State of the Hogs

[hogsanity]

The problem with almost every discussion in this forum is there are people jumping in who make assumptions when they know absolutely nothing about what is really going on.

Some of you need to get a grip on reality. Mike Anderson does not operate like most coaches. He does not bend the rules. He does not push the envelope on the rules.

He does not run players off because of a lack of production. As long as they are putting forth effort to improve he and his staff will continue to work with them.

This may tick some of you off but I promise you he's not going to change.

He's not going to recruit a 5 star with character issues. He's not going to make deals with AAU handlers. He's not going to fire Matt Zimmerman and hire Todd Day.

He really reminds me of Ken Hatfield who also did things his own way. A lot of fans had issues with him but he left on his own and to this day he has the highest winning percentage in the modern era of Razorback football. The difference is Anderson is supported by an AD who loves what he's done to correct the APR and off the court character problems that plagued Heath and Pelphrey.

Those are all things I like about MA. My concerns about him are strictly in recruiting and game management.

[SexyBeast77]

He really reminds me of Ken Hatfield who also did things his own way. A lot of fans had issues with him but he left on his own and to this day he has the highest winning percentage in the modern era of Razorback football. The difference is Anderson is supported by an AD who loves what he's done to correct the APR and off the court character problems that plagued Heath and Pelphrey.

Soooo
Ken Hatfield won 74% of his games and won the conference twice. 
Mike Anderson has won 64% of his games and has never won the conference. 
There is no comparison. Arkansas fans want an actual national championship (again) not an integrity national championship, or a moral victory victory national championship (trophy named after HDN), or an APR National Championship.
  Doing good things off the court is a good thing. Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach and he can't recruit.

[secfan30]

Soooo
Ken Hatfield won 74% of his games and won the conference twice. 
Mike Anderson has won 64% of his games and has never won the conference. 
There is no comparison. Arkansas fans want an actual national championship (again) not an integrity national championship, or a moral victory victory national championship (trophy named after HDN), or an APR National Championship.
  Doing good things off the court is a good thing. Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach and he can't recruit.

In personal ethics, running a program, and focusing on behaviors, yes there is a comparison. In fact this is the comparison Mike Irwin was speaking of.

Sometimes agendas blind people to obvious comments.

[SexyBeast77]

In personal ethics, running a program, and focusing on behaviors, yes there is a comparison. In fact this is the comparison Mike Irwin was speaking of.

Sometimes agendas blind people to obvious comments.

Soooo,
Ken Hatfield can do good things off the field AND win the conference. Mike Anderson can only do one of those. Good. We all agree. End of Thread.  I'm ready to write my check to the new Mike Anderson Program to help troubled youth. 

[wheelspigharvey]

Soooo
Ken Hatfield won 74% of his games and won the conference twice. 
Mike Anderson has won 64% of his games and has never won the conference. 
There is no comparison. Arkansas fans want an actual national championship (again) not an integrity national championship, or a moral victory victory national championship (trophy named after HDN), or an APR National Championship.
  Doing good things off the court is a good thing. Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach and he can't recruit.

Why waste so much time following a program you seem to hold so much contempt for?  This isn't a "go kick rocks" command, just a question.

[hogsanity]

Soooo
Ken Hatfield won 74% of his games and won the conference twice. 
Mike Anderson has won 64% of his games and has never won the conference. 
There is no comparison. Arkansas fans want an actual national championship (again) not an integrity national championship, or a moral victory victory national championship (trophy named after HDN), or an APR National Championship.
  Doing good things off the court is a good thing. Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach and he can't recruit.

That is a terrible comparison. Trying to compare football records to basketball is absurd. The comparison is just in HOW they operate.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Soooo
Ken Hatfield won 74% of his games and won the conference twice. 
Mike Anderson has won 64% of his games and has never won the conference. 
There is no comparison. Arkansas fans want an actual national championship (again) not an integrity national championship, or a moral victory victory national championship (trophy named after HDN), or an APR National Championship.
  Doing good things off the court is a good thing. Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach and he can't recruit.

He won the Big 12 conference tourney. Which is a better basketball league than the SEC.

But let's be honest you don't care about facts

[mhuff]

The problem with almost every discussion in this forum is there are people jumping in who make assumptions when they know absolutely nothing about what is really going on.

Some of you need to get a grip on reality. Mike Anderson does not operate like most coaches. He does not bend the rules. He does not push the envelope on the rules.

He does not run players off because of a lack of production. As long as they are putting forth effort to improve he and his staff will continue to work with them.

