Does Jeff Long's firing affect coach Mike Anderson negatively?

[FineAsSwine]

I always thought that coach Anderson and and Jeff long had a pretty good relationship.

How likely is it that the new AD wants to come in and bringing his own guy for basketball as well as football?

[Atlhogfan1]

No. 

[Hawg Red]

What reason would a new AD have to make a change for basketball? The program is as stable as it's been since the mid 90s.

[hogwood]

I always thought that coat Anderson and and Jeff long had a pretty good relationship.

How likely is it that the new AD wants to come in and bringing his own guy for basketball as well as football?

I would think that the boosters are behind Mike. They just care more about football. They probably won't even pay attention to basketball for the next 2-3 years.

[Atlhogfan1]

Much more for an AD to worry about in the short term.  No reason to mess with the program although BWA does need renovating and should be something the next AD addresses at some point. 

[KlubhouseKonnected]

Only if the hire an ignorant person as AD

[Kenny Dowell Loggains]

Mike is here to stay.  The basketball program is on the rise & the new AD will not interfere.

[HossHog]

Much more for an AD to worry about in the short term.  No reason to mess with the program although BWA does need renovating and should be something the next AD addresses at some point.

I do believe BWA was/is in the plans to be renovated.

[MakingPlays]

Mike is here to stay.  The basketball program is on the rise & the new AD will not interfere.

Hopefully he doesn't, however, all it takes is 1 bad year though for fans to turn.  We're going to be really young next year, if there's some growing pains along the way that seat could get warm.

What needs to happen for Coach Anderson to stay in the clear is a deep run in the tournament this year and secure an extension.  If he doesn't get that extension this year, things could get interesting depending on who the new AD is.

[Rome26]

I always thought that coach Anderson and and Jeff long had a pretty good relationship.

How likely is it that the new AD wants to come in and bringing his own guy for basketball as well as football?

MA would have to have a really bad year for this to even be a possibility. Firing Mike after a good year would absolutely kill in- state recruiting and set us back another 20 years.

[BannerMountainMan]

Why is this even a question??

[Hawg Red]

Why is this even a question??

[Hawg Red]

Hopefully he doesn't, however, all it takes is 1 bad year though for fans to turn.  We're going to be really young next year, if there's some growing pains along the way that seat could get warm.

What needs to happen for Coach Anderson to stay in the clear is a deep run in the tournament this year and secure an extension.  If he doesn't get that extension this year, things could get interesting depending on who the new AD is.

Will we be "really young," though?

Sure, 6 freshmen coming in. However, we'll assume Gafford is back and he will be an All-SEC performer. We'll also have Adrio Bailey (junior) back to start next to him. C.J. Jones (junior) would also figure to be a starter, and we'd have a redshirt sophomore in Jalen Harris at PG, who would have a year of D1 starting experience plus a year to learn the system. Then we'd have Gabe and Hall as sophomores. Hall figures to get solid minutes this season. Gabe's time will depend on Thomas and Cook, obviously. Then there is Garland as a wildcard.

Definitely a step back in experience from this team, but we'll still have some players (about half the team) with solid experience and 6 talented freshmen (most of whom are touted for their high bball IQ). I think we'll be fine and still should be expected to make the NCAA tournament. We'll be okay and will have plenty of players with experience to shepherd the team to the postseason.

[HotlantaHog]

Nope.

[BannerMountainMan]

People like this make me sick..how do you want Anderson gone!! His argument is we haven't had a deep run in the NCAA tourney..winning a game in the NCAA tourney is like being in the Cotton Bowl every year in football

[Dwight_K_Shrute]

Good Lord people are dense and worry warts.  Mike's relationship to the U of A predates Jeff Long.  Mike showed last year that 2015-16 was an anomaly and the results have shown in record and the recruiting trail.  As other's have stated BBall is as stable as it's been in awhile, Instate talent is on the rise and MA and company are doing a good job getting as much as that talent as possible and supplementing it with good out of state talent.  Yes Jeff hired him and supported him but he wasn't propping MA up, he wasn't MA's shield and they weren't joined at the hip. 

[FineAsSwine]

Why is this even a question??

CMA and Long had a long-term relationship that could survive a short term dip like we may have next year. Pretty sure the new guy will be much quicker to pull the trigger and bring in his own man. Personally, I think the basketball program is in good hands and I hope our new AD has the good sense to leave well enough alone but you never know. AD's like to make their own mark and part of that is picking their own guys.

