Mike Anderson

[no3putts]

We dropped the ball there!!

[BloodRedHog]

Absolutely no doubt --- just another sad legacy of the senile JFB.....to proud to even give Mike a shot because of his hate for Nolan....

Mike would have been perfect.

[SLC]

No, we dropped the ball by not hiring Bill Self.  Why didn't we lure Self from IL, well the PTB did not think it prudent to pay a white coach more than they were paying Nolan. 

That is where we dropped the ball. 

Either way, it doesn't matter at this point though.

[Hogbody]

Mike Anderson was a part of the downfall of the Arkansas program also.

[NEAHawgfan]

No, we dropped the ball by not hiring Bill Self.  Why didn't we lure Self from IL, well the PTB did not think it prudent to pay a white coach more than they were paying Nolan. 

That is where we dropped the ball. 

Either way, it doesn't matter at this point though.

I can't believe more people aren't all over this as well. Self actually LOBBIED for the job! Never even called him.....wow. After the Nolan fiasco, no way Mike would've taken the job anyway. I do think it's fun to watch his Mizzou team play though. Reminds me of our good ol' days!

[1highhog]

Bulla, we did'nt drop the ball, that hire would not have worked at the time.  Dang, I can't believe you or anyone else for that matter think Pel is the problem here.  This team has zero, do you not know what a zero is?  It's this,,,,,0, experiance.  Just a couple have seen much playing time until this year.  Why can't people who call themselves fans of basketball, not know or see why this team is struggling.  We are 2 years away, and that is if we get some needed help in the next to signings.

[3kgthog]

I thought the story was that Self wanted the job without an interview. And Mike Anderson will never return so hopefully no one will start that thread.

[jamie72921]

I thought the story was that Self wanted the job without an interview. And Mike Anderson will never return so hopefully no one will start that thread.

I think he would now that Broyles and Co have been bit-- slapped.

[jamie72921]

Mike Anderson was a part of the downfall of the Arkansas program also.

That is just plain dumb.

[mizzouman]

Not a very pleasant offensive show for Anderson's team today, but defensively, it was impressive.  Team depth is a beautiful thing. The Tigers played 14 guys, including 13 for five or more minutes.

[Hogbody]

That is just plain dumb.

I like Anderson, but how can you disagree?

[faulknercohog]

If we had hired Bill Self it probably would have given Nolan more ammunition
in his lawsuit.

[secfan30]

I can't believe more people aren't all over this as well. Self actually LOBBIED for the job! Never even called him.....wow. After the Nolan fiasco, no way Mike would've taken the job anyway. I do think it's fun to watch his Mizzou team play though. Reminds me of our good ol' days!

Last thing I want to do is argue with a Hog fan with a Dallas Cowboy player as their Avatar, but I am almost 100% sure that Anderson would have taken the job in a second had it been offered. I also thing that the whole lawsuit may not have happened either.

[beachhog]

Mike Anderson should have been offered the head coaching job, I think they messed him over and then we ran with Heath.  From my understanding, Mike wanted the job. 

[hawgsav1]

If we were going to offer it to anyone other than Self, it should have gone to Mike Anderson:

1.  They picked Heath because he was considered a 'safe' hire.  After what JFB put Nolan through, they made a hire of a young coach who would follow orders and was semi-talented.

2.  Anderson would have been a successful coach here.  Damn, look at what he accomplished at UAB and at Mizzou so far.  I would trade UAB's tenure under Anderson for the last several years under Heath and Pelphrey.  He would have continued some of the legacy that Nolan established. 

3.  I'm still not giving up on John Pelphrey there, but I'm not delusional enough not to realize that they dropped the ball in not hiring Mike Anderson.

[Mr. Porkleone]

The Love on here for Mike is like the Love on here for Nutt. Mike A. will NEVER  be the coach here.

[Beaverfever]

Nah I still don't want Mike.  He can't recruit.  I will say he is hella good at getting alot out of his guys and getting them to buy into his system.  He wouldn't be a bad hire, I just doubt he'll ever win big.  I'll tell you the Mike I want, Davis.

