some repeat success, in terms of their effort, their focus, their level of play, [because] this is the NCAA tournament and our next opponent is unbelievable.”

The victory over Indiana would, of course, be the last win of the 2007-08 basketball season.

But considering the nine-year journey just to make it to the second round again, watching a season-ending thrashing by the tournament’s top seed was easier to take than enduring another ‘one and done’ postseason appearance by the Hogs.

Acting Like A Leader

10 comments June 9th, 2008 6:05am Walking on Sunshine

Here’s the situation:  You’re asked to provide an overall ranking of SEC basketball coaches based on coaching skills, leadership, recruiting and potential.

So…how would your list compare to this one?

At first glance, I think most people would say, “Stallings seems a little high.  Kennedy looks a little low.  And what the heck do you have against John Pelphrey?”

Now…if I take the same list and add another column….does it make more sense?  Does it surprise you?

* Salaries compiled from various articles and school web sites.

As you can see, one of the absolute embarrassments left by former Athletic Director Frank Broyles and former Chancellor John White is the salary of John Pelphrey.

Over the years, Broyles tended to be very frugal (to put it nicely) with the salaries of his head coaches.  And that only reinforced the perception that Arkansas was a ’stepping stone’ job for a head coach.  A nice job to ‘prove yourself’…but if you wanted to make some real money, you were going elsewhere.

Pelphrey’s current contract is heavily weighted with incentives — $1.2 million of incentives — based on higher achievement.

But Razorback Basketball with its tradition, facilities, and fan support should never pay a coach in such a manner.  Higher achievement should be expected at Arkansas, not be an incentive.

Plus…if a coach needs huge monetary incentives to work hard and win championships, chances are you don’t want him to be your coach anyway.  (About half of the SEC basketball coaches have incentives, but none run more than $400,000.)

With the hiring of Bobby Petrino, new Athletic Director Jeff Long has made a statement that under his leadership, Arkansas will take a back seat to no one.  The $2.85 million salary for Petrino ranks him among the top five coaches in the SEC.

So if you want to be the best, hire a hungry young coach like Pelphrey and pay him what an upper-tier SEC basketball program pays.  Then let the rest take care of itself.

I have no doubt Long will correct this mistake at the first available opportunity.  Razorback Basketball and John Pelphrey certainly deserve better.

Let’s just hope that happens before Pelphrey decides to step onto that ‘next stone.’

Nolan And Billy…Together Again

7 comments April 10th, 2008 6:05am Walking on Sunshine

The first thing I thought about when I saw the list of the 2008 inductees to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame was, “Good for Nolan.  A well deserved honor.”

Then I noticed one of his fellow classmates is going to be our old buddy, Billy Packer.  Somebody at the Hall of Fame must have a sense of humor.

Richardson’s famous “Hell, Billy…even a blind man could see that!” comment after the Hogs disposed of Arizona in the 1994 NCAA Tournament semi-finals remains one of the best jabs in recent sports history.

Packer didn’t respond at the moment, but later tried to save face in an April, 5, 1994 New York Times article:

Packer said yesterday that Richardson was firing away at him off the air before the interview.  “He’s saying: ‘I’m tired of you giving credit to Michelangelo and the General, but you never give credit to black coaches,’ ” Packer said, referring to nicknames used by ESPN’s Dick Vitale for Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Indiana Coach Bob Knight, respectively.  “At that point, I realized it was an agenda,” Packer said.  “Nolan can take tapes of everything I’ve ever said about black coaches, and he won’t see what he’s saying.  This just became his forum to vent.”

So get your tickets now for the November 23rd ceremony in Kansas City…it should be a good one.  No word yet on whether the bout will be on HBO or pay-per-view.  We’ll keep you posted.

Weems Wins College Slam Dunk Contest

5 comments April 3rd, 2008 11:01pm TipsterHog

Hogwired.com: Weems Claims National Slam Dunk Championship

Arkansas senior Sonny Weems won the collegiate slam dunk national title on Thursday in the 20th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.

The contest was held in Greehey Arena in conjunction with this week’s Final Four.

The 6-6 guard/forward from West Memphis, Ark., placed second in the first round and in the semifinals before claiming the title in the finals.

Also:

• Ryan Malashock: Weems Wins Dunk Contest
• Bob Holt: Weems wins contest, heads to Portsmouth
• YouTube (Video): Sonny Weems - Dunk 1, Sonny Weems - Dunk 2, Sonny Weems - Dunk 3, Sonny Weems - Dunk 4

Updated 4/5/08 8:45 a.m.

Growing Improvement

16 comments March 31st, 2008 6:05am HogBlogger

There were several articles last week wrapping up the Razorback basketball season.  Most of them focused on the departing seniors as well as the newcomers who will be on The Hill next year.

And while next year’s recruiting class has been highly touted, I’ve been thinking more about how I would grade Coach John Pelphrey after his first year at Arkansas.

I like Coach Pelphrey…even if he makes me think of Howdy Doody.  But I’m a bit concerned about the pace of the learning curve.  This year’s team had a lot of bad habits that never got fully corrected.

The three games of the SEC Tournament really put the entire season in perspective for me.  After a great ‘effort win’ over Tennessee, the loss in the championship game to Georgia was easily the most frustrating of the year.

As I watched the first half and saw the Hogs basically ‘jacking 3’s’ early in the shot clock against the Bulldogs, I wondered why Coach Pelphrey wasn’t calling a timeout to emphasize attacking in the paint.

It seems Coach saw the same thing, but apparently it didn’t register with him to do something about it.

Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey said the Razorbacks got some open looks, but also rushed some shots rather than looking to go inside first.  “I thought they were early [in the shot clock],” Pelphrey said.  “They were bad maybe for not giving themselves a chance to go inside and attack with some of that first.”

