Lady'Backs changes . . .

[taintlint]

i was gonna pay attention to the ladybacks this year, but i had to rearrange my sock drawer and re-lace all my shoes.. 

There are "Lady Razorbacks"? What do they cook?

[taintlint]

i was gonna pay attention to the ladybacks this year, but i had to rearrange my sock drawer and re-lace all my shoes.. 

There are "Lady Razorbacks"? What do they cook?

Just Kidding.

[psycHOGlogist]

yeah, it's amazing. and the party line is: But things are looking up!

In what parallel universe?

[Cajun Hog]

Let hire the Baylor coach and tell her to bring the Allison girl from Jonesboro with her,,, the one  Susie couldn't recruit and who has had a great freshman year at Baylor............

Susie still has a lot of issues with Arkansas HS coaches.  Some will will not even let her on Campus.

Drake -How many really big name coaches are there in women's' college basketball? Three? Summitt, Geno and Huh?. What is the name of the Duke coach? Duke coach Gleason or something like that.

How do you start pissing off home state  high school coaches in three years?  that is quite a feat.......

You don't call or visit the schools.  This is want cost Lou Holtz his job in part.  The HS coach are one of the biggest key's in recruiting.  Look at Gus connections and how it paid off for Football this year.

[Cajun Hog]

Let hire the Baylor coach and tell her to bring the Allison girl from Jonesboro with her,,, the one  Susie couldn't recruit and who has had a great freshman year at Baylor............

Susie still has a lot of issues with Arkansas HS coaches.  Some will will not even let her on Campus.

Drake -How many really big name coaches are there in women's' college basketball? Three? Summitt, Geno and Huh?. What is the name of the Duke coach? Duke coach Gleason or something like that.

How do you start pissing off home state  high school coaches in three years?  that is quite a feat.......

You don't call or visit the schools.  This is want cost Lou Holtz his job in part.  The HS coach are one of the biggest key's in recruiting.  Look at Gus connections and how it paid off for Football this year.

Maybe I missed the take on Lewis and Blair.  Did Bev insist on a woman coach?  I believe though that Pat Summitt is who recommended Gardner in the first place.

If I could recommend a spud as my competition, then like you be good. 

[taintlint]

Let hire the Baylor coach and tell her to bring the Allison girl from Jonesboro with her,,, the one  Susie couldn't recruit and who has had a great freshman year at Baylor............

Susie still has a lot of issues with Arkansas HS coaches.  Some will will not even let her on Campus.

Drake -How many really big name coaches are there in women's' college basketball? Three? Summitt, Geno and Huh?. What is the name of the Duke coach? Duke coach Gleason or something like that.

How do you start pissing off home state  high school coaches in three years?  that is quite a feat.......

You don't call or visit the schools.  This is want cost Lou Holtz his job in part.  The HS coach are one of the biggest key's in recruiting.  Look at Gus connections and how it paid off for Football this year.

Maybe I missed the take on Lewis and Blair.  Did Bev insist on a woman coach?  I believe though that Pat Summitt is who recommended Gardner in the first place.

If I could recommend a spud as my competition, then like you be good. 

Does any one know where I can look at a picture of Bev? I think I might have finally caught on to an underlying issue in the resistance to firing Susie.

[Cajun Hog]

Let hire the Baylor coach and tell her to bring the Allison girl from Jonesboro with her,,, the one  Susie couldn't recruit and who has had a great freshman year at Baylor............

Susie still has a lot of issues with Arkansas HS coaches.  Some will will not even let her on Campus.

Drake -How many really big name coaches are there in women's' college basketball? Three? Summitt, Geno and Huh?. What is the name of the Duke coach? Duke coach Gleason or something like that.

How do you start pissing off home state  high school coaches in three years?  that is quite a feat.......

You don't call or visit the schools.  This is want cost Lou Holtz his job in part.  The HS coach are one of the biggest key's in recruiting.  Look at Gus connections and how it paid off for Football this year.

Maybe I missed the take on Lewis and Blair.  Did Bev insist on a woman coach?  I believe though that Pat Summitt is who recommended Gardner in the first place.

If I could recommend a spud as my competition, then like you be good. 

Does any one know where I can look at a picture of Bev? I think I might have finally caught on to an underlying issue in the resistance to firing Susie.