[Lanny]

No, we dropped the ball by not hiring Bill Self.  Why didn't we lure Self from IL, well the PTB did not think it prudent to pay a white coach more than they were paying Nolan. 

That is where we dropped the ball. 

Either way, it doesn't matter at this point though.

You are 100% correct. 

[WilsonHog]

22-4, 9-2.

[Buck Brewer]

Mike wanted it. If Mike had got it, I doubt Nolan would have gone through with the lawsuit. Mike didn't pursue it last time because Nolan was against it and he had a a relative transfer in at Mizzou from Vandy.  He's their star this year. Mike will not become the bkb coach at Ark without Nolan's permission.

Nolan had coasted on recruiting. He had his juco pipeline cut off as well. All those things were coming back and he had one hell of a class on paper coming in before it blew up. Ronnie Brewer would have never been a Hog but tell me exactly what the hell we won while he was here.

As for Mike's team not lighting it up yesterday, He still destroyed Doc Saddler's Neb. team yesterday. Do any of you think this team would be as bad defensively this year if Mike was here. If you do, your a damn fool.

Mike Anderson beat Memphis at UAB, Mike Davis has not.

[alwaysahogfan33]

22-4, 9-2.

We are also 2-0 against the big 12 including the only team in the nation to beat OU.  I agree that the SEC is down somewhat, but the Big 12 isn't far ahead of us.  Other than a small chance for OU, not a final 4 team in the conference.

[secfan30]

The Love on here for Mike is like the Love on here for Nutt. Mike A. will NEVER  be the coach here.

Hmmmm, I really do not think you can call the "Love of Mike" anything close to the "Love of Nutt". As far as I know Anderson did nothing to hurt or embarrass the program, team or players while he was here or after he left.

[Hogs-n-Roses]

If we had hired Bill Self it probably would have given Nolan more ammunition
in his lawsuit.

Bingo! The Heath hire was a roll of the dice for ole Frank.At the time it looked like an OK move. He was trying to save the TEN Million dollar lawsuit. And it worked. Trouble is that he,nor any of us fans could have imagined the enormous landslide in the quality of product on the court which translates into poor attendance,loss of product sales like T shirts,hats, etc. Just another in a line of poor moves by the PTB on the Hill through the last years of Emperor Frank.

[BloodRedHog]

The Love on here for Mike is like the Love on here for Nutt. Mike A. will NEVER  be the coach here.

That was a stupid statement....nothing in common....

No, he will never be the coach here, but he should have been hired.

[rude1]

No, we dropped the ball by not hiring Bill Self.  Why didn't we lure Self from IL, well the PTB did not think it prudent to pay a white coach more than they were paying Nolan. 

That is where we dropped the ball. 

Either way, it doesn't matter at this point though.

You don't think Self would have ultimately still taken that Kansas job? Of course he would, he was after one of the premier jobs in the country, and he wasn't staying anywhere till he got one. Like it or not,  the Kansas job is more prestigious than the Arkansas job, and he would have bolted for Kansas anyway, so hiring him would have been temporary at best.

[rude1]

I just went back and heard an interview with Mike before his game yesterday with Nebraska. Did I hear him right when  I thought he said, he has 7 new players this year who this is their first time around in the conference? Interesting that he can pull that off in one of the best conferences, yet around here bringing in that many players in one of the worst conferences is a reason to be in last place.

[SLC]

You don't think Self would have ultimately still taken that Kansas job? Of course he would, he was after one of the premier jobs in the country, and he wasn't staying anywhere till he got one. Like it or not,  the Kansas job is more prestigious than the Arkansas job, and he would have bolted for Kansas anyway, so hiring him would have been temporary at best.

Are you saying you would not have hired him? 

If he had the Hogs in the position he liked, he may have stayed too.  When Bill was at Tulsa he mentioned AR as one of the top places he would like to coach. 

Doesn't matter at this point, JFB screwed that one up for us.

[ChicoHog]

No, we dropped the ball by not hiring Bill Self.  Why didn't we lure Self from IL, well the PTB did not think it prudent to pay a white coach more than they were paying Nolan. 