During tournament time, success comes from the preparation during the season and bench coaching.  Every team you face will have outstanding players.  A coach can’t get lost in the game as if he were a player.

Overall, I would agree that it was a good season.  Winning a NCAA tournament game for the first time in the 21st Century was a necessary first step.  But in the Georgia game — a championship game — I didn’t see the bench coaching and game adjustments that will be necessary to take this program to a championship level.

As fans, we need to realize we have a coach in training.  I love what Coach Pelphrey is doing to a point, but I’ll love it more when I see him doing more in the future.

North Carolina 108, Arkansas 77 (NCAA Tournament)

16 comments March 23rd, 2008 7:27pm TipsterHog

Hogwired.com: Razorbacks Knocked Out of NCAA Tournament by North Carolina, 108-77

Wayne Ellington scored 20 points and the Tar Heels raced to a double-digit lead in the first 5 minutes of a 108-77 second-round win over Arkansas on Sunday, sending North Carolina to Charlotte for the East Regional semifinals.

Also:

• Hogwired.com: Game Stats (PDF)
• ESPN.com: UNC rolls past Arkansas
• CBSSports.com (Video): Arkansas vs. North Carolina Highlights
• Chris Bahn: North Carolina Buries Arkansas in NCAA Second Round
• AP Photos / Getty Images: Arkansas vs. North Carolina Photos

The Morning News

• Ryan Malashock: ‘Perfect’ Tar Heels End Arkansas’ Season
• Alex Abrams: Weems’ Hot Hand Cools Off, Hogs Can’t Keep Up With UNC’s Speedy Guards
• The Morning News: Welsh Frustrated By Lack Of Playing Time

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

• Bob Holt: Run out of Raleigh
• Tom Murphy: Tar Heels make early statement, lot of shots, North Carolina’s role players look like stars
• Democrat-Gazette: In the lane
• Nate Allen: Routed in Raleigh
• Rainer Sabin: Arkansas’ six seniors go out on sour note
• Terry Wood: Tar Heels leave Hog fans with ugly image

Opponent News

• Raleigh News & Observer: Tar Heels power on

Updated 3/24/08 3:00 p.m.

Arkansas 86, Indiana 72 (NCAA Tournament)

6 comments March 21st, 2008 11:41pm TipsterHog

Hogwired.com: Weems Racks Up a Career-High 31 Points in Arkansas First Round Win over Indiana

Sonny Weems scored a career-high 31 points, Darian Townes added 17 points and 12 rebounds and ninth-seeded Arkansas beat eighth-seeded Indiana 86-72 on Friday night in the first round of the East Region.

Also:

• Hogwired.com: Game Stats (PDF)
• ESPN.com: Indiana ends stormy season with loss to Arkansas
• CBSSports.com (Video): Arkansas vs. Indiana Highlights
• Chris Bahn: Weems Scores 31 As Arkansas Extends NCAA Stay
• AP Photos / Getty Images: Arkansas vs. Indiana Photos

The Morning News

• Ryan Malashock: Seniors Spur First NCAA Win Since 1999
• Robbie Neiswanger: Weems’ Career Night Leads Hogs
• The Morning News: Hogs Frontcourt Shines Against Hoosiers
• Alex Abrams: Gordon Struggles In Perhaps Final College Game

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

• Bob Holt: One down, No. 1 next
• Tom Murphy: Weems misses first 2 shots, then heats up for Hogs
• Democrat-Gazette: In the lane
• Nate Allen: Hoosier daddy
• Rainer Sabin: Razorbacks shut down Hoosiers’ freshman phenom

Opponent News

• Indianapolis Star: Hoosiers’ season of drama ends with a whimper

Updated 3/22/08 8:30 a.m.

Time To Dance

3 comments March 20th, 2008 10:35pm HogBlogger

I was pretty impressed and amazed that the Razorback basketball team beat Vandy and Tennessee in consecutive days at this year’s very strange SEC Tournament.

And while I was a bit surprised that we didn’t beat Georgia, I think I understand why:  we didn’t take the ball inside against the Bulldogs.

Harry King wrote after the game:

Georgia is stouter inside than Vanderbilt or Tennessee. In the first half, there was a snapshot moment when Charles Thomas rebounded and Dave Bliss muscled it away from him.  The same Arkansas team that accumulated almost three dozen offensive rebounds against Vanderbilt and Tennessee had one in the first half on Sunday.

Coach Pelphrey was also impressed with Georgia’s size in the paint:

“Those guys are not going to wow you with speed.  They’re not going to wow you with athleticism, but you know those guys are going to be big, strong and physical,” said Pelphrey, whose team suffered an 82-69 loss at Georgia on Jan. 13.

“When a game gets close like it did today, they can get you extra possessions because of their physical size.  That’s what happened.”

Makes me wonder if we were a bit afraid to take the ball to the basket on those “big, strong and physical” guys.

The Hogs have had a lot of success this year when they pass the ball quickly and play ‘inside-out.’  Against Indiana, they need to focus on getting touches close to the basket for Townes, Thomas and Weems.  Forcing the Hoosier defense to double-down will create open opportunities to kick the ball out for three-point shots.

It’s also clear that this team has a better chance to win when they make the game faster.  Stagnant ball movement equals stagnant offense.  Using a token press against Georgia accomplished little more than tiring out our point guards.  Whatever became of that pressing team we saw against Missouri?  Can’t we at least turn it up for a few minutes a game?

If we allow Indiana to follow Georgia’s game plan and dictate tempo…while we play ‘not to lose’ and jack up long shots…we’ll get beat on Friday night.  And the dancing will happily go on without us.