My Perspective on Coaches Has Changed

[WilsonHog]

I railed against Nolan for several years before his departure because I didn't think he projected the image that I wanted for a coach at my alma mater. He wasn't articulate enough. He was abrasive. His players didn't graduate.

Hindsight is 20/20 though. I now see that I had the luxury of those views because we were winning 25 games a year, winning conference championships, going to the NCAA Tourney every year and making trips to the Final Four regularly enough to make us believe we belonged there.  Because of the enjoyment the program brought me for on-the-floor accomplishments, I had the luxury of sitting at a Regional Final at Reunion Arena, or at the Final Four in Denver, and complaining about Nolan.

None of that is true any longer.

Now? I don't care if the coach is a nice guy. I don't care if he's a devoted husband and father.  I don't care if he attends church regularly. I don't care if he gives to charity.   I don't care if his players graduate. All of that is great.............if I get to talk about it while sitting at a Regional Final or a Final Four, or at least watching to see what seed we get on Selection Sunday. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.

   

[hawkeyefan17]

No one blamed Arkansas for getting rid of Nolan Richardson, I don't think. My perception of him was that he kind of ran things at Arkansas though and that he didn't run a clean program. I could be wrong but that's what I thought when I lived Iowa and later in Missouri.

I think people understood Arkansas not retaining Richardson (I still remember his press conference being all over ESPN for days) and it sparking controversy but I think the perception was that Nolan was a legendary coach at a legendary program and that Arkansas should have been able to hire someone of better caliber than Stan Heath.

I believe you should care about what the players on your favorite team does academically...academics are important.

[Snarlton]

Obviously hindsight isn't 20/20 almost 5 years removed from the situation for Wilson.  Nolan made Arkansas basketball very frustrating to follow.  It wasn't entertaining anymore because of at least 2 big reasons: 

- his Hogs had turned into losers and were swirling farther down the tubes with every season

- he was recruiting for all of his opponents by badmouthing the UofA

Under Nolan, basketball wasn't about basketball anymore.  He turned it into his own personal race lectureship circuit and I resented him ruining what should have been entertaining and a source of pride for the state.

Good riddance, Nolan.

[An old hog fanatic]

Obviously hindsight isn't 20/20 almost 5 years removed from the situation for Wilson.  Nolan made Arkansas basketball very frustrating to follow.  It wasn't entertaining anymore because of at least 2 big reasons: 

- his Hogs had turned into losers and were swirling farther down the tubes with every season

- he was recruiting for all of his opponents by badmouthing the UofA

Under Nolan, basketball wasn't about basketball anymore.  He turned it into his own personal race lectureship circuit and I resented him ruining what should have been entertaining and a source of pride for the state.

Good riddance, Nolan.

Great Post! 

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

I railed against Nolan for several years before his departure because I didn't think he projected the image that I wanted for a coach at my alma mater. He wasn't articulate enough. He was abrasive. His players didn't graduate.

Hindsight is 20/20 though. I now see that I had the luxury of those views because we were winning 25 games a year, winning conference championships, going to the NCAA Tourney every year and making trips to the Final Four regularly enough to make us believe we belonged there.  Because of the enjoyment the program brought me for on-the-floor accomplishments, I had the luxury of sitting at a Regional Final at Reunion Arena, or at the Final Four in Denver, and complaining about Nolan.

None of that is true any longer.

Now? I don't care if the coach is a nice guy. I don't care if he's a devoted husband and father.  I don't care if he attends church regularly. I don't care if he gives to charity.   I don't care if his players graduate. All of that is great.............if I get to talk about it while sitting at a Regional Final or a Final Four, or at least watching to see what seed we get on Selection Sunday. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.

   

Wilson, this is a great post.  The last part of your post sums up something that I have been thinking for a while.

I am sick and tired of hearing about "class".  It is almost like people think you can't have class and win.  There are plenty of programs with class that WIN.  I agree, I am tired of hearing about what a "good man" and what a "great christian" our coaches are.  Just WIN baby...with class.  Time to turn it around.

[iCalledThatHogBrotha!]

I think you meant Christian.  If not, you should have.