KARMA + 2

[hogman64]

Let hire the Baylor coach and tell her to bring the Allison girl from Jonesboro with her,,, the one  Susie couldn't recruit and who has had a great freshman year at Baylor............

Susie still has a lot of issues with Arkansas HS coaches.  Some will will not even let her on Campus.

Drake -How many really big name coaches are there in women's' college basketball? Three? Summitt, Geno and Huh?. What is the name of the Duke coach? Duke coach Gleason or something like that.

How do you start pissing off home state  high school coaches in three years?  that is quite a feat.......

You don't call or visit the schools.  This is want cost Lou Holtz his job in part.  The HS coach are one of the biggest key's in recruiting.  Look at Gus connections and how it paid off for Football this year.

I totally agree with you.. I was just wondering how she  could screw things up with the high school coaches in the state so fast.. that alone is almost reason enough to fire her...............Is her personality really as drab as it comes across from  hearing and seeing her being interviewed and  seeing her quotes in the paper?  hope someone who knows her personally can answer that...........

[Jim Harris]

Let hire the Baylor coach and tell her to bring the Allison girl from Jonesboro with her,,, the one  Susie couldn't recruit and who has had a great freshman year at Baylor............

Susie still has a lot of issues with Arkansas HS coaches.  Some will will not even let her on Campus.

Drake -How many really big name coaches are there in women's' college basketball? Three? Summitt, Geno and Huh?. What is the name of the Duke coach? Duke coach Gleason or something like that.

Jacque Gleason? Yeah, I've heard of her.

I still want the Fresno state babe if we're insisting on paying little or nothing for a coach and just trying to field a team, which is what it looks like right now.
Thank goodness Vickiel Vaughn played football so the girls team would have some guards.

[RedSatinHog]

There are plenty of assistant coaches on the women's b-ball side of the sport who could do a fantastic job at a school like UA.  Michelle Marciniak (former Tennessee All-American, former WNBA star, and current assistant at South Carolina) and Stephanie White (former WNBA star and current collegiate assistant who recruited and worked with players like Kendra Wecker, Nichole Ohlde, Laurie Koehn, and Megan Mahoney at Kansas State) are two who immediately come to my mind.  They would both LOVE to get a shot like this one.

[codeHog]

I just wish you guys could talk about a coaching situation without dragging Nutt or Heath into. I hate it when somebody can not discuss something on it's own merrits.

I don't base my idea of "should I mow my yard?" on what some guy down the street did in his yard.

If you just look at her, she has not recruited, not won and not sold tickets. Thus, she has done just what should get her fired (no matter what kind of person she may be)

[hogman64]

I emailed Bev Lewis and told her how I felt about the situation, not that it will do a whole lot of good, but it cant hurt . I think eveyone posting on this thread should email her, even if  you support SG for whatever reason I cant imagine.

[stan the man]

who cares!

[Bill_Smith]

I agree with most all of this Bill,  except that I always wished they would play in Barnhill.   Truthfully,  the program can't get much worse than it is.  And our "old gym" is The Barn.  I will attend some more Ladyback games to get to see a game in Barnhill.   But,  I wish Bev would pull the trigger and fire Susie. 

We have -- and continue to consider -- playing essentially a "throw back" game at Barnhill, one of the non-conference games in December against someone that is regional.  For example, Tulsa, or a former SWC member -- so it would have an old game feel.

[Bill_Smith]

Bill - how much of this is an attempt at face-saving on Bev's part? I suppose it would really be an admission of stupidity on her part to fire Susie when Gary is doing so well at TAMU.

I'm all for giving people a chance, but there's a phrase about a silk purse and a sow's ear that comes to mind.

I think that fall signees had a great deal to do with the desire to stand pat.

[Bill_Smith]

yeah, it's amazing. and the party line is: But things are looking up!

In what parallel universe?

How about the one we live in.  How many of you wanted the football coach's scalp, then changed your minds once the recruiting was in for the spring?

[Bill_Smith]

What womens's programs are successful under this so called AD?

Be carefull about saying that, Dr. John White wanted to replace Frank with Bev and Jim Lindsey steped in to stop it.

In a roundabout way it saved Dale's job.

You are fully misinformed, and not very close to the program if you seriously believe that.  Bev Lewis is the ultimate boogie-woman, cause of all problems foreign and domestic.  I also understand that if it weren't for her hiring of Susie Gardner, the war in Iraq would be over.