That is where we dropped the ball. 

Either way, it doesn't matter at this point though.

+1.  Exactly right.  Self is a big time coach.  Anderson may be eventually but maybe Pelphrey will also.  we don't know yet.  If Anderson has 5 good years in a row at Mizzou I will admit I am wrong.  Way too early to tell yet.   Self is a guaranteed winner.  That's what we need.  open up the wallet and pay for a big time coach like we did in football. 

[HawgAdvocate]

I'd just like to point out that Anderson was not impressive in his first two years at Missouri. He was very close to being a .500 ballclub both seasons.

His recruiting hasn't been impressive, but his coaching certainly has.

Also, as pointed out in Pat Forde's column last week, Anderson isn't attracting the fans despite his winning record. Missouri averages 8,321 fans per home game this year, which is only 55% capacity at Mizzou Arena.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3896266&sportCat=ncb

I for one am glad we didn't hire Anderson. Nothing against him personally, but he doesn't believe in recruiting bigs that can play in a half-court offense. Smallball is his preference, and we saw how that works here in Nolan's last years when Mike was taking more control. I think some of you are forgetting this. We were owned inside and on the boards year after year. Mike didn't have the family-friend hookups that Nolan had either.

[SLC]

Nothing against him personally, but he doesn't believe in recruiting bigs that can play in a half-court offense. Smallball is his preference, and we saw how that works here in Nolan's last years when Mike was taking more control. I think some of you are forgetting this. We were owned inside and on the boards year after year.

This is very accurate and I do believe he was running the show at the end of Nolan's tenure.

[rude1]

Are you saying you would not have hired him? 

If he had the Hogs in the position he liked, he may have stayed too.  When Bill was at Tulsa he mentioned AR as one of the top places he would like to coach. 

Doesn't matter at this point, JFB screwed that one up for us.

The point is, doesn't matter if you hired Self or not, he would still be at Kansas. You don't honestly think he would have turned down the Kansas job to be stay at Arkansas do you?

[SLC]

The point is, doesn't matter if you hired Self or not, he would still be at Kansas. You don't honestly think he would have turned down the Kansas job to be stay at Arkansas do you?

Depends.  10 years ago, who would have thought a Memphis coach would turn down the Arkansas job.  Even if Self left, we would have been in a better situation than under Heath (or Anderson). 

[rude1]

Depends.  10 years ago, who would have thought a Memphis coach would turn down the Arkansas job.  Even if Self left, we would have been in a better situation than under Heath (or Anderson). 

Are you kidding? Memphis has always been a hotbed for basketball talent. No way would Calipari leave that for Arkansas. Not once did I think that was anything but a waste of time. You play in a conference that you can dominate at Memphis, and in most seasons you have two or three bonafide prospects to your disposal, you are making top money, why would any coach leave that setup? We have to understand that this basketball program is for up and comers in the coaching ranks, which there are very good coaches still out there. You aren't going to hire away the top programs coaches from them to come here. That was a huge mistake the last time around, going after proven coaches who are at top programs, where you had no chance of getting them away.

[SLC]

Are you kidding? Memphis has always been a hotbed for basketball talent. No way would Calipari leave that for Arkansas. Not once did I think that was anything but a waste of time. You play in a conference that you can dominate at Memphis, and in most seasons you have two or three bonafide prospects to your disposal, you are making top money, why would any coach leave that setup? We have to understand that this basketball program is for up and comers in the coaching ranks, which there are very good coaches still out there. You aren't going to hire away the top programs coaches from them to come here. That was a huge mistake the last time around, going after proven coaches who are at top programs, where you had no chance of getting them away.

The Memphis job has never been a destination job until Calipari got there.  It was a transition job.  Calipari has settled in b/c he is having success there.

If a coach is successful here, at AR, there is a good chance the coach will stay regardless of who comes calling. 

[rude1]

The Memphis job has never been a destination job until Calipari got there.  It was a transition job.  Calipari has settled in b/c he is having success there.

If a coach is successful here, at AR, there is a good chance the coach will stay regardless of who comes calling. 

