MY view on the basketball situation

[hawgsav1]

Well, here is my view on the whole basketball situation, starting with Coach Heath...


COACH HEATH:  From the beginning, I was not very much on the Heath bandwagon.  Possibly because I was always a die-hard Nolan fan, I don't know.  That being said, Heath was completely unproven.  Yes he took Kent State to the Elite 8 in his first year, but that team had already gone to the second round the year before with a 23-10 record or so and had already beaten Indiana the year before.  Improvement, but not by much.  That was the first thing I had against Coach Heath.  He didn't have the experience to be a coach for the Razorbacks.  That being said, I went ahead and gave him a pass for three years.

Regarding his style of play, I didn't really care.  I didn't mind that he didn't want to run and gun and press.  There are different styles of play in basketball.  Offensively, there are Princeton sets, flex-motion sets, inside out sets, running and gunning, etc.  Defensively, you can zone, man-to-man, box and one, press, whatever you want to do.  The point is to make it work.  The Pac-10 is known for it's offensive production as a conference, yet when Ben Howland goes to UCLA and brings his defensive style of basketball there, you think that UCLA is complaining two Final Fours later?  The bottom line is that if Heath succeeded, he would still be here.  Sure it's fun to watch teams that play full-court, but as long as he wins, that's what matters.

I don't know why people say this is not true, but Coach Heath was a good recruiter.  His first year he was here he was able to get some last minute guards (Eric Ferguson and Kendrick Davis) to come play for us.  Two three star guards and a three star forward last minute?  That's not too bad.  Those guys along with Pookie helped us out in that horrible year first year.  Getting Brewer, Townes, and Famutimi was not bad for a guy that went 9-19 the year before.  These guys were great prospects and had the potential to be all-stars.  Two four stars and a five star?  Not too shabby for a totally overhauling team.  The next year was even better.  Al Jefferson (wish he'd stayed a year), Steven Hill, AND Charles Thomas and Dontell Jefferson was still a great pull-in.  That's one five star, two four stars, and a three star.  McCurdy and McGowan were busts yes, but they still had potential.  That being said, 2006 was a great class.  Beverley, Weems, Washington, and Welsh.  Those guys are pretty decent players.  I don't understand how people can say that this is bad talent.

That being said, Heath was horrible at conditioning his guys and developing his talent.  The teams always looked out of shape, blew big leads, couldn't hold on to win games, and just plain refused to live up to the expectations that their talent warranted.  The team that went 18-10 in his third year should have at least made the NCAA second round, and had the talent to do it.  His best year, Ronnie Brewer's last, we made the tournament only to lose to F*cknell.  That team had Final Four talent, and yet the best we could do was a loss to a mid-major squad.  Last year's squad wasn't really doing to do much, but that was expected, since they had already lost everyone.  They were given a berth that was undeserved and it showed in the blowout loss.  Basketball programs rebound quickly (usually within 3 years or so), and Heath showed that he couldn't rebuild us and that he didn't understand the expectations of Razorback basketball.  Bottom line, is Heath had 5 years to get us back to a contending squad, but failed in his attempt to do so.  This is why he was canned.  (Also, every year watching Mike Anderson kick everyone's butt at UAB made me green with envy watching them play.  I mean, come on, Mike Anderson was phenomenal down there at UAB, and I've always hoped (and still do) that he'll come back here one day to his rightful place as Razorback head coach)

JOHN PELPHREY: After the debacle that was our basketball search last year, we were served John Pelphrey.  Despite his relative obscurity and stature, I was excited to get him.  I liked his fire and his desire to get out there.  Whether he chose to play like Nolan or play like John Thompson was immaterial to me.  He understood the expectations and promised to get it done.  His record as a coach was a bit of a worry to me honestly, but I was willing (and still am) to give him a chance.  My thought was, the talent level is here, and John Pelphrey would help mold that talent to a great level.  That being said, I also realize that first year coaches tend to struggle, even the good ones.  Think Nolan (12-16), Ben Howland (11-17), and others too.  It's very difficult for coaches to switch systems and have to implement it with players who don't fit their style.  My expectations were tempered with this team.  I know they have a lot of talent, but to press, you have to have a lot of guard depth, which we don't have.  To run, you have to have good ballhandlers, which we don't have.  This team showed lots of weaknesses in it's earlier games. Turnovers, ball-handling, offense, 3 pt shooting, 3 pt defense, etc.  What I do like about Pelphrey is that he's taken steps to correct them.  He's gotten them in shape (something Heath couldn't do), has decreased turnovers throughout the season, and has taken other corrective measures.  There have certainly been some disappointing losses (Appy State, Providence, and USCE last night), but growing pains are part of any team that is in a big transition state.  It is far too early to make a judgment about a coach whether he is good or bad at this early point in the first year or a brand new coach.  He has talented players, and there are still about 13-15 games left in the season.  Pelphrey is not God, but he isn't inept either.  He has shown me this: he sees the flaws in his team, he wants to fix them and meet the high expectations he has and that Razorback basketball has.  I like his energy and my full judgment on him is reserved until in a few years he can possibly get us back to the great position that Razorback basketball has been over the years.