[Little Lady Back]

Good Lord people are dense and worry warts.  Mike's relationship to the U of A predates Jeff Long.  Mike showed last year that 2015-16 was an anomaly and the results have shown in record and the recruiting trail.  As other's have stated BBall is as stable as it's been in awhile, Instate talent is on the rise and MA and company are doing a good job getting as much as that talent as possible and supplementing it with good out of state talent.  Yes Jeff hired him and supported him but he wasn't propping MA up, he wasn't MA's shield and they weren't joined at the hip.

This! Unlike Long and the football coach...

[chiefhawg]

Why is this even a question??

[MakingPlays]

Will we be "really young," though?

Sure, 6 freshmen coming in. However, we'll assume Gafford is back and he will be an All-SEC performer. We'll also have Adrio Bailey (junior) back to start next to him. C.J. Jones (junior) would also figure to be a starter, and we'd have a redshirt sophomore in Jalen Harris at PG, who would have a year of D1 starting experience plus a year to learn the system. Then we'd have Gabe and Hall as sophomores. Hall figures to get solid minutes this season. Gabe's time will depend on Thomas and Cook, obviously. Then there is Garland as a wildcard.

Definitely a step back in experience from this team, but we'll still have some players (about half the team) with solid experience and 6 talented freshmen (most of whom are touted for their high bball IQ). I think we'll be fine and still should be expected to make the NCAA tournament. We'll be okay and will have plenty of players with experience to shepherd the team to the postseason.

Yes, we'll be extremely young and inexperienced, I don't see how that's even an argument.  Best case scenario, we have 2 juniors, 5 sophomores, and 6 freshmen.  That's a young team, and would probably be the second youngest in the conference behind Kentucky.  And 2 of those sophomores are not playing this year.  And that's not even including potential transfers, which happen every year, and if Garland is not cleared.  You've even posted that you think Garland won't be cleared and speculated that guys like Bailey and CJ Jones could be candidates to transfer if things don't work out for them this year.

And I'm all for being optimistic, but anyone thinking this won't be a young/inexperienced team next year and there won't be some growing pains is being naive.  They could very be a tournament team next year, but that's not a foregone conclusion and I bet most of the pre-season polls/rankings doesn't have them a tournament team, unless Gafford turns himself into a lottery pick type of player this season and gets some hype going into next season. 

[Fan701]

I've always thought firing Mike Anderson would be idiocy, even when the fans were baying for blood last January and after the 2015-16 season.  He's a first rate coach, who took over what had become a very second rate program.  It's taken him a while, but he appears on the verge of making it a first rate program again.  Any likely successor would more likely head us back in the direction of Pelphreyville rather than an NC.  Next year will likely be a rebuilding year, even though we'll have an influx of young talent, and the screams to fire him will begin again.  Hopefully, we'll have a sensible AD in place who'll just ignore them.

[BannerMountainMan]

Yes, we'll be extremely young and inexperienced, I don't see how that's even an argument.  Best case scenario, we have 2 juniors, 5 sophomores, and 6 freshmen.  That's a young team, and would probably be the second youngest in the conference behind Kentucky.  And 2 of those sophomores are not playing this year.  And that's not even including potential transfers, which happen every year, and if Garland is not cleared.  You've even posted that you think Garland won't be cleared and speculated that guys like Bailey and CJ Jones could be candidates to transfer if things don't work out for them this year.

And I'm all for being optimistic, but anyone thinking this won't be a young/inexperienced team next year and there won't be some growing pains is being naive.  They could very be a tournament team next year, but that's not a foregone conclusion and I bet most of the pre-season polls/rankings doesn't have them a tournament team, unless Gafford turns himself into a lottery pick type of player this season and gets some hype going into next season.

after this successful season we will be able to get a high end transfer senior that will help with depth!! Trust me!

[FineAsSwine]

Anybody know how many years are left on CMA's contract? Is there an automatic rollover?

[Atlhogfan1]

Anybody know how many years are left on CMA's contract? Is there an automatic rollover?

Should just read "till death do us part".  Then "Mike bequeaths the program to TJ".

[FineAsSwine]

Should just read "till death do us part".  Then "Mike bequeaths the program to TJ".

Best case scenario indeed, though I know you would love to see a change.

[Atlhogfan1]

Best case scenario indeed, though I know you would love to see a change.

Nah.  No reason to change.  He is just getting it going.  Just letting you know I think you can rest easy. 

[FineAsSwine]

Nah.  No reason to change.  He is just getting it going.  Just letting you know I think you can rest easy.

Actually, CMA's stock might rise even more as the FBI investigation plays out. Some school wanting a man of integrity plus someone with an early jump on the elite talent coming out of Arkansas in the coming years might explore CMA's comfort with the new AD.