The Memphis job has always been thought to be a sleeping giant, because of its built in recruiting base. It was what made it so appealing to Calapari, in the first place. If the coach comes and builds his resume here, like Eddie and Nolan, they are more apt to stay, than hiring guys who are proven and looking to land at one of the big time programs, like Bill Self. You look at how Self moved around and you can see the guy was always looking out for the next better opportunity.

[kuhog]

We are also 2-0 against the big 12 including the only team in the nation to beat OU.  I agree that the SEC is down somewhat, but the Big 12 isn't far ahead of us.  Other than a small chance for OU, not a final 4 team in the conference.

The SEC is so bad that they aren't close to any major conference. The Big 12 is down this year, but they are noticeably better than the SEC.

[HawgAdvocate]

The SEC is so bad that they aren't close to any major conference. The Big 12 is down this year, but they are noticeably better than the SEC.

Check the current conference RPI #s and then get back to us.

[hawgsav1]

The Love on here for Mike is like the Love on here for Nutt. Mike A. will NEVER  be the coach here.

That is a completely off base statement.  Nutt did less with more when he was coach here.  Anderson has done more than a lot of programs during his tenure with UAB and with Mizzou.  Yeah his first two year were bad with Mizzou, but his first year he lost a lot of depth, and his second year he lost 90% of his scoring and had to kick his leading scorer off the team.  It's not unlike the second year of Pelphrey actually. 

[hawgsav1]

I'd just like to point out that Anderson was not impressive in his first two years at Missouri. He was very close to being a .500 ballclub both seasons.

His recruiting hasn't been impressive, but his coaching certainly has.

Also, as pointed out in Pat Forde's column last week, Anderson isn't attracting the fans despite his winning record. Missouri averages 8,321 fans per home game this year, which is only 55% capacity at Mizzou Arena.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3896266&sportCat=ncb

I for one am glad we didn't hire Anderson. Nothing against him personally, but he doesn't believe in recruiting bigs that can play in a half-court offense. Smallball is his preference, and we saw how that works here in Nolan's last years when Mike was taking more control. I think some of you are forgetting this. We were owned inside and on the boards year after year. Mike didn't have the family-friend hookups that Nolan had either.

I'm not sure that you can ignore Anderson's performance at UAB as well.  What he did with that team was downright impressive.  I know he didn't have a lot of big men that could perform, but they played well enough at both Mizzou and at UAB.  Demario Eddins played well over his height and weight, averaging 10+ points in 4 seasons.

Mizzou struggled in ANderson's second year, but that was because he was in a situation that was similar to Pelphrey (he lost 90% of his scoring and had to kick his leading scorer off the team).  For the record, I support John Pelphrey and I want to give him more time to succeed (though it is extremely frustrating to watch).

Honestly, Mizzou fans are full of it if they can't go to support a team that's 22-4. 

Regarding Mike Anderson's recruiting of big men during Nolan's last years, I don't think that it's a matter of not recruiting good big men, but rather that his big men did not pan out.  Alonzo Lane averaged almost 9 ppg his freshman year and seemed like he was heading towards big things (his career was like the mirror opposite of Mario Austin's).  Unfortunately, he got worse every year.    Larry Satchell practiced hard and played hard (he was ripped), but he couldn't differentiate between physical contact and a foul.  Dionisio Gomez was...well...Dionisio Gomez.   Carl Baker was a good leader but not as good of a player.

[Wild Bill Hog]

Don't blame JFB for not hiring Self - John White thru his puppet committee got us Heath just like the same arrangement got us Nutt.

[mykidsdad]

Don't blame JFB for not hiring Self - John White thru his puppet committee got us Heath just like the same arrangement got us Nutt.

BS!!! Frank was behind it all the way. Frank did all the hiring. Frank hired Nutt. I know some of the people that participated in the "committe" for heath and they did not want him, but Frank made the decision. That is a fact. Frank had to do things his way always, and most of the time in the last 10 years or so that was trouble for Arkansas.