RAZORBACK FANBASE:  I've been disappointed with the Razorback fanbase.  Frankly, we've been nothing short of pathetic over the last couple of years.  A fanbase that prides itself on its rabidity and loyalty to its team cannot even show up in full support at a basketball game.  We have one of the best arenas in the United States and even when we get 19K people in the stands we can't get them to yell worth a hoot.  You can still hear a pin-drop in the arena.  Attendance has gone down to about 15K average per game.  That is nothing short of pitiful.  Yes we haven't been great in years but we as fans should stick with our teams through thick and thin.  We can't have it both ways; on one hand we can claim we have such a great and rabid fanbase.  Fine, but back it up.  We bitch and moan about everything that's not going right, but in the end, people don't show up for the game, and if they do, they're quiet as hell.  That doesn't sound like a die-hard fanbase.  It sounds like USC's or UCLA's fanbase, completely fairweather. 

Another thing, regarding our storied history.  We are not an elite program on par with the Kansas', Kentuckys, UCLAs,UNC's, Dukes', etc.  We have a good history, but not a great one.  I love the Hogs with all my heart, but we have a ways to go before we reach that level.  One national championship does not translate into the greatest history.  Hell, Florida just won two, are they one of the elites of all time?  We have become almost like Notre Dame fans, acting as if we're so great when our last tournament win was over a decade ago (their last bowl win was in 1988 under Holtz and yet they still walk around so high and mighty).

Basically, my main point is Razorback basketball has a LONG way to go back to the top, and it's going to take EVERYONE's help to pick up the pieces and repair it.  Everyone has a responsibility in this, including you and me.  We gotta be there in full support of our team, screaming and yelling our hearts out and it's Pelphrey and Co.'s responsibility to get out there and put a good product on the field. 

[Baconator]

+1 It's absolutely foolish to call bust on the head coach during his first year.. so I have to quit ragging on Billy G.

[parrishw]

+1 It's absolutely foolish to call bust on the head coach during his first year.. so I have to quit ragging on Billy G.

Festus I was thinking the same thing and I hate it but you are right. I can get a big grin everytime he loses though.

+1 Hawgsave. You put a lot of what I have been thinking in that post.

Thanks

[crayola99]

nice post. +1

[hawgsav1]

Thank you. +1 to all who replied.

[PLAYBOAR]

Not much to argue with.  Nice post.  I still think the excitement and enthusiasm for Hog basketball will return once Pelphrey gets his type of players on board and wins with regularity. 

Will it return to the level we had in the 90's?  Hard to say.  But I do believe we'll fill the arena once things get rolling.

[Rayzback]

Nice post!!!

[alaback]

Just a couple of things I'm going to disagree with.  Other than that, very solid post.

1.  The 2006 team had the talent to go to the Final Four.  This is absolutely not true considering there were no major players outside of Brewer.  Dontell Jefferson and Eric Ferguson were not the type of guards capable of leading a team to the Final Four which is why Brewer also had a lot of ball handling duties that season.  Modica was a defensive liability.  There were just too many holes on that squad and sweet 16 would have been a tremendous accomplishment.  They also would not have made the tourney if it weren't for a Nolanesqe run at the end of the season.

2.  Also calling out the Razorback fan base isn't appropriate either.  I think we all know what the fan base is capable of when there is a reason to be there.  Having been to the last 2 SEC tourneys, in 2006 there were a number of Razorback fans in Nashville with cautious optimism following a great finish to the season.  Last year in Atlanta was pathetic, but was there really much reason to go?  I think I saw fewer Hog fans at game time than any other school, even on Saturday and we hadn't played on Saturday in a long time, 2001 I think. 

I completely agree on the style of play, it doesn't matter.  If Pelphrey wins, it won't matter a bit, but he's got time.  We'll be fine because like I've said before, even Stan Heath can win at Arkansas.

[hawgsav1]

Just a couple of things I'm going to disagree with.  Other than that, very solid post.

1.  The 2006 team had the talent to go to the Final Four.  This is absolutely not true considering there were no major players outside of Brewer.  Dontell Jefferson and Eric Ferguson were not the type of guards capable of leading a team to the Final Four which is why Brewer also had a lot of ball handling duties that season.  Modica was a defensive liability.  There were just too many holes on that squad and sweet 16 would have been a tremendous accomplishment.  They also would not have made the tourney if it weren't for a Nolanesqe run at the end of the season.

2.  Also calling out the Razorback fan base isn't appropriate either.  I think we all know what the fan base is capable of when there is a reason to be there.  Having been to the last 2 SEC tourneys, in 2006 there were a number of Razorback fans in Nashville with cautious optimism following a great finish to the season.  Last year in Atlanta was pathetic, but was there really much reason to go?  I think I saw fewer Hog fans at game time than any other school, even on Saturday and we hadn't played on Saturday in a long time, 2001 I think. 

I completely agree on the style of play, it doesn't matter.  If Pelphrey wins, it won't matter a bit, but he's got time.  We'll be fine because like I've said before, even Stan Heath can win at Arkansas.

Great counterarguments. +1  That being said, I feel especially strongly about the fan-base situation. Of course fan-bases will be there when teams are doing well and understandably there will be a bit of a dropoff when teams are doing a bit poorly.  That being said, Kentucky always fills up its arena, even when they are playing like they are now.  My point was is that we should not act so much like fair-weather fans.  At least for me, as for many other die-hards, fairweather fans are one of the biggest pet peeves.

[V B Porkers]

What a bunch of warriors Heath recruited and we have playing for us