Seriously, about this team....

[NWASooner]

Everyone seems to be bagging on Pelphrey at this point but let me weigh in on exactly what he's into here.

This is really his first year.  The team last season was a bunch of upper classmen he didn't recruit that sometimes acted like they weren't all that interested in playing basketball.

This year, he's had to start completely from scratch.  It's to the point that at any given time, there are 4 freshman on the court and all of them but Sanchez are first year guys.  The average age of this team is probably 19.  Hell, Henry is starting at the 4 spot and he's 6'6" and 185 (at best).  There is no inside muscle at all and a lot of that has to do with age.

This was going to be Pelphrey's train wreck year and everyone knew it so calm down about coach.  There are only 7 players of scholarship for crying out loud.  Next year the team will be very solid.  (Washington is coming back.  He's nowhere near ready for the League.  He's too skinny to play the 4 and he certainly isn't playing the 3.)

My only concern about Pelphrey is that he seems to be an average recruiter.  There seem to be a lot of 3 star kids on the horizon.  (Basketball recruit rankings are far more accurate than football.)  Johnny Big Time is not on the horizon.

Anyway, patience is a virtue.  Pelphrey is a very solid coach and this is the mother of all rebuilding years.

[ICEman]

He should have brought in a couple of JC players or stayed on Beverly's arse about his grades.

[TNhawgfan]

The only part of this I can whole heartedly agree with is that Wash is nowhere near being ready for the pros. And any scout watching him get abused by Vernado would say the same thing.

[gohogsgo006]

I agree for the most part.

But I still don't see how a team can hit 15 3's in a game. Do the players not understand the fact that if their guy catches the ball outside the 3 line, he will probably shoot it if not covered? I learned this in middle school rec league...

[BayofPigs]

he gets at least 3 years. Next year is decision time

[Razorod]

i'm trying to be patient. next year should exhibit a quantum leap, not just a small one. if washington comes back and powell is eligible--we could see significant improvement. recruiting is a serious issue that many on this board are not acknowledging. the more pel loses, the less likely he is going to be in landing the players he needs to get over the hump.

[chiefsfan]

He should have brought in a couple of JC players or stayed on Beverly's arse about his grades.

He did...and he did

both our JUCO players are no longer with the team.   Beverley's grades werent an issue at all last year.  This is something that happened suddenly over the summer

[Hot_Town_Hog]

No excuse for not subbing Clark and Moore in the 2nd....Guys gave out and we lost.....Clark gave some pretty good minutes in the 1st half, and actually looks very athletic to me anyway.

[chiefsfan]

i'm trying to be patient. next year should exhibit a quantum leap, not just a small one. if washington comes back and powell is eligible--we could see significant improvement. recruiting is a serious issue that many on this board are not acknowledging. the more pel loses, the less likely he is going to be in landing the players he needs to get over the hump.

our biggest problem right now is that almost all of the 5 star players are in Memphis, and Memphis is winning on almost all of them

Until the 2011 instate class comes out, we will be dealing with recruiting issues simply because between the football and basketball team the last 5 star out of state player was Dontell Jefferson, and we all saw how that worked out

[ntubjr]

Pel seems to be an above  average coach but a below average recruiter.We have had at least one recruit not make it to school amd another not make it through semester. You cannot have those kind of mistakes when you are having to reload.I hate to be negative but I do not see the answers im the incoming class

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Pel seems to be an above coach but a below average recruiter.We have had at least one recruit not make yt to schoo; amd another not make it through semester. You cannot have those kind of mistakes when you are having to reload.I hate to be negativr but I do not see the answers im the incoming class

Where do you get above average coach?   

[ICEman]

he gets at least 3 years. Next year is decision time

Three additional years puts us plus 8 post Nolan.  It should not take that long to turn a program around.

[razorbackfan4life]

just keep on waiting!  man I love to hear that.

[TDHog]

Three additional years puts us plus 8 post Nolan.  It should not take that long to turn a program around.