[SLC]

The Memphis job has always been thought to be a sleeping giant, because of its built in recruiting base. It was what made it so appealing to Calapari, in the first place. If the coach comes and builds his resume here, like Eddie and Nolan, they are more apt to stay, than hiring guys who are proven and looking to land at one of the big time programs, like Bill Self. You look at how Self moved around and you can see the guy was always looking out for the next better opportunity.

What made it appealing to Calapari was that they would hire him and pay him money after a dismal go in the NBA. 

You don't have to agree with me, but IMO the AR job IS a good job.  There are a lot of factors at work and the college game is watered down. 

Neither of us know if Bill Self would have stayed or left for KS, we just don't know.  To say he would have left for sure is not a statement of fact. 

Doesn't matter at this point. 

[Buck Brewer]

The Memphis job has never been a destination job until Calipari got there.  It was a transition job.  Calipari has settled in b/c he is having success there.

If a coach is successful here, at AR, there is a good chance the coach will stay regardless of who comes calling.

What the hell are you talking about.

[SLC]

What the hell are you talking about.

Have you read the thread or the conversation rude1 and I have been having?

[Buck Brewer]

Have you read the thread or the conversation rude1 and I have been having?

You made some asinine remark about Memphis not being a destination job.  The last coach that left Memphis to "better" himself was Gene Bartow.  Kirk wasn't going anywhere till the tax charges and Finch sure as hell wasn't leaving Memphis. Tic Price was an abomination, Then it was Cal, who ain't leaving a top notch arena and support of Fed Ex big wigs.

[SLC]

You made some asinine remark about Memphis not being a destination job.  The last coach that left Memphis to "better" himself was Gene Bartow.  Kirk wasn't going anywhere till the tax charges and Finch sure as hell wasn't leaving Memphis. Tic Price was an abomination, Then it was Cal, who ain't leaving a top notch arena and support of Fed Ex big wigs.

Are you trying to say it was a top tier basketball job 10 years ago and before? 

If so, I diisagree. 

[rude1]

+1.  Exactly right.  Self is a big time coach.  Anderson may be eventually but maybe Pelphrey will also.  we don't know yet.  If Anderson has 5 good years in a row at Mizzou I will admit I am wrong.  Way too early to tell yet.   Self is a guaranteed winner.  That's what we need.  open up the wallet and pay for a big time coach like we did in football. 

I have to disagree with this some what. Self hasn't stayed any place long enough to know what he can do with a program long term. He has been successful every place he has been, but he hasn't put any length of time at any one program to know what his program will look like in the long term. You want to see Mike have 5 good years in a row, but I don't recall Self doing that any place he has been. Fact until last season, there were some grumblings with the Kansas fans, that maybe they made a mistake as he was being sent home in the first round of the tourney for a couple of seasons straight.

[SLC]

I have to disagree with this some what. Self hasn't stayed any place long enough to know what he can do with a program long term. He has been successful every place he has been, but he hasn't put any length of time at any one program to know what his program will look like in the long term. You want to see Mike have 5 good years in a row, but I don't recall Self doing that any place he has been. Fact until last season, there were some grumblings with the Kansas fans, that maybe they made a mistake as he was being sent home in the first round of the tourney for a couple of seasons straight.

You make a fair point, he was at Tulsa 3 years, he was at Illinois 3 years then off to KS. 

When I look at Self (and other coaches) I factor in whether he has been successful and I understand that coaches are migratory in nature.  Why would they be loyal when they have very little job security themselves. 

Self has been successful at every stop.  He won a NC at KS.  Other factors I like, he was an assistant under Larry Brown (I think Larry is a good coach and Self took the position Calapari vacated)  Self turned around a dismal ORU program, he was there 4 seasons.

Between his success at ORU and then at Tulsa, Self did prove himself to be a good coach.  His record at IL and KS have affirmed that statement.   The Kansas fans grumbling over the two first round losses glossed over two Elite 8 finishes under Self. 

[HawgAdvocate]

I'm not sure that you can ignore Anderson's performance at UAB as well.  What he did with that team was downright impressive.  I know he didn't have a lot of big men that could perform, but they played well enough at both Mizzou and at UAB.  Demario Eddins played well over his height and weight, averaging 10+ points in 4 seasons.