[razorbackfan4life]

JUST WIN WIN WIN!!!!!  Thats all we want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

I think you meant Christian.  If not, you should have.

christian christian christian christian christian

[CiriusPorker]

Being a two-time alumni of the UA, I personally do care about the graduation rates of players, their grades, how we're represented.  I DO care about winning, but winning is NOT the only thing.  Look at our track program.  McDonnell, though arrogant, always represents the school well, athletes graduate, and yet we continue to be in the top one or two, and grab a couple of championships almost every year.  It's not one or the other.  You can have a great coach who keeps his players accountable for their academics, AND is classy.  We should desire the best in all aspects, not just athletics.

[DukeOfPork]

No one blamed Arkansas for getting rid of Nolan Richardson, I don't think. My perception of him was that he kind of ran things at Arkansas though and that he didn't run a clean program. I could be wrong but that's what I thought when I lived Iowa and later in Missouri.

Nolan ran a clean program.  That isn't the issue.

Nolan's problem was that he started losing and then he damaged the University with his comments shortly before the firing.

I tolerated Nolan's antics until he started losing.  And I would tolerate that nonsense again if we were winning like we were in the mid 90's.

[whatsshakinbacon]

Obviously hindsight isn't 20/20 almost 5 years removed from the situation for Wilson.  Nolan made Arkansas basketball very frustrating to follow.  It wasn't entertaining anymore because of at least 2 big reasons: 

- his Hogs had turned into losers and were swirling farther down the tubes with every season

- he was recruiting for all of his opponents by badmouthing the UofA

Under Nolan, basketball wasn't about basketball anymore.  He turned it into his own personal race lectureship circuit and I resented him ruining what should have been entertaining and a source of pride for the state.

Good riddance, Nolan.

This is a good analysis.  But I would have to say if we were winning 25+ games a year the lecturing would have meant nothing.

As a manager in Nolan's early years let me say this.  Nolan didn't change.  He was always lecturing.  What hurt us was that when he started to fail the media began to pick up on and print his idiosyncrasies and did so in a negative light.  It began to spin out of control and he started then to say negative things about the university.

But nonetheless, when the media turns on you and words go to print which you can't take back then you have a problem. 

Bacon out...

[Richard_white]

I railed against Nolan for several years before his departure because I didn't think he projected the image that I wanted for a coach at my alma mater. He wasn't articulate enough. He was abrasive. His players didn't graduate.

Hindsight is 20/20 though. I now see that I had the luxury of those views because we were winning 25 games a year, winning conference championships, going to the NCAA Tourney every year and making trips to the Final Four regularly enough to make us believe we belonged there.  Because of the enjoyment the program brought me for on-the-floor accomplishments, I had the luxury of sitting at a Regional Final at Reunion Arena, or at the Final Four in Denver, and complaining about Nolan.

None of that is true any longer.

Now? I don't care if the coach is a nice guy. I don't care if he's a devoted husband and father.  I don't care if he attends church regularly. I don't care if he gives to charity.   I don't care if his players graduate. All of that is great.............if I get to talk about it while sitting at a Regional Final or a Final Four, or at least watching to see what seed we get on Selection Sunday. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.

   

I agree WilsonHog, I'm not saying that I don't like Stan Heath as a person but what we need in a coach is a winner, a coach that can control our players like coach Bobby Knight.  I don't won't his antics of throwing a chair on mid court but I would like to see our coach get in our players heads and get them to understand they can WIN.

WPS

[DirkPiggler]

No one blamed Arkansas for getting rid of Nolan Richardson, I don't think. My perception of him was that he kind of ran things at Arkansas though and that he didn't run a clean program. I could be wrong but that's what I thought when I lived Iowa and later in Missouri.

Nolan ran a clean program.  That isn't the issue.

Nolan's problem was that he started losing and then he damaged the University with his comments shortly before the firing.

I tolerated Nolan's antics until he started losing.  And I would tolerate that nonsense again if we were winning like we were in the mid 90's.

Nolan's program wasn't as squeaky clean as many would like you to believe.  It was cleaner than most, and definitely wasn't Alabama dirty, but things went on.  Nolan knew about some of them.   

[Porkahontas]

Here's my entire two cents about it.

Nolan was a great coach until he got what he wanted. After Corliss, Scotty, and the gang won the national title and came back for the repeat run, Nolan admittedly began to "select" instead of "recruit." Seems it wasn't long after that where he went out and loaded up on JuCo guys, some of which didn't have a prayer of making it to campus in the first place. Anbtwan Hall fizzled out, Kareem Poole never made it, Marcus Saxon never made it, and they were risks from the get-go. The whole thing with Pate and Adebayo hurt, but looking back in hindsight, those two would not have been Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson. Both were good players but neither were the kind to take the Hogs to the championship.

