What kind of money do we have?

[Overtheroadtruckdriver]

Believe it or not, I'm not really that up on what top notch college basketball coaches make. I'm talking about the Kzryzewski's, Williams, Calhoun's, Petrino's, Self's, Calipari's, Boheim's and top paid coaches v. what we pay our coaches. Everyone is talking about not wanting an up and comer, and because we are in Wal Mart country and Tyson country, it's like everyone thinks we have unlimited resources to pay a basketball coach. Can we even afford a real top notch coach? Can throw the type of money at him that Duke, North Carolina, or Kentucky can pay a coach? Or are we on a tier below them? Or are we on a tier even below second tier schools? Are we comparable to schools like Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Minnesota, and Georgia Tech's can pay? Let's face it. We got lucky getting Eddie Sutton from Creighton before he was a big name (and then he crawled to Kentucky for money) and we got even luckier with Nolan from Tulsa (was he even on the radar for many teams when he was there even though he'd had some success?). We keep talking about how we need a top name coach and how we're going to do this and we're going to do that. The truth is Pelphrey ultimately will probably carve out an average career over the next 20 years with average schools. He may never be a Dean Smith. So the truth is, if we don't have much money to lure a top coach from another school, that only leaves us with getting an up and comer. Maybe we get lucky and find another Eddie or Nolan, or maybe we get another Heath or another Pelphrey. This whole thing is not that easy to fix even though it seems like everyone on here thinks the answer is to fire Pelphrey and hire some big name coach. We probably can't afford a big name coach and the chance of Nolan coming back seems slim and if he did, the chances of him catching lightning in a bottle twice at Arkansas seems even slimmer. So where does this leave us? We keep Pel and hope for the best over time or we fire him and take our chances with another up and comer. Neither one is going to change our fate very quickly.

[WilsonHog]

If Long fires Pel it will not be to hire an "up and comer."

It will be to hire a coach who has a successful track record running two programs, which incidentlly would make him the most successful basketball coach we've ever hired.

[Toad Suck Pork]

It will be to hire a coach who has a successful track record running two programs

Mike A. reference?

[ErieHog]

Believe it or not, I'm not really that up on what top notch college basketball coaches make. I'm talking about the Kzryzewski's, Williams, Calhoun's, Petrino's, Self's, Calipari's, Boheim's and top paid coaches v. what we pay our coaches. Everyone is talking about not wanting an up and comer, and because we are in Wal Mart country and Tyson country, it's like everyone thinks we have unlimited resources to pay a basketball coach. Can we even afford a real top notch coach? Can throw the type of money at him that Duke, North Carolina, or Kentucky can pay a coach? Or are we on a tier below them? Or are we on a tier even below second tier schools? Are we comparable to schools like Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Minnesota, and Georgia Tech's can pay? Let's face it. We got lucky getting Eddie Sutton from Creighton before he was a big name (and then he crawled to Kentucky for money) and we got even luckier with Nolan from Tulsa (was he even on the radar for many teams when he was there even though he'd had some success?). We keep talking about how we need a top name coach and how we're going to do this and we're going to do that. The truth is Pelphrey ultimately will probably carve out an average career over the next 20 years with average schools. He may never be a Dean Smith. So the truth is, if we don't have much money to lure a top coach from another school, that only leaves us with getting an up and comer. Maybe we get lucky and find another Eddie or Nolan, or maybe we get another Heath or another Pelphrey. This whole thing is not that easy to fix even though it seems like everyone on here thinks the answer is to fire Pelphrey and hire some big name coach. We probably can't afford a big name coach and the chance of Nolan coming back seems slim and if he did, the chances of him catching lightning in a bottle twice at Arkansas seems even slimmer. So where does this leave us? We keep Pel and hope for the best over time or we fire him and take our chances with another up and comer. Neither one is going to change our fate very quickly.

To give you an idea, just between the SEC and ACC, we're currently paying the 15th highest salary (14th, if you don't count Gottfreid's payoff from Alabama) of the 22 publicly released numbers (Wake and Miami haven't released their data).

If you don't start out at about 1.5 million, you don't crack the Top 15-20 in terms of pay.

[forrest city joe]

If Long fires Pel it will not be to hire an "up and comer."

It will be to hire a coach who has a successful track record running two programs, which incidentlly would make him the most successful basketball coach we've ever hired.

Bingo Wilson! i Think Mike Anderson, would be a very good hire. i really think it's the right time to bring Mike home. a year from now will be to late.

[WilsonHog]

Mike A. reference?

Exactly.

I would bet good money that if Pel is not the coach at UA next year Mike will be.

[Toad Suck Pork]

Exactly.

I would bet good money that if Pel is not the coach at UA next year Mike will be.

How much would you bet on Pel not being the coach?

[lovetthog1]

Exactly.

I would bet good money that if Pel is not the coach at UA next year Mike will be.

I hope he is.

[want2be]

Would someone give the opinion of Jonn Tyson...........Last time he made a statment we hired Petrino.........Money talks and BS walks....we will see