A school looking to rebuild and stay clean while doing so would be remiss for not looking at CMA, especially if there is any perceived lack of commitment to CMA by the new boss.

[hawgball40]

I've always thought firing Mike Anderson would be idiocy, even when the fans were baying for blood last January and after the 2015-16 season.  He's a first rate coach, who took over what had become a very second rate program.  It's taken him a while, but he appears on the verge of making it a first rate program again.  Any likely successor would more likely head us back in the direction of Pelphreyville rather than an NC.  Next year will likely be a rebuilding year, even though we'll have an influx of young talent, and the screams to fire him will begin again.  Hopefully, we'll have a sensible AD in place who'll just ignore them.

Assuming we win 20 games or more this year, and then were to say have a mediocre season of less than 20 wins, i think the previous two good years buy him another year atleast. I think Most ads would probably see his overall body of work and his recent body of work and surmise that he's almost got us over the hump, and give him another couple of years atleast to see if he can do it.

2011–12   Arkansas   18–14   6–10   9th   
2012–13   Arkansas   19–13   10–8   7th   
2013–14   Arkansas   22–12   10–8   5th   NIT Second Round
2014–15   Arkansas   27–9      13–5   2nd   NCAA Round of 32
2015–16   Arkansas   16–16   9–9   T–8th   
2016–17   Arkansas   26–10   12–6   T–3rd   NCAA Round of 32

[Hawg Red]

Yes, we'll be extremely young and inexperienced, I don't see how that's even an argument.  Best case scenario, we have 2 juniors, 5 sophomores, and 6 freshmen.  That's a young team, and would probably be the second youngest in the conference behind Kentucky.  And 2 of those sophomores are not playing this year.  And that's not even including potential transfers, which happen every year, and if Garland is not cleared.  You've even posted that you think Garland won't be cleared and speculated that guys like Bailey and CJ Jones could be candidates to transfer if things don't work out for them this year.

And I'm all for being optimistic, but anyone thinking this won't be a young/inexperienced team next year and there won't be some growing pains is being naive.  They could very be a tournament team next year, but that's not a foregone conclusion and I bet most of the pre-season polls/rankings doesn't have them a tournament team, unless Gafford turns himself into a lottery pick type of player this season and gets some hype going into next season.

I haven't posted that I think Garland won't cleared. I've said others with knowledge say he won't be cleared. Big difference. I have no idea what's going on with him. Don't believe I've ever speculated that Bailey could transfer but for sure on Jones. Bailey ain't going anywhere. We know that now. He may not even go back to the bench. Jones has been one of the first players in off the bench. He's a likely starter next season if that continues.

Best case scenario is technically 3 juniors since Jalen Harris will be a 3rd-year sophomore next season. 3 juniors, 4 sophomores and 6 freshmen. One of those sophomore will (hopefully) have logged some big minutes as a freshman. I think we can all agree Bobby Portis didn't play like a sophomore and I doubt Daniel Gafford will. We'll be fine. As long as you aren't relying on freshmen, you aren't going to play like a young team.

[MakingPlays]

I haven't posted that I think Garland won't cleared. I've said others with knowledge say he won't be cleared. Big difference. I have no idea what's going on with him. Don't believe I've ever speculated that Bailey could transfer but for sure on Jones. Bailey ain't going anywhere. We know that now. He may not even go back to the bench. Jones has been one of the first players in off the bench. He's a likely starter next season if that continues.

Best case scenario is technically 3 juniors since Jalen Harris will be a 3rd-year sophomore next season. 3 juniors, 4 sophomores and 6 freshmen. One of those sophomore will (hopefully) have logged some big minutes as a freshman. I think we can all agree Bobby Portis didn't play like a sophomore and I doubt Daniel Gafford will. We'll be fine. As long as you aren't relying on freshmen, you aren't going to play like a young team.

We'll be returning 1 starter (Bailey).  And that's if he keeps his spot after Thomas and Cook comes back.

And the only other players returning that would have played meaningful minutes are Jones, Hall, and Gafford.  Everybody knows Gabe's minutes will be gone once Thomas comes back next week.  So you're talking about returning 4 guys with SEC experience.  On top of adding at least 6 freshmen.  You can try to manipulate that into being an experienced team all you want, but that's young and inexperienced to most people.

[Tony Perkis]

MA is a very smart man. I look for him to use this as motivation in a "let's show everyone what we can do when all this other stuff is going on" type of way.

[BannerMountainMan]

We'll be returning 1 starter (Bailey).  And that's if he keeps his spot after Thomas and Cook comes back.