Now, Nolan was a hell of a coach until around 95 or so and it seemed he began letting Mike Anderson do most of the teaching during timeouts and spent his time nagging the refs. He built the monster, admitted that he had to feed it, then started to slack up a bit. Calling fans "turds and posters" without stating at that precise time that he was only referring to a small segment of the fan base left a bad taste in the mouths of the state.

As time went on, we saw guys like Justin Hankins and Jason Gilbert come into the program even though they had offers from practically nobody out there, and we saw way too many players come into the program, stay a year or two, and then leave. Marlon Towns, the kid that had a great freshman season and ended up transferring home to California (the tall kid, what was his name?), Gilbert, Hankins, Jason Jennings, and others seemed to come in and out of the program and that chipped away at the experience, depth, and chemistry of the team.

Time went on and Nolan still thought he could "select" instead of "recruit", even though we were getting to the point of having to "select" Alonzo Lane, Wen Mukubu, the Berry kid, and several others who probably didn't have much of an excuse of getting offered from one of the best 10 or 15 programs in the nation.

Now, I do agree to extent that I just want the team to win. I am glad we don't have to hear about the zero % graduation rate. I am glad we don't have a coach pulling a Larry Eustachy, John Cheney, or Mike Bliss. I don't want kids ending up getting murdered by teamates at Arkansas. I don't want to see the coach covering it up. I don't want to see the coach out partying with fraternities at other universities. And for all of those crying for Bob Huggins, I don't want that sumbitch on our sidelines after the joke that was on Sportscenter with him staggering all over the highway after drinking between recruiting trips.

I've got my limits. I want to win but at any extent, no way in hell. Arkansas is a premiere program still and the right coach could find winning very easy here. However, the embarassment Nolan brought upon the program those last years are tough to stomach, regardless of if we're winning 10 games a year or making the NCAA tourney each year.

That all said, I just don't see Heath making a national title run at Arkansas. I'm not confident in the kids that were brought in last year and I'm not convinced Heath can take a premiere talent and coach him to the top of his potential. Brewer is a hell of a good player but he still makes some mistakes that he should have learned not to make by now, and I feel that goes back to coaching. Darian Townes could be huge with the right amount of coaching. Famutini never progressed at Arkansas, dispite being one of the top 2 or 3 prep players to come to college and not go pro, and I refuse to this day to believe that his knee injury was 100% of the reason he didn't pan out. Hill has the defense but the kid doesn't rebound and is an abyss on the offensive side of the ball. And most important, after all this time together, these kids still seem to play as individuals rather than as a team.

"Just win baby!" is a great rally cry when you're losing but you've got to have a few standards. I could never support this team with a Bob Huggin's type coach running it, or a coach who's embarassing us nationally. It wasn't so much the wins and losses with Nolan as it was some of the things that began to come out of his mouth when he began to "select" and not "recruit" and quit coaching during timeouts and between losses. The kids making the same mistakes game after game after game illustrates that further.

[HognotinMemphis]

I don't think Wilson is saying he wishes Nolan was still the coach of the Hogs or that he thinks Nolan should not have been fired the way he was. He's just saying that he wants wins more than any of the peripheral stuff. I agree with that.

As far as the Nolan issue is concerned...he was a cancer on the program at least 3 years before he was fired. He deserved to be fired...needed to be fired...should have been fired at least 2 years before he was fired.  His teams were losing games, his last team had a losing record and he was on a huge multi-year decline in quality and attitude.

I can't stand Nolan to the point that I'm not even greatful for his early years. He left such a bad taste in my mouth that it ruined anything he accomplished at U of A.

[WilsonHog]

I don't think Wilson is saying he wishes Nolan was still the coach of the Hogs or that he thinks Nolan should not have been fired the way he was. He's just saying that he wants wins more than any of the peripheral stuff. I agree with that.

Exactly.

[hogtheball]

Here's a trivia question, in Nolan's almost 17 seasons at Arknasas how many black players on his teams actually got a college degree?

Are his former players on an even playing field?