[Cajun Hog]

Let hire the Baylor coach and tell her to bring the Allison girl from Jonesboro with her,,, the one  Susie couldn't recruit and who has had a great freshman year at Baylor............

Susie still has a lot of issues with Arkansas HS coaches.  Some will will not even let her on Campus.

Drake -How many really big name coaches are there in women's' college basketball? Three? Summitt, Geno and Huh?. What is the name of the Duke coach? Duke coach Gleason or something like that.

Jacque Gleason? Yeah, I've heard of her.

I still want the Fresno state babe if we're insisting on paying little or nothing for a coach and just trying to field a team, which is what it looks like right now.
Thank goodness Vickiel Vaughn played football so the girls team would have some guards.

Negative Karma for me, for fogeting about the Frenso St. lady coach.   

[hogman64]

yeah, it's amazing. and the party line is: But things are looking up!

In what parallel universe?

How about the one we live in.  How many of you wanted the football coach's scalp, then changed your minds once the recruiting was in for the spring?

To make a comparison between SG and another coach in any sport at any school you would have to go  way below HDN and  the results he has produced....Find a coach who has been a failure since day 1 and compare his or her situation to  the circumstances that befit SG at this point then you would have a comparison...Also that coach's record has to have gotten worse ever year{to compare apples to apples so to speak}..... HDN has had some success.............

[Anti-OtisII]

What womens's programs are successful under this so called AD?

Be carefull about saying that, Dr. John White wanted to replace Frank with Bev and Jim Lindsey steped in to stop it.

In a roundabout way it saved Dale's job.

I also understand that if it weren't for her hiring of Susie Gardner, the war in Iraq would be over.

I had suspected that she had some part in GWB's decision making processes.  Of course on yesterday, there WAS quite a bit of "shock and awe" going on in NLR.


Honestly though....we may not agree on SG but I respect your opinions and input.  But more than anything, I know that this cannot be a particularly fun time to have to listen to all of these know-it-alls (including myself).

 

[cmevere1027]

i dont by any means claim to be a know it all, but what reasoning does bev lewis have for keeping coach gardner as the lady backs coach, her win percentages the last 3 seasons:  .571, .548, .479 if you notice they are getting worse.

[Bill_Smith]

i dont by any means claim to be a know it all, but what reasoning does bev lewis have for keeping coach gardner as the lady backs coach, her win percentages the last 3 seasons:  .571, .548, .479 if you notice they are getting worse.

Indeed, and I will not begin to change your mind on that.  If I was on the outside, I would share your frustration.

Let me share a couple of things here:

Out of respect for our former coaches, there are many things that have not, and will not see the light of day.  We'll continue to take it in the shorts on some items.

On your seasonal performances, recall that SG's first two years, we had the SEC hell schedule: Tenn twice, LSU twice, Ole Miss twice.  That changes this season.

When any staff leaves, there are always transitional issues.  Even in the best of situations, schedules are left unfinished, recruiting gets disrupted.

Combined with the freakish level of injuries the past two years -- and the incoming talent -- there is plenty of reason inside the Lewis Center to stand pat.

Keep in mind -- we were voted 10th in the SEC when the other coaches thought we had Sarah Pfeifer, the team's leading scorer and preseason all-SEC this year.  We finished tied for eighth without her and two other starters from last season's team.

[cmevere1027]

ok maybe you can answer this, the lady backs were up 44-41 with 17 min left in the game against ole miss the 8th seed we were the 9th seed, so you would think they would be pretty equal how in the hell do they get out scored by 31 in less than 17 min, as the host  its not like this was lsu or tenn, we were deeper on the bench so dont use fatigue

[hogman64]

i dont by any means claim to be a know it all, but what reasoning does bev lewis have for keeping coach gardner as the lady backs coach, her win percentages the last 3 seasons:  .571, .548, .479 if you notice they are getting worse.

Indeed, and I will not begin to change your mind on that.  If I was on the outside, I would share your frustration.

Let me share a couple of things here:

Out of respect for our former coaches, there are many things that have not, and will not see the light of day.  We'll continue to take it in the shorts on some items.