What does that have to do with anything.  Heath was responsible, this is Pel's 1st year with his recuruits.  Give him time.  There are flashes of greatness with this group, let them mature.  Think of tht Auburn football team a few years back, from awful to great in 1 season.

[TNhawgfan]

I hate to be negative but I do not see the answers im the incoming class

Negative? I call it realistic

[charlescraigb]

ridiculous

[charlescraigb]

recruiting is where pell would have been ok with this crappy year because we all could say well at least he is recruiting. well he is not and it looks like it may get worse.

[ICEman]

He did...and he did

both our JUCO players are no longer with the team.   Beverley's grades werent an issue at all last year.  This is something that happened suddenly over the summer

Then there seems to be a compatibility issue with the JC players and the coach.

[Conway Hog]

agree with some of what you said...

we did know that this year would be tough with a limited bench. 

However, I hoped that Pel would grow into the job quicker than he has.  At this point I would say he at best is average for D1...not a good recruiter--I think the kids don't warm up to his personality. 

What I am most concerned with is, he does not seem to teach the kids well...the boys seem to not know what is expected of them on both ends of the court.  Pel seems to have a short fuse and over reacts to mistakes the kids make...keeping players out of the game/games.  I wonder what Moore and Clark did or said to be held out of second half...especially when our players were gassed and sanchez was doing what he does best...screw up!  Pels offense and defense scheme are not effective...the boys don't know how to guard the 3 and on and on....

Sad to say, but Pel will not take us to the Promise land...one more year of Pel then we move on if we fail to make it to "the dance"

[NWASooner]

The recruiting thing is what gets me.  Pelphrey is young and dynamic and Arkansas has great facilities.  He should be recruiting very well but he's been pretty average at this, actually.

Meanwhile, I've watched Capel at OU sign 3 five star kids so far along with a bunch of four stars and OU isn't a big time basketball school and Oklahoma isn't exactly a hot bed of talent.  (The talent that is in Oklahoma usually goes somewhere else like Kansas or Memphis.)

Pelphrey really should be recruiting better, all things considered.  Recruiting rankings for basketball are suprisingly accurate (unlike football) and Pelphrey has a bunch of 3 star kids on the horizon.

I still like him and thing he's a good long term fit.  He's just not working with a lot of talent right now but in 2-3 years, he'll be the one to blame for lack of talent.

[blunt_hawg]

16 3's.

yeah its crazy.  you'd think if you shoot 30% from 3 (which its humanly impossible for a team of 12 guys to AVERAGE 50% day after day), you'd think that by shooting so MANY 3's you will come back to earth

i mean math wise, yeah, making 6-7 is great, but you'll probably still only make 30-100 or 310-1000 shots.

and yet, the more mstate shot, the hotter they got.

what did they shoot like 30 or 40 three's?  math-wise, it was unreal. % never came down.

You're right that the more they shoot the closer their average should come to it's expected value.  It's called the law of big numbers.

Problem is that they, like every other team we play, were pretty much shooting wide open three's with no pressure on them whatsoever.  Conditions are more like when they are in the gym having a shoot around.  Every player is going to shoot a higher percentage in a shoot around then in game time because the conditions are more favorable for the shooter (no pressure, no hand in the face, etc..)

Pel is going to have to do a better job of adjusting the defenses when teams are shooting like Miss State did today.  Maybe switch to a 3-2 zone instead of the 2-3 so we have an extra man at the top and can do a better job of getting a hand in the shooters face.

[BayofPigs]

Three additional years puts us plus 8 post Nolan.  It should not take that long to turn a program around.

where did you get 8???
hired in 2007, +3 years= 2010, hence "next year is decision time"

[N HOG]

Where do you get above average coach?  

44-40 in the Sun Belt?

[Ouachihog]

Three additional years puts us plus 8 post Nolan.  It should not take that long to turn a program around.

Exactly.  For a program of our supposed stature, it should not take that long.  In basketball, you only have a roster of 15 or so, and usually only play 8 or 9.  It's not like you have to recruit 25 players every year.  For our most successful season in the last 10 years to be 1 NCAAT win and double-digit losses, that is very sad.  Our program has slipped.