Nolan Told Us To Be Patient With Pelphrey

[The Hogfather]

So, LET'S BE PATIENT.  He thinks Pelphrey can get the program to where it needs to be, as long as we aren't too impatient with him.  Please, just let Pelphrey continue to build this program from the ground up (LITERALLY) without calling for his head.  He will get it done, we just have to give him time!

[ishankem]

Patience= 4-5 years

[razorhead94]

Patience= 4-5 years

We'll only have to wait 2...2011 is key

[Beaverfever]

It's too early to jump off the bridge, next year will be the tell all year.  If we can start winning some games and we sign up some big time players for the 2010 class, then everything will ok. 

[jonesark™]

I'll be happy to be patient, but not for 5 years....I will give him 2 more years.

[newera]

I'm just tired of losing. But yeah give him a few more years.

[Torqued pork]

We just about have to give him four years no matter how bad the pain and frustration gets.

[WxHog]

A lot of Pels fate may hinge upon whether or not all of this years recruits become academicly eligible (especially Powell). 

If not, he may not make it to season 5.   If so, I think he'll be just fine. 

[Brass Knob]

It basically took Cal 6 season in Memphis to get them past the 2nd round in the NCAA tourny.  NIT is first two years then a first round knock out a second year knock out and then back to the NIT for a year and then finally his first deep run, an Elite 8.  Turning a program around takes more than just a year or two.

[hogfaninbr]

People, its year 2 of an extensive rebuilding job.  this isnt 94, we will see if pelphrey is the right man for the job but clamoring for a change even if we suffer next year is not going to help.  Next year a tourney berth/ deep run in the NIT is what you should be looking for.  Year 4 we should see some real depth and talent infused and be looking at a tourney run.  Everyone pre-season was in agreeance not to expect to much.  The UT and OU games were part of the ups and downs EVERYONE said was coming.  However, when we hit the downturn, everyone acts as if we are underachieving and people even have the audacity to suggest pel is not the man for the job.  We are all impatient after the latter nolan years and the Heaf debacle.  Patience is hard because we were told that with Heaf, but all you need to do is notice the improvement in individual players (Keeping in mind we start or give significant minutes to 5! freshmen).  This team will get better.  We are dangerously thin.  Pel isn't Nolan, he's his own coach and a young one at that who will hopefully get better as well.  Wait til we have the depth to pressure teams. 

Now if years 4-5 go by and we still lack talent and depth, then you can start calling for the head. I beg all of you to lay off any talk of a coaching change until after next year.  PLEASE.

[rzrbackrob]

This is the most sane thread I have read about Pel on this board in weeks.

[Razorod]

the big problem is we're dealing with this season just one season removed from heath's five years. even heath's two ncaa tourney years were tough. the first of those years we started off 5-6 in conference before we got a miracle win against florida when their pg lost track of modica who went flying into the stands after a ball, then came back in and stole it. that doesn't happen we probably lose to florida, then bama that Tuesday evening and heath would have been toast.

then heath's last season we finished 7-9 i believe in conference, but won the last road game against vandy and went on an improbable sec tournament run and got in.

i don't know when the last time was when we had a solid run through conference from beginning to end.  last year was what, 9-7? even nolan's last few years weren't all that great.

part of this year's problems is the cumulative effect of 12-13 years of mediocre to bad basketball. pel happens to be the coach this year. i'm impatient, not so much in regard to pel as the situation of the past 12-13 years.

[3kgthog]

I'm torn between giving him six months or giving him three more years. If this 2009 recruiting class busts due to academic casualties then I'm done. Pelphrey could plainly see what this team lacked. He failed to get our biggest needs and apparently took a chance on two definite academic risks. I'm also keeping an eye on the behavior of our players. They haven't exactly behaved like Boy Scouts this season with the DWI and skipping classes.

[Hihog]

Nolan good folk, Nolan know's roundball, listen to Nolan!!

[hogfaninbr]

I'm torn between giving him six months or giving him three more years. If this 2009 recruiting class busts due to academic casualties then I'm done. Pelphrey could plainly see what this team lacked. He failed to get our biggest needs and apparently took a chance on two definite academic risks. I'm also keeping an eye on the behavior of our players. They haven't exactly behaved like Boy Scouts this season with the DWI and skipping classes.

Glad you aren't running the program.  We lose 7 guys in one year and you wanna fire pelphrey after one poor season?!  WE ARE STARTING 3 FRESHMEN!  + basically every bench contributor of which we have few are freshmen as well.  If coach K was running the show this team would be under .500 in conference.  The fact that you've seen dramatic improvement in michael washington and stefan welsh's play should give you enough confidence.  I'm sorry we can't immediately flip script and turn into a national power overnight. 