On your seasonal performances, recall that SG's first two years, we had the SEC hell schedule: Tenn twice, LSU twice, Ole Miss twice.  That changes this season.

When any staff leaves, there are always transitional issues.  Even in the best of situations, schedules are left unfinished, recruiting gets disrupted.

Combined with the freakish level of injuries the past two years -- and the incoming talent -- there is plenty of reason inside the Lewis Center to stand pat.

Keep in mind -- we were voted 10th in the SEC when the other coaches thought we had Sarah Pfeifer, the team's leading scorer and preseason all-SEC this year.  We finished tied for eighth without her and two other starters from last season's team.

with all due respect Bill,  bluntly I must say that is about the weakest spill for keeping a coach of three years I can imagine , SG doesnt have a leg to stand on supporting keeping her job so I can understand why it is weak. the only possible thing as a pro is the recruits she has signed for next year, but to me that isnt a good enough reason and kind of like someone telling creditors to  hang in there because there is a weekend trip to vegas planned.... I mean who knows how those recruits are going to perform or if they will even get to campus for that matter... and  you are right I really doubt  you are going to be changing anyone's mind about SG, the facts say otherwise..
but that being said,  I do respect the way you present   your views...

[psycHOGlogist]

i'm very disappointed in your responses, Bill. to compare complaints about HDN to complaints about SG is apples and oranges. and for the record, i did not support the HDN bashing. he indeed had a recruiting cloud over his head. susie didn't.

and the whole 'ooh, we know more than you do, there are secrets we cannot tell you or you would really see our side of it' is, frankly, bull-pucky. when you make those kinds of comments, you do not, in fact, "take it in the shorts." you are trying to deflect blame on to the previous coach. you are trying to stick it in blair's shorts, and that's lame.

i also question your assertions about coaching changes automatically leading to disrupted recruiting. for one season, maybe. but for three? take stan heath, since you are fond of comparing coaches. he arrives and INSTANTANEOUSLY the recruiting improves by an order of magnitude. susie arrives and we are begging juco nothings to come here -- for two years. i don't think she gets a free pass on this. she was not prepared, and the result is on the gymnasium floor.

i certainly hope you are correct, though, and that the incoming talent turns things around, and that she is as good at the x's and o's as some suggest. i am highly skeptical, though, and think that we would be better off with a change.

[Cajun Hog]

i don't by any means claim to be a know it all, but what reasoning does bev lewis have for keeping coach gardner as the lady backs coach, her win percentages the last 3 seasons:  .571, .548, .479 if you notice they are getting worse.

Out of respect for our former coaches, there are many things that have not, and will not see the light of day.  We'll continue to take it in the shorts on some items.


Bill, you seem like a very good guy when I've heard you on the radio in the past.  But your barb above, that some things will never see the light of day is a poor choice of words.  I hope?  You make it look like your hiding something, that could damage the people who was here last.  If this is the cases then, spill the beans.  Now that you've open the door. 

[mikeirwin]

Maybe most of you hadn't noticed but they don't usually buy coaches out in women's sports. Do you really think Frank wants to pay TWO people to coach women's hoops at the U of A ?
Susie will stay until her contract runs out. That's two more years.

[cmakrzrbak]

Not that I really care, but that sucks nonetheless.  Why couldn't we hold on to Blair?

[Hogeye_Pierce]

Maybe most of you hadn't noticed but they don't usually buy coaches out in women's sports. Do you really think Frank wants to pay TWO people to coach women's hoops at the U of A ?
Susie will stay until her contract runs out. That's two more years.

Mmmmm... Depressing thought is that.

[mword]

I don't think she'll be back next year. But than again, that's what I thought of Nutt.

[hogblade]

What is Susie's contract? and when did she sign it? and why did we give her such a long contract? Maybe Bev Lewis should be held accountable. Let's fire her!

[hogblade]

The ladybacks stink in Basketball, Softball, soccer,  and swimming and diving.

The only thing the ladybacks excel at is Volleyball and Track and Field to some extent. I'm not sure about Golf or Tennis really.

The only ones I follow at all is basketball, softball and track and field.  We've been horrible in softball for at least 5-6 years. We've sucked in basketball post-Blair.
Time for a change in Women's athletics!  Bev has got comfortable. She has let the fact the university started naming buildings after her go to her head!