And the only other players returning that would have played meaningful minutes are Jones, Hall, and Gafford.  Everybody knows Gabe's minutes will be gone once Thomas comes back next week.  So you're talking about returning 4 guys with SEC experience.  On top of adding at least 6 freshmen.  You can try to manipulate that into being an experienced team all you want, but that's young and inexperienced to most people.

So? We ain't got no Rickey Scott, or Keaton Miles! Henderson is prolly better than Gafford right now and Chaney looks good!! Gonna be contributors right off the bat!!

[FineAsSwine]

So? We ain't got no Rickey Scott, or Keaton Miles! Henderson is prolly better than Gafford right now and Chaney looks good!! Gonna be contributors right off the bat!!

You lost some credibility with that one.

[Letsroll1200]

So? We ain't got no Rickey Scott, or Keaton Miles! Henderson is prolly better than Gafford right now and Chaney looks good!! Gonna be contributors right off the bat!!

Henderson is no where near Gafford. Henderson will be lucky if he plays anything other than mop up duty for the Razorbacks next season. Chaney, Bailey, Gafford will all be playing in front of him next season.

[BannerMountainMan]

Henderson is no where near Gafford. Henderson will be lucky if he plays anything other than mop up duty for the Razorbacks next season. Chaney, Bailey, Gafford will all be playing in front of him next season.

are you kidding me??

[NWAHog479]

Mike will be just fine, we are lucky to have him...

[HawgWild]

I'm with you NWAHog479.

[BigSexyHog]

Why is this even a question??

Good question.  Not sure the OP thinks very much

[Birminghog]

It's like I told a new principal when he took over a high school that had some challenges: "My friend, you have a lot to fix at this school. Don't waste your energy messing with programs that take care of themselves."

[FineAsSwine]

Good question.  Not sure the OP thinks very much

Haha. I think I thinks too much about the Hogs. But it is a valid question and not just in terms of job security. How do their personalities mesh? Is the guy a "meddler" who micro manages? All that jazz.

[HawgWild]

FCJ isn't going to let that happen.

[MakingPlays]

So? We ain't got no Rickey Scott, or Keaton Miles! Henderson is prolly better than Gafford right now and Chaney looks good!! Gonna be contributors right off the bat!!

Nobody said they wouldn't be contributors.  I said they would be young and inexperienced.  When you have a team with more freshmen than upperclassmen that's typically the case.  Also, I think you guys are confusing me saying they will be young and inexperienced with them not being good.  I said in another thread if certain things go right next year we could end up being pretty good still, even though we lose a lot of guys. 

Also, I don't know which Parkview game you went to but Henderson isn't better than Gafford at anything related to basketball.  Henderson is going to battling Chaney for back-up minutes behind Gafford next year.  Gafford is on a whole other level than Henderson is right now.

[Hollywood_HOGan45]

It would be just like us to mess up basketball again but mike bleeds Razorback.

Mike is going to keep this train moving.

[Troll-ingmotor]

I always thought that coach Anderson and and Jeff long had a pretty good relationship.

How likely is it that the new AD wants to come in and bringing his own guy for basketball as well as football?

Whatever AD comes in will be crucified trying to replace Mike.

[cableguy]

So? We ain't got no Rickey Scott, or Keaton Miles! Henderson is prolly better than Gafford right now and Chaney looks good!! Gonna be contributors right off the bat!!

Saying Henderson is probably better than Gafford right now shows that you have not seen Henderson play. He is not as tall, skilled and not even close as being as strong.  Henderson isn't the best player on his team. Parkview got a highly touted sophomore/ junior guard that is the real deal.

[Letsroll1200]

are you kidding me??

No I'm not kidding. I've watched him play the last two years. He's tall, can run and jump. Need alot of development to become a basketball player.

[BannerMountainMan]

Saying Henderson is probably better than Gafford right now shows that you have not seen Henderson play. He is not as tall, skilled and not even close as being as strong.  Henderson isn't the best player on his team. Parkview got a highly touted sophomore/ junior guard that is the real deal.

then how's he the best player in Arkansas and yes I have seen him

[FineAsSwine]

The media thought it was a good question  because CMA was asked about that during his press conference yesterday.

[AlmaHog2011]

Mike Anderson is solid as it gets. The new AD needs to get him extended and give the man a raise. Arkansas basketball is on it's way BACK!

[HawgnCorona]

Whatever AD comes in will be crucified trying to replace Mike.

Yeah. The incoming AD will get fired first if he attempts that chit....But the OP is over thinking this a bit.