[HognotinMemphis]

Here's a trivia question, in Nolan's almost 17 seasons at Arknasas how many black players on his teams actually got a college degree?

Are his former players on an even playing field?

Let me guess....NONE of them.

[hogtheball]

actually, i asked the question without having the answer - sorry.  I think Corliss got his degree and I'm pretty sure there was at least one other.  I'm looking...

[Porkahontas]

I don't think Wilson is saying he wishes Nolan was still the coach of the Hogs or that he thinks Nolan should not have been fired the way he was. He's just saying that he wants wins more than any of the peripheral stuff. I agree with that.

As far as the Nolan issue is concerned...he was a cancer on the program at least 3 years before he was fired. He deserved to be fired...needed to be fired...should have been fired at least 2 years before he was fired.  His teams were losing games, his last team had a losing record and he was on a huge multi-year decline in quality and attitude.

I can't stand Nolan to the point that I'm not even greatful for his early years. He left such a bad taste in my mouth that it ruined anything he accomplished at U of A.

This is probably true.

What can I say? I was on a roll.

If I had to rate things in importance as far as a head coach goes, wins wouldn't be the #1 thing on my list I don't think. It might be #2, #3, or #4 (pretty damn high up there) but the top thing on my list would be having a head coach that wasn't a complete embarassment to the university.

Of course, as we all know, if a coach is winning national titles, conference titles, or making the final four often, some of the things are more tolerable. If a coach is doing the exact same thing and having losing records, the problems are magnified and it becomes a reason to fire him.

[hogslobber]

Nolan is the reason I stopped watching college basketall.

1995.

The million man march.

The black coaches association.

His horrible attitude.

He is the picture for racism.

Quit bb cold trukey.

Don't miss it a bit.

You all should try it.

[Cornhogio]

I think the perception was that Nolan was a legendary coach at a legendary program and that Arkansas should have been able to hire someone of better caliber than Stan Heath.

My thoughts at the time, and now.  I think our administration thinks far too small when they start the hiring process. 

[JJHog]

I railed against Nolan for several years before his departure because I didn't think he projected the image that I wanted for a coach at my alma mater. He wasn't articulate enough. He was abrasive. His players didn't graduate.

Hindsight is 20/20 though. I now see that I had the luxury of those views because we were winning 25 games a year, winning conference championships, going to the NCAA Tourney every year and making trips to the Final Four regularly enough to make us believe we belonged there.  Because of the enjoyment the program brought me for on-the-floor accomplishments, I had the luxury of sitting at a Regional Final at Reunion Arena, or at the Final Four in Denver, and complaining about Nolan.

None of that is true any longer.

Now? I don't care if the coach is a nice guy. I don't care if he's a devoted husband and father.  I don't care if he attends church regularly. I don't care if he gives to charity.   I don't care if his players graduate. All of that is great.............if I get to talk about it while sitting at a Regional Final or a Final Four, or at least watching to see what seed we get on Selection Sunday. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.

   

Sad, indeed.

[JJHog]

I railed against Nolan for several years before his departure because I didn't think he projected the image that I wanted for a coach at my alma mater. He wasn't articulate enough. He was abrasive. His players didn't graduate.

Hindsight is 20/20 though. I now see that I had the luxury of those views because we were winning 25 games a year, winning conference championships, going to the NCAA Tourney every year and making trips to the Final Four regularly enough to make us believe we belonged there.  Because of the enjoyment the program brought me for on-the-floor accomplishments, I had the luxury of sitting at a Regional Final at Reunion Arena, or at the Final Four in Denver, and complaining about Nolan.

None of that is true any longer.

Now? I don't care if the coach is a nice guy. I don't care if he's a devoted husband and father.  I don't care if he attends church regularly. I don't care if he gives to charity.   I don't care if his players graduate. All of that is great.............if I get to talk about it while sitting at a Regional Final or a Final Four, or at least watching to see what seed we get on Selection Sunday. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.

   

On the flip side. Nolan took all the joy out of the NC for me.

If Higgins came here and restored our program to prominence but did it in a way that found our guys in the police blotter and he himself jailed for DWI, I'd feel the same way.

Some of you guys want a guy to win but don't want to know his dirty laundry, it does not work that way today. If it were common knowledge Eddie drank a lot while at UA, he would not have had the positive image he has.