[Cajun Hog]

What happen to all of Bill Smith post?    He went out on hat limb all by his self, let him stand by the comments. 

[hogman64]

Maybe most of you hadn't noticed but they don't usually buy coaches out in women's sports. Do you really think Frank wants to pay TWO people to coach women's hoops at the U of A ?
Susie will stay until her contract runs out. That's two more years.

I doubt he WANTS to be paying two coaches to coach men's bball at the U of A... but he is..........they need to cut bait and get SG out right now... increased ticket sales would make up some of the difference, if you are saying we have to wait two more years while she screws up the program even more then we are in trouble.. so womens basketball coaches dont get fired? it really is like a supreme court appointment?

[DOGALUM]

What is Susie's contract? and when did she sign it? and why did we give her such a long contract? Maybe Bev Lewis should be held accountable. Let's fire her!

HELL YEAH!!!   

For crying out loud....can we please fire SOMEBODY?!?!   

[hogmary]

I am amazed at the level of animosity toward Susie Gardner on this board and in the newspapers.  How many people who are calling for her head have ever been to a LadyBack basketball game or any other LadyBack sporting event, for that matter? Women's basketball is a different animal altogether than men's.  There are a few very elite programs in the country, and the SEC has more than its share.  Give Susie a couple more years, it's not like attendance is going to suffer if we don't win, is it?  Susie is suffering more than anyone else over this season.  She played on one of the elite programs...Georgia.  She had a recommendation from arguably the best women's coach of all time, Pat Summitt.

If you who are bashing Bev Lewis are fans of football or any other men's sport at the UA, be careful what you wish for.  Bev is one of the few women in college athletics who are positions of power who appreciates the support that women's sports get from football and other money sports.  People like the former women's AD at Texas, Donna Lopiano, would eliminate all men's sports to elevate the women's sports if they could.  Bev catches a lot of flack nationally for her support for men's athletics....she doesn't want to cut men's scholarships like a lot of the others do.  It wasn't her idea to drop men's swimming.

If you are unhappy with Susie, don't be mad at Bev...be mad at the person who wanted a woman to coach the basketball team and insisted on "search committees" to hire the men's basketball and football coaches. 

[DOGALUM]

I am amazed at the level of animosity toward Susie Gardner on this board and in the newspapers.  How many people who are calling for her head have ever been to a LadyBack basketball game or any other LadyBack sporting event, for that matter? Women's basketball is a different animal altogether than men's.  There are a few very elite programs in the country, and the SEC has more than its share.  Give Susie a couple more years, it's not like attendance is going to suffer if we don't win, is it?  Susie is suffering more than anyone else over this season.  She played on one of the elite programs...Georgia.  She had a recommendation from arguably the best women's coach of all time, Pat Summitt.

If you who are bashing Bev Lewis are fans of football or any other men's sport at the UA, be careful what you wish for.  Bev is one of the few women in college athletics who are positions of power who appreciates the support that women's sports get from football and other money sports.  People like the former women's AD at Texas, Donna Lopiano, would eliminate all men's sports to elevate the women's sports if they could.  Bev catches a lot of flack nationally for her support for men's athletics....she doesn't want to cut men's scholarships like a lot of the others do.  It wasn't her idea to drop men's swimming.

If you are unhappy with Susie, don't be mad at Bev...be mad at the person who wanted a woman to coach the basketball team and insisted on "search committees" to hire the men's basketball and football coaches. 

Who cares what these other women's ADs would do?  They can have the most anti men agenda in the world, but they won't get it done. 

Personally, I don't care if they fire SG or BL.  Only one time have I watched a ladyback "sporting" event of any kind.....and it will never happen again.   I'd rather spend my free time watching my grass grow...or watching some ice melt.   Both are much more entertaining.

[hogman64]

I am amazed at the level of animosity toward Susie Gardner on this board and in the newspapers.  How many people who are calling for her head have ever been to a LadyBack basketball game or any other LadyBack sporting event, for that matter? Women's basketball is a different animal altogether than men's.  There are a few very elite programs in the country, and the SEC has more than its share.  Give Susie a couple more years, it's not like attendance is going to suffer if we don't win, is it?  Susie is suffering more than anyone else over this season.  She played on one of the elite programs...Georgia.  She had a recommendation from arguably the best women's coach of all time, Pat Summitt.