Everyone should get this in their head....5 years.  That's how long it is gonna take to put up a consistent high caliber team.  Or did you forget we had a small gap in recruiting when our only recruit one year was NATE RAKESTRAW.  Anthony Borden, Marshawn Powell, and Jemal Farmer are all incredibly superior to Rakestraw.  What do we need?  SIZE-  7 foot borden  6-5 guard farmer 6-8 230 PF Powell.  Add that to this years guard class.  Plus some of the younger guys we have in moore and clark and if you look at things you can see recruiting for our needs and an infusion of young talent.  You WILL see improvement next year and by year 4 you will see a veteran group of guards led by a superstar in the making in fortson, mature clarke, and another class of bigs.  Oh yeah, and big success that year would probably be followed by an elite signing class of the 2011 talent that has everyone so excited. 

[hogfaninbr]

as far as the academic risks go...Courtney Fortson and Jason Henry were NEVER gonna make it to campus either and here we are watching both contribute as freshmen.  So unless you work for the Patterson school then you don't know what these kids grade situations are.  Maybe we should never get a kid from a prep school because none of them are guaranteed to make it to campus.

[hogfaninbr]

All I am saying is academic casualties in bball have a much higher impact.  We need depth.  We need bodies.  I just want to see our bench deeper next year, b/c this season we can't do anything late.  I would like us to have the option to press.  That is Arkansas basketball. 

Eddie Sutton begs to differ but I agree we need the depth.  But do you recruit talented guys that have some work to do in the classroom or get skewered for signing less talented sure things?

[HogBreath]

Eddie Sutton begs to differ but I agree we need the depth.  But do you recruit talented guys that have some work to do in the classroom or get skewered for signing less talented sure things?

Ah.....I think we may have identified the problem.  How about we not choose either of those options, but instead go find those who are talented and sure things.

[hogfaninbr]

Ah.....I think we may have identified the problem.  How about we not choose either of those options, but instead go find those who are talented and sure things.

Because the last time our program and coach were relevant, none of the kids we will be recruiting were even born yet.  16 year old kids were born in 92-93.  You have to go after them but realstically we aren't gonna get the blue chip recruits away from the duke, uclas, and uncs of the world until we sustain some success.

[Razorod]

which basically means that we're in a holding pattern with Pelphrey. Arkansas hasn't been good in so long that none of today's players remember when we're going to the final four. Pel is a young and unproven coach, so we have to give him more time, which means an even longer period of time since Arkansas was relevant. Since Pel can't be expected to sign any decent players who have the grades to make it into school because he's young and uproven, we won't be winning any games in the near future which means that Pel won't be able to develop the kind of reputation needed to get the attention of the players who are both good and have half-way decent grades. Catch 22 for both Arkansas and Pel.

Question is: how do you break the cycle?

[yraciv]

Didn't we just have this thread?  It's called Nolan's Thoughts and it is only like 10 topics down from this one.

[hogfaninbr]

which basically means that we're in a holding pattern with Pelphrey. Arkansas hasn't been good in so long that none of today's players remember when we're going to the final four. Pel is a young and unproven coach, so we have to give him more time, which means an even longer period of time since Arkansas was relevant. Since Pel can't be expected to sign any decent players who have the grades to make it into school because he's young and uproven, we won't be winning any games in the near future which means that Pel won't be able to develop the kind of reputation needed to get the attention of the players who are both good and have half-way decent grades. Catch 22 for both Arkansas and Pel.

Question is: how do you break the cycle?

Obviously that is the hardest part.  We all witnessed/are old enough to remember when Arkansas basketball was the big dog.  Its a tough pill to swallow that we have fallen waaaay off where we once were.  The Heath hire really set us back several years and now, as hard it is for people to do, its gonna take some time, patience, and some factors to fall favorably (which quite FRANKly (haha) we could use after the mismanagement of the Ath-a-letics department of the last 10 years). 
Respectfully, Razorod, here's is where I disagree with you on the point that we will be permanently stuck in a holding pattern and why.