The Uof A derserves good men that can win. period.

[hogtheball]

Corliss didn't get his degree - not that he needs one.  I can't find a single black basketball player during Nolan's 17 years at Arkansas who graduated.  If there was one please let me know.  Nolan said he wasn't playing on a level playing field at Arkansas even though he was making around $400,000 more than any other coaches. 

I would ask Nolan, how many of your former players are playing on a level playing field now?  who was being exploited more - Nolan by the UofA, or Nolan's players by Nolan?

[mykidsdad]

Corliss didn't get his degree - not that he needs one.  I can't find a single black basketball player during Nolan's 17 years at Arkansas who graduated.  If there was one please let me know.  Nolan said he wasn't playing on a level playing field at Arkansas even though he was making around $400,000 more than any other coaches. 

I would ask Nolan, how many of your former players are playing on a level playing field now?  who was being exploited more - Nolan by the UofA, or Nolan's players by Nolan?

Well let me mention a few that I know of:
Ron Huery
Todd Day
Daryl Hawkins
there are many others as well but I don't know them so I won't mention them.

You know nothing about which you are speaking.  Most of his palyers played some sort of professional basketball which didn't leave them time to stick around to finish once their playing career was over. They do return later to finish the degree when time permits. It was never Nolan's responsibility to make a player graduate. How do you do that anyway? I guess we can ask Miss St. about that.
I also hope some of you fans are happy because you will NEVER even smell a NC again in a major sport. Nolan delievered the ONLY undusputed NC in a major sport in Arkansas history and we all see how he was treated by both the press, the AD and, and of course people like you!

[HognotinMemphis]

Nolan is the reason I stopped watching college basketall.

1995.

The million man march.

The black coaches association.

His horrible attitude.

He is the picture for racism.

Quit bb cold trukey.

Don't miss it a bit.

You all should try it.

Pretty much the same for me. I've been uninterested in college bball since about '97. I will guesstimate that I have not watched a total of 5 games of college basketball on TV (or in person) in the last 9 seasons, counting the current one.

It was about Jan of '98 that I quit watching and started railing against Nolan. It took 4 more years until he was fired in Feb. of '02.

I haven't missed it either. Although, if I'd been at a different time in my life when this Nolan thing happened, maybe I would have been even more upset with how he ruined Arkansas basketball...it was a busy time in my life and college sports wasn't as much of a priority over these last 9 years as it was before then.

[HognotinMemphis]

Corliss didn't get his degree - not that he needs one.  I can't find a single black basketball player during Nolan's 17 years at Arkansas who graduated.  If there was one please let me know.  Nolan said he wasn't playing on a level playing field at Arkansas even though he was making around $400,000 more than any other coaches. 

I would ask Nolan, how many of your former players are playing on a level playing field now?  who was being exploited more - Nolan by the UofA, or Nolan's players by Nolan?

You don't need a degree if you can make a 7 figure salary for even just one year. And he's done that multiple years. I wish I had Corliss's basketball degree instead of my BSBA from U of A.

[Cornhogio]

Well let me mention a few that I know of:
Ron Huery
Todd Day
Daryl Hawkins

I was thinking Biley did as well. 

[hogtheball]

Corliss didn't get his degree - not that he needs one.  I can't find a single black basketball player during Nolan's 17 years at Arkansas who graduated.  If there was one please let me know.  Nolan said he wasn't playing on a level playing field at Arkansas even though he was making around $400,000 more than any other coaches. 

I would ask Nolan, how many of your former players are playing on a level playing field now?  who was being exploited more - Nolan by the UofA, or Nolan's players by Nolan?

You don't need a degree if you can make a 7 figure salary for even just one year. And he's done that multiple years. I wish I had Corliss's basketball degree instead of my BSBA from U of A.

How many players did Nolan have in 17 years?  How many made 7 figure salaries.  Of course Corliss doesn't need a degree to make a living...what about the dozens of guys who never had a chance to play pro ball from the UofA.  All you have to do to get a degree is show up for class most of the time and listen on occassion.  There are plenty of coaches who have great teams and get degree for their players.  As we all know, there are very few Corliss Williamsons in the world. 

[hogtheball]

Well let me mention a few that I know of:
Ron Huery
Todd Day
Daryl Hawkins

I was thinking Biley did as well. 