If you who are bashing Bev Lewis are fans of football or any other men's sport at the UA, be careful what you wish for.  Bev is one of the few women in college athletics who are positions of power who appreciates the support that women's sports get from football and other money sports.  People like the former women's AD at Texas, Donna Lopiano, would eliminate all men's sports to elevate the women's sports if they could.  Bev catches a lot of flack nationally for her support for men's athletics....she doesn't want to cut men's scholarships like a lot of the others do.  It wasn't her idea to drop men's swimming.

If you are unhappy with Susie, don't be mad at Bev...be mad at the person who wanted a woman to coach the basketball team and insisted on "search committees" to hire the men's basketball and football coaches. 

Who cares what these other women's ADs would do?  They can have the most anti men agenda in the world, but they won't get it done. 

Personally, I don't care if they fire SG or BL.  Only one time have I watched a ladyback "sporting" event of any kind.....and it will never happen again.   I'd rather spend my free time watching my grass grow...or watching some ice melt.   Both are much more entertaining.

Do you really think if anyone calling for Susie to be fired had attended the Kentucky game in Fayetteville or the Ole Miss game in L R they would be saying......."well since I have seen a game It comes thru how great a coach  she is"........ actually it is probably an advantage to SG for U of A supporters not to see her games............Who cares what Donna Lopiano would do,,,,,,,, I notice  she didnt do it, right?  So the people in Texas must not have thought that was such a great idea, same as the people in Arkansas wouldnt.......and I did notice you said FORMER   AD................Fire Susie Gardner........... anyone that cares anything about Ladyback basketball needs some relief and it starts with getting her out..............

[Cajun Hog]

Maybe most of you hadn't noticed but they don't usually buy coaches out in women's sports. Do you really think Frank wants to pay TWO people to coach women's hoops at the U of A ?
Susie will stay until her contract runs out. That's two more years.

Mike - Don't both departments have their own budgets? Just a general question if a women's coach (any sport) was fired, won't the women's program pay it off?

thanks

[Jim Harris]

What womens's programs are successful under this so called AD?

Be carefull about saying that, Dr. John White wanted to replace Frank with Bev and Jim Lindsey steped in to stop it.

In a roundabout way it saved Dale's job.

You are fully misinformed, and not very close to the program if you seriously believe that.  Bev Lewis is the ultimate boogie-woman, cause of all problems foreign and domestic.  I also understand that if it weren't for her hiring of Susie Gardner, the war in Iraq would be over.

Man, Bill, you're getting fired up about this.

[NaturalStateReb]

Since football is in the off season and men's basketball has played their way into the NCAAT.  I had to search long and hard for something to bit#h about.  So what about Susie?  What she and Bev Lewis have done to the women's BBALL proram is absolutely unacceptable.

I'll never understand getting rid of Gary Blair.  Not that he was John Wooden, but he had the program moving in a good direction.

[Cajun Hog]

Since football is in the off season and men's basketball has played their way into the NCAAT.  I had to search long and hard for something to bit#h about.  So what about Susie?  What she and Bev Lewis have done to the women's BBALL proram is absolutely unacceptable.

I'll never understand getting rid of Gary Blair.  Not that he was John Wooden, but he had the program moving in a good direction.

Welcome to our world.    We went to the big dance and a Final 4 with GB here.  After he was pushed out the program went downhill.  That's what theAD wants, she got it.

[Dwight_K_Shrute]

I may be mistaken but I think I have heard SG supporters state in the past that Pat Summitt has spoken very highly and SG and her coaching abilities?  If I'm wrong about this please correct me.

My point is this, Imagine Pat Summitt is the AD and was brought in right after GB left and Susie was hired, and Pat sits back for the next 3 years to see how Susie does.  Who here thinks Susie would have a job at the UofA today?  I don't.  I think Pat Summtt would accept nothing but the best from the program, especially after seeing what Blair accomplished.  I think she would call Susie in give her a copy of the classifieds.

[codeHog]

Alabama lost a main clog of theirs to injury and they cancelled the rest of the season.....right?

No, one injury does not account for our record or 30 point loses

[hogman64]

Ok lets dream big and say we part ways with SG.......Who hires her?
anybody?  She would be right back at the same level she left , if even that high..........No one close to our level would touch her.