Mizzou struggled in Anderson's second year, but that was because he was in a situation that was similar to Pelphrey (he lost 90% of his scoring and had to kick his leading scorer off the team).  For the record, I support John Pelphrey and I want to give him more time to succeed (though it is extremely frustrating to watch).

Honestly, Mizzou fans are full of it if they can't go to support a team that's 22-4. 

Regarding Mike Anderson's recruiting of big men during Nolan's last years, I don't think that it's a matter of not recruiting good big men, but rather that his big men did not pan out.  Alonzo Lane averaged almost 9 ppg his freshman year and seemed like he was heading towards big things (his career was like the mirror opposite of Mario Austin's).  Unfortunately, he got worse every year.    Larry Satchell practiced hard and played hard (he was ripped), but he couldn't differentiate between physical contact and a foul.  Dionisio Gomez was...well...Dionisio Gomez.   Carl Baker was a good leader but not as good of a player.

I won't ignore UAB for Anderson, just as we shouldn't ignore Southern Alabama for Pel. Anderson had the benefit of taking Chicago stud Demario Eddins (poor man's Latrell Sprewell), Brandon Tobias, and Wenbos Mukubu, all former SEC Razorback signees, to South Alabama with him.

http://www.thecabin.net/stories/050502/spo_050502113.shtml

I guess my point is that we shouldn't point to Mike Anderson as if he's a saviour we $hit the bed over. He's walked the same path as Pelphrey, played assistant for a bigtime coach at an SEC powerhouse, coached up a former no-name mid-major, except Anderson has been at it a bit longer and just this season has he been able to reap the benefits of success in his third season at his school.

I'm just miffed how Pel doesn't get the same timeframe. I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side.

[hawgsav1]

I won't ignore UAB for Anderson, just as we shouldn't ignore Southern Alabama for Pel. Anderson had the benefit of taking Chicago stud Demario Eddins (poor man's Latrell Sprewell), Brandon Tobias, and Wenbos Mukubu, all former SEC Razorback signees, to South Alabama with him.

http://www.thecabin.net/stories/050502/spo_050502113.shtml

I guess my point is that we shouldn't point to Mike Anderson as if he's a saviour we $hit the bed over. He's walked the same path as Pelphrey, played assistant for a bigtime coach at an SEC powerhouse, coached up a former no-name mid-major, except Anderson has been at it a bit longer and just this season has he been able to reap the benefits of success in his third season at his school.

I'm just miffed how Pel doesn't get the same timeframe. I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side.

I agree with a number of your assessments.

2 things.  Again, I want to reiterate that I'm a John Pelphrey supporter and I still believe he deserves 2 more years after this one to get things together.

1.  While Pelphrey did a nice job at South Alabama, Anderson did a nicer job at UAB, which had struggled mightily since Murray Bartow had taken over.  Conference-USA wasn't the depleted conference that it is today.  They had to contend with a strong Louisville, DePaul, Memphis, Marquette, Cincinnati, and Charlotte, all of whom made the NCAA tourney.

2.  Many people have panned Anderson for his recruiting ability, but then they turn around and say that he benefited from having former Razorback signees play for him.  Eddins had a solid career, but he was only a 3* SF out of HS.  Mukubu was not productive at all during his tenure with the Hogs, but played well for Anderson.  Brandon Tobias wasn't even ranked by Rivals. 

3.  I guess to summarize my point, it's as follows:  Mike Anderson is a great coach and I think he got screwed during the Heath hiring process.  I always felt that basketball HC was his rightful place here at the U of A, and despite what Bill Self has accomplished at Kansas, I would have picked Anderson over him, if simply for continuation purposes.  To me, Anderson has erased all doubts of his coaching ability.  If John Pelphrey does not work out, Mike Anderson is the first guy we need to call.  That being said, I fully support John Pelphrey and I think it's ridiculous and premature to call for his firing this season.  I see many parallels between Pelphrey and Anderson, and I think it's certainly possible for Pelphrey to get his stuff straight.  Pelphrey deserves at least 2 more years.