Biley - I think you're right, but I can't find him on a graduation roster.  Huery graduated last year after a few years in jail and decided to get his degree. I don't know if Nolan gets credit for that degree or not. 

[Cornhogio]

I think the essence of this thread is that we don't care what they do off the court as long as they get it done on the court.  That's how I feel.  I don't care if Stan wears speedos and Mickey-Mouse ears to church on Sundays as long as we win.  He can do all that other stuff til the cows come home, and if he loses, off with his head! 

[HouTxRzbck]

I don't think Wilson is saying he wishes Nolan was still the coach of the Hogs or that he thinks Nolan should not have been fired the way he was. He's just saying that he wants wins more than any of the peripheral stuff. I agree with that.

As far as the Nolan issue is concerned...he was a cancer on the program at least 3 years before he was fired. He deserved to be fired...needed to be fired...should have been fired at least 2 years before he was fired.  His teams were losing games, his last team had a losing record and he was on a huge multi-year decline in quality and attitude.

I can't stand Nolan to the point that I'm not even greatful for his early years. He left such a bad taste in my mouth that it ruined anything he accomplished at U of A.

Memphis...(Damn, never thought I would say this)  I never thought I would agree with you on anything, but you hit it on this.  Nolan had such a chip on his shoulder that when UA was winning, media, alumni, fans just shrugged it off and let him run with it.  When he started to lose, everyone started to see the true Nolan.  I think Nolan was getting more and more PO'd because he wasn't getting the free pass anymore to say what he wanted.  The more it PO'd him the more outlandish comments were coming out of his mouth.  He couldn't control the media anymore and it cost him his job with his final antics.

[WilsonHog]

Some of you guys want a guy to win but don't want to know his dirty laundry, it does not work that way today. If it were common knowledge Eddie drank a lot while at UA, he would not have had the positive image he has.

The Uof A derserves good men that can win. period.

Why does the UA "deserve good men that can win" more than any other school?

The simple fact is that everyone has skeletons. If a man lives life long enough he will have things in his past (or maybe even present, for that matter) that he would just as soon not everyone know about. 

So what if Eddie Sutton drank while he was at UA? With the success he brought to UA and the enjoyment he gave me personally, he could have drank a fifth of Jack Daniels a night and I wouldn't have cared.  In fact, it wouldn't be any of my business.

Graduation rate? You know, I'm sure that there will be several students from Little Rock who will enter UA as freshmen next fall. Shouldn't I keep up with their graduation rate, if I REALLY cared about young people graduating? Fact is, I couldn't care less. I'll leave that to their parents to worry about. Same with basketball and football players.

[hogtheball]

Some of you guys want a guy to win but don't want to know his dirty laundry, it does not work that way today. If it were common knowledge Eddie drank a lot while at UA, he would not have had the positive image he has.

The Uof A derserves good men that can win. period.

Why does the UA "deserve good men that can win" more than any other school?

The simple fact is that everyone has skeletons. If a man lives life long enough he will have things in his past (or maybe even present, for that matter) that he would just as soon not everyone know about. 

So what if Eddie Sutton drank while he was at UA? With the success he brought to UA and the enjoyment he gave me personally, he could have drank a fifth of Jack Daniels a night and I wouldn't have cared.  In fact, it wouldn't be any of my business.

Graduation rate? You know, I'm sure that there will be several students from Little Rock who will enter UA as freshmen next fall. Shouldn't I keep up with their graduation rate, if I REALLY cared about young people graduating? Fact is, I couldn't care less. I'll leave that to their parents to worry about. Same with basketball and football players.

Sorry, call me an idealist, but as long as I'm rooting for the Hogs with my 3-year-old I do care what kind of people he grows up rooting for.  To some people, sports isn't an end in itself but a means to a bigger end.  I'd rather have my kid grow up learning the difference between Walter Payton and Terrell Owens,  or the difference between Dennis Rodman and John Stockton.  Some teams learn how to win games, others - rare as they might be - learn to win even more.

[lyon98]

Some of you guys want a guy to win but don't want to know his dirty laundry, it does not work that way today. If it were common knowledge Eddie drank a lot while at UA, he would not have had the positive image he has.

The Uof A derserves good men that can win. period.

Why does the UA "deserve good men that can win" more than any other school?

Why did UCLA?