[Broken Trigger]

Maybe I missed the take on Lewis and Blair.  Did Bev insist on a woman coach?  I believe though that Pat Summitt is who recommended Gardner in the first place.

I don't think Bev LEwis specifically looked for a Woman coach although there was specualttion of that at the time. Gardner was reccommended by Summitt and Georgia's Andy Landers where she played. Susie did have 1 good year making here a hot pick like Stan Heath. The difference is that while that was Stan's only experience being head coach, Susie Gardner had several years experience with a record just over .500.

If i were a coach and recommending someone to coach at a school in my conference(someone i play twice a year), i don't know that i am necessarily recommending the  greatest coach since sliced bread.  I think i would rather my opponent have someone that i thought would have little chance of beating me.  That is like Houston Nutt recommending Gus to coach at Tennessee or LSU.  It would be fine to recommend them to someone you don't play, but not a rival.   A bad employee that quits a job and lists you as a reference, what do you do when a potential employer calls.  Most of the time you don't out and out give a bad reference, because you don't really care that much if he is no longer your problem.  All i am saying is to take the recommendations by those two coaches as exactly what they were, and weigh every pro and con from their side of it.

[hogblade]

Like I said in my previous post. There is nothing exciting going in any ladyback sport except maybe Volleyball and I don't think that is going to cut it.

Actually, I used to pay attention to ladyback basketball, but Suzie has driven it into a coffin. I no longer care, and its pitiful. Someone said that Arkansas was predicted to be 10th this year, but even with injuries we still finished 8th, so we should proud. What the Heck? Why were we predicted to be 10th in the first place? Suzie needs to go or Bev Lewis needs to speak up or something. Otherwise, the ladyback program is revealed as the joke it seems to be.

[Calling All Hogs]

http://www.Farkansas.com/

[Bill_Smith]

What womens's programs are successful under this so called AD?

I assume outside of basketball, that's been rehashed here in this thread.  Let me help you out with that:

Volleyball -- won 11 SEC western division titles in the 12-year history of the program, eight NCAA tournaments
Golf -- ranked as high as #2 in the country THIS fall, currently top 10, has the SEC defending medalist, Amanda McCurdy of El Dorado who played women's US Open last year
Track -- first SEC program to win back-to-back triple crowns
XC -- first Lady'Back national #1 team, four NCAA runner-up trophies
Gymnastics -- top 25 on the floor; top 10 in attendance
Tennis -- rebuilding now, voted to finish second in the SEC west; previously five NCAA appearances
Softball -- also rebuilding; two NCAA tournaments in the 10-year history of program

Probably more, but again off the top of my head here at the tournament in NLR

[Bill_Smith]

On your seasonal performances, recall that SG's first two years, we had the SEC hell schedule: Tenn twice, LSU twice, Ole Miss twice.  That changes this season.

So we're counting on a weaker schedule to "make" our program better?   Boy, that's quite a strategy there...

I'm sure that when (IF) SG wins more games next year that she nor anyone else will point out that they played an easier schedule.  It's easy to use that as an excuse for a bad season but you never hear it as a reason for a better season...
And I'm sure that we won't hear it as a reason next year if, BIG "if", they happen to have a better season than they did this year.   Of course, it'd be almost impossible NOT to improve after this season.

Truth:  Yes.

I'll get off the employer's soapbox now and jump on top of my personal one.  I think the SEC's women's schedule is an unbalanced load of horse manure that creates horrible inequities.

For those that don't know, we don't compete east-west divisions for 16 games.  It has to do with some inside-baseball type NCAA women's basketball politics, but here's the formula for SEC women's basketball.

Round robin: 11 games
Home-and-home with your "travel/rival" partner every year: 1 more game
H-n-H with a rotating East team: 1
H-n-H with a rotating West team: 1

So, you get things like we had last year or Georgia has this year.  Georgia likely is the SEC runner-up, if not champion, in other years with the team they have, but instead has four losses.  Those four losses?  Twice to UT (their east rotator this two-year cycle) twice to LSU (their west rotator this cycle).

Meanwhile other teams may have the 10th place overall team and the 8th place overall team as rotators.

We need to change to the men's basketball 16-game divisional schedule for a multitude of reasons, but this one most of all -- at least you can really compare what teams are doing with some symblance of apples-to-apples

Off the personal soapbox.