1.  Even without the name recognition, which will come in time, there is already talent performing as freshman in flashes on an incomplete team. 
2.  We are still ahead of most in the fact that there are GREAT FACILITIES
3.  So far these "grade issues" have been nothing more than message board rumor.  If there is an actual source other than a message board "guru" who has been somewhat right before then I digress, but I've never seen a credible source claim these academic problems.  Borden has been talked about as a prep school candidate to improve a raw game. 
4.  We are filling needs within our system, recruiting length on the perimeter in Farmer and now this kid from MS and a talented PF and true 7 footer. 
5.  It doesn't take a team of blue chip recruits to be successful.  Many teams (all of the so-called mid majors) rely on sound coaching and recruiting needs.  Once you experience some success, then you have ammo to attract bigger stars, making it easier to sustain success.
The fact of the matter is, we've recruited two 4 star players that are contributing greatly this year, we have another one coming in along with a JUCO guard who led his league in a couple of stat categories with a 7 footer that has potential.  Add that to the bench guys who are mostly freshmen and have shown some flashes of athleticism and skill and you begin to get QUALITY DEPTH---the single most vital cog in a pressure system.  Keeping in mind that these freshmen will get better ala Washington and Welsh..look at our roster for next year and you can see where we could make some waves.  Assuming Washington stays which, he is still pretty raw and could use another year IMO, but he wouldn't be the first player to leave for the NBA too early.
SO Courtney Fortson PG 5'10
SO Jason Henry SG/SF 6'6
JR Jemal Farmer SG 6'5             SR Stefan Welsh SG 6'3 
FR Marshawn Powell PF 6'8
SR Michael Washington C 6'9?

BENCH
SO Brandon Moore F
SO Andre Clark F
RS SO Michael Sanchez PF
JR  Marcus Britt SG
SO Rotnei Clarke PG/SG  I really think we may see him some at point next year to spell CF
FR Anthony Borden? C
FR Jeremy Adams?? Another JUCO if we whiff on him? SG/SF?

That right there suggests to me that we will have a strong increase in depth and all these freshmen should improve dramatically with a year of practice and weights. 
Seems to me like Pelphrey has gotten decent talent and depth coming and has already laid the foundation of future classes with a 2011 stud already on board.  THIS WAS NEVER OUR BREAKOUT YEAR.  THANK THE GOOD LORD FOR THE TX AND OU WINS, BUT TREAT THEM AS ABBERRATIONS IN A LEARNING YEAR FOR A NEW, YOUNG TEAM, WITH LITTLE DEPTH. 
I think we will really see Pelphrey's brand of Pitino-style basketball next year with a lot less zone to keep fresh legs.  Everyone wants it to be 94, but this is reality....we can and will be back, but its not this year.  The signs are there if you look closely.  Document the areas needed for improvement and see if they are addressed. 

Sorry for the length of the post but I feel like this is necessary for people to understand where I'm coming from and why some fans expectations are unreasonable (understandably). 

[hogfaninbr]

Didn't we just have this thread?  It's called Nolan's Thoughts and it is only like 10 topics down from this one.

Way to criticize and pollute one of the few threads on this board where rational, educated fans are having a constructive and non-name calling discussion on the future of the basketball program.  But, I guess if you didn't post statements like this then you wouldn't have 3,000 posts. 
Sorry this thread doesn't meet your pseudo-internet board etiquette.
The other thread you are referring to was a discussion of the article, this is a discussion on the truth/rationality of nolan's words, or lack thereof depending on your viewpoint.  While the threads are similar, you could have probably deciphered the somewhat subtle differences between the two had you simply followed the doctrine of READ MORE, POST LESS.

[The Hogfather]

Didn't we just have this thread?  It's called Nolan's Thoughts and it is only like 10 topics down from this one.

Get over it.  Nobody was posting in your thread when I started this one.  Thus, it was near the bottom of the page.  I didn't see it.  Mine's better anyway. 

[DeltaBoy]

So, LET'S BE PATIENT.  He thinks Pelphrey can get the program to where it needs to be, as long as we aren't too impatient with him.  Please, just let Pelphrey continue to build this program from the ground up (LITERALLY) without calling for his head.  He will get it done, we just have to give him time!

In Nolan I trust!

[Beaverfever]

I'm torn between giving him six months or giving him three more years. If this 2009 recruiting class busts due to academic casualties then I'm done. Pelphrey could plainly see what this team lacked. He failed to get our biggest needs and apparently took a chance on two definite academic risks. I'm also keeping an eye on the behavior of our players. They haven't exactly behaved like Boy Scouts this season with the DWI and skipping classes.

I agree, if everything goes as planned and we bring in 3 instant impact types and some players develop a little we should be fine.  If we find out Powell/Borden don't make the grades and we don't add much this spring, my patience will be paper thin.  As of right now, I realize what our problems are, Pel realizes this, so lets get it done in the 09 class. He'll get a chance to sink or swin in the next year.