[wacohog]

Wherever my 18 yr old goes to school next yr, it will ultimately be up to him to succeed, graduate, fail, flunk, fall on his ass, etc. I'm not really sure how player graduation became so much of a responsibility of any school.

I doubt many of you give a rip if my son or Wilson's have a successful collegiate academic career. I don't think you should worry about it either. I also don't care if the signees this yr graduate. I have enough on my plate with 4 kids to worry about, a marriage, a business, hypertension, receeding hairline, impending metabolic syndrome, and future erectile dysfunction(we'll ALL end up with some degree of this one, my friends.) All of us need to take care of our own business and take responsibilty for our outcomes.

My point is this: This is entertainment to me, and I want my team to win. period. There is no other reason for the Hogs to play.

[hogtheball]

Why even let them go to class?  If they watched basketball films all day it would certainly help their focus.  If we don't care about education, then quit acting like they are students and pay them.  You can't have it both ways.  It they are student-athletes, school is part of the equation.  If not, and they are entertainers, then let's pay them like entertainers, especially since 90% of them don't have a prayer to go to the NBA.  The coaches get a ton of money just for their players to wear a certain brand of b-ball shoe.  Why even have NCAA sports?  semi-pro works in baseball.

[silvertip]

Obviously hindsight isn't 20/20 almost 5 years removed from the situation for Wilson.  Nolan made Arkansas basketball very frustrating to follow.  It wasn't entertaining anymore because of at least 2 big reasons: 

- his Hogs had turned into losers and were swirling farther down the tubes with every season

- he was recruiting for all of his opponents by badmouthing the UofA

Under Nolan, basketball wasn't about basketball anymore.  He turned it into his own personal race lectureship circuit and I resented him ruining what should have been entertaining and a source of pride for the state.

Good riddance, Nolan.

Well said, Snarly guy!! You captured my opinion exactly of that bitter jerk Nolan. Good riddance & Amen bro.

[Fatty McGee]

Graduation rates only matter when you're losing.

Nolan was half right.  He was getting a raw deal from the UA.

[CiriusPorker]

i think one of the biggest factors of any type of graduation rate (non-athletics included) is cost of education.  Sometimes it becomes too expensive for students to pay for, hence they take student loans (if they don't have scholarships).  Athletes, i feel, don't have htat excuse since they're education is paid for.  If they go pro, that's fine.  They can pay for it later, but if they're not good enough to go pro, then they should really take the free ride and get what they can out of it.

[hogtheball]

Graduation rates only matter when you're losing.

Nolan was half right.  He was getting a raw deal from the UA.

I wonder if Nolan told that to all his recruits' Mothers.  Mam, whether or not your son goes to class doesn't really matter, because we'll be winning ball games.

[Fatty McGee]

Who knows what he told them?  If Mama don't care enough to find out if Jr. is passing his classes, why should the bball coach? 

Again, no one cared about graduation rates while we were winning.

[WilsonHog]

I have no problem with the idea that athletes should be student-athletes.

My problem is that in factoring graduation rates into the performance of a coach we are removing the responsibility from where it should be - squarely on the shoulders of the players - and projecting it onto the coach.

Just another manifestation of our society's need to deflect personal responsibility.

[Whataboar™]

I don't think Wilson is saying he wishes Nolan was still the coach of the Hogs or that he thinks Nolan should not have been fired the way he was. He's just saying that he wants wins more than any of the peripheral stuff. I agree with that.

As far as the Nolan issue is concerned...he was a cancer on the program at least 3 years before he was fired. He deserved to be fired...needed to be fired...should have been fired at least 2 years before he was fired.  His teams were losing games, his last team had a losing record and he was on a huge multi-year decline in quality and attitude.

I can't stand Nolan to the point that I'm not even greatful for his early years. He left such a bad taste in my mouth that it ruined anything he accomplished at U of A.

Memphis...(Damn, never thought I would say this)  I never thought I would agree with you on anything, but you hit it on this.  Nolan had such a chip on his shoulder that when UA was winning, media, alumni, fans just shrugged it off and let him run with it.  When he started to lose, everyone started to see the true Nolan.  I think Nolan was getting more and more PO'd because he wasn't getting the free pass anymore to say what he wanted.  The more it PO'd him the more outlandish comments were coming out of his mouth.  He couldn't control the media anymore and it cost him his job with his final antics.

I'll never forget waking up the next morning after winning the national championship and seeing an angry Nolan on the network morning shows.
Really threw cold water on what should have been a wonderful time in UA athletics.
Nolan simply overestimated his popularity with the media, fans and UA officials.
He deserved to be fired. End of story.
Of course, like everyone else, I miss the days of sitting in front of the tube on Selection Sunday and learning our region and seed.
Sadly, Heath doesn't appear to be the man to bring us back.

[CiriusPorker]

Who knows what he told them?  If Mama don't care enough to find out if Jr. is passing his classes, why should the bball coach? 

Again, no one cared about graduation rates while we were winning.

of course they didn't, but it doesn't mean that graduation rates shouldn't concern university officials.  I think that's the biggest thing.  Fans could care less if modica graduates or brewer graduates as long as they are putting up solid numbers.  However, given the university's position, it is in their best interest to be concerned about athletic graduation rates.  Since they're paying for the athletes' education.  In the overall perspective, if Stan Heath can improve the team to consistently go to the NCAA T..then he'll be seen as a great coach from an academic perspective, because he holds his team accountable with class.  If they miss class, they typically miss a game.

[silvertip]

I railed against Nolan for several years before his departure because I didn't think he projected the image that I wanted for a coach at my alma mater. He wasn't articulate enough. He was abrasive. His players didn't graduate.

Hindsight is 20/20 though. I now see that I had the luxury of those views because we were winning 25 games a year, winning conference championships, going to the NCAA Tourney every year and making trips to the Final Four regularly enough to make us believe we belonged there.  Because of the enjoyment the program brought me for on-the-floor accomplishments, I had the luxury of sitting at a Regional Final at Reunion Arena, or at the Final Four in Denver, and complaining about Nolan.

None of that is true any longer.

Now? I don't care if the coach is a nice guy. I don't care if he's a devoted husband and father.  I don't care if he attends church regularly. I don't care if he gives to charity.   I don't care if his players graduate. All of that is great.............if I get to talk about it while sitting at a Regional Final or a Final Four, or at least watching to see what seed we get on Selection Sunday. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.

   

Ok, Wilson, you just know I've got a wise-ass reply to this.

Just teasing man, but this makes me realize you really meant what you posted earlier today(?) when you said,
"We are all entitled to our own reality."

Hope you're happy with your reality. But the reality most of us have to live with reminds us that Nolan did NOT have us "going to the NCAA Tourney every year." Just from memory, I believe we didn't make the NCAA in 3 of Nolan's last 7 years, nor in his first 2. At least 5 of Nolan's 17 years with no NCAAT bid, and it may be 6(?) which would be 1/3 of his seasons with no bids.

And no, we weren't "winning 25 games a year." Maybe 5 or 6 of Nolan's 17 years, which is very good. But we also had several losing records, as well as 18-14 in '00, and 2 losing SEC records in Nolan's last 3 years.

And of course "winning conference championships" was a lost cause once Corliss left. As I recall, we never even won the SEC-West division in Nolan's last 7 years.

I ought to just let you have your reality, if it makes you happy. But I'm just not that good a guy, especially when it comes to trying to make a Hero out of Nolan. He did his best to do the maximum damage to the U of A while feeding his bitter paranoia. I say once again, GOOD RIDDANCE NOLAN, you sorry jerk.   

[Fatty McGee]

Nolan is not a hero.  But he's not the only one to blame for how it ended.  And the years of 1990-1995 are the high points of most Razorback sports fans' lives, mostly due to Nolan.  For that he deserves some credit, even if it was time for him to go.

[hogtheball]

I agree. I just don't like Nolan to act like the UofA was exploiting him as a black coach and not putting him on a level playing field, when he was bringing all these players to the UofA with promises of professional careers, then not making sure they got a degree to fall back on. 

Nolan made a few million dollars by deciding what tennis shoes the team wore.  I wonder how much he helped them out when they didn't get a job after school. I know Bobby Knight paid for at least one player's education when they lost their b-ball scholarship.   I just don't like Nolan and his die-hard supporters acting like he was exploited when he was doing the same thing to his players - not to mention leaving his most loyal assistants high and dry when he decided to collect unemployment and not pursue a coaching career.

[Fatty McGee]

Don't hammer Nolan and then glorify Bobby Knight.