This may tick some of you off but I promise you he's not going to change.

He's not going to recruit a 5 star with character issues. He's not going to make deals with AAU handlers. He's not going to fire Matt Zimmerman and hire Todd Day.

He really reminds me of Ken Hatfield who also did things his own way. A lot of fans had issues with him but he left on his own and to this day he has the highest winning percentage in the modern era of Razorback football. The difference is Anderson is supported by an AD who loves what he's done to correct the APR and off the court character problems that plagued Heath and Pelphrey.

I agree usually with most everything you say. However, the part about not replacing some of his staff to get someone that can recruit , I can not support. We have to have a coach who puts the program first instead of players or assistants. I believe that MA has this next year to recruit and if he is not successful, there will be an uprising for his replacement. You should only get so many years to prove that you can sustain a program. If he had only taken us to the NCAA's in his first three years, it would be more palatable to me. That is the time limit I would give anyone else. He got us there in four years. He now has to show us that he can sustain a program and improve in recruiting. Afterall, he wasn't within the top 75 coaches in the nation his first three years. When is the poll coming out for last year that would include his one successful year? His salary demands that he produces at a higher level.

Hatfield's run off..... I don't think he was fired...... was the biggest travesty of justice in the history of the school..... imho. However, if your staff can't get it done..... whoever the coach may be......whatever the sport, the program has to come first.

It is my belief that MA has asked some players to leave while he has been here. I actually think it better to ask the player to leave than altruistically not saying anything and wasting a player's eligibility somewhere else. Do both parties a favor..... That's why they pay him the big bucks.

[mhuff]

  Sorry..... duplication...... erase

[bigdaddyhawg]

He won the Big 12 conference tourney. Which is a better basketball league than the SEC.

But let's be honest you don't care about facts

I think when you have to go back to his previous job at another school to support your argument, you're reaching.

He was talking about his production here, at the UA.  What he did at UM means zip, or at least it should.

It only meant something as a candidate for this job.  Once hired, the only consideration should be what he produces here.

Surely you can't disagree with that???

[bigdaddyhawg]

He really reminds me of Ken Hatfield who also did things his own way. A lot of fans had issues with him but he left on his own and to this day he has the highest winning percentage in the modern era of Razorback football. The difference is Anderson is supported by an AD who loves what he's done to correct the APR and off the court character problems that plagued Heath and Pelphrey.

I get this, and I absolutely want us to win the right way, no question.  I'm glad Mike is the man he is.  He brings honor to the UA for operating the program in that manner, and I applaud him for that.

And, yes, Ken Hatfield (who was one of my all-time favorite Razorbacks!) was a Godly, moral man with uncompromising principles.  I still love the guy.

But ... his production in the SWC was at a time when that 74% is definitely illusory.  He got the max from his talent, but his teams would never have produced at those levels had he been competing in the old SWC (when Texas was Texas) or in the SEC of today.

Ken was not able to recruit the talent necessary to field nationally competitive teams, plain and simple.

I hope the analogy stops there with Mike, because if he and his staff can't recruit the talent he'll be an ex-coach we admire for being a quality man.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Those are all things I like about MA. My concerns about him are strictly in recruiting and game management.

Top 10 list of things you never thought you would hear from hogsanity about MA:

Number 10: "Those are all things I like about MA"

Number  9:  "My concerns about him are strictly in recruiting and game management" (seemed to go without saying)

Number  8:  ........

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

I think when you have to go back to his previous job at another school to support your argument, you're reaching.

He was talking about his production here, at the UA.  What he did at UM means zip, or at least it should.

It only meant something as a candidate for this job.  Once hired, the only consideration should be what he produces here.

Surely you can't disagree with that???

He has a higher winning percent right now through the same number of games than Nolan did at this point

[snortman]

He won the Big 12 conference tourney. Which is a better basketball league than the SEC.

But let's be honest you don't care about facts

That's because he didn't have to play either Kansas or Texas A&M in the tourney (both won by double digits in reg. season over them).

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

That's because he didn't have to play either Kansas or Texas A&M in the tourney (both won by double digits in reg. season over them).

They also beat Kansas that season. But you of course left that out

[hawginbigd1]

I agree usually with most everything you say. However, the part about not replacing some of his staff to get someone that can recruit , I can not support. We have to have a coach who puts the program first instead of players or assistants. I believe that MA has this next year to recruit and if he is not successful, there will be an uprising for his replacement. You should only get so many years to prove that you can sustain a program. If he had only taken us to the NCAA's in his first three years, it would be more palatable to me. That is the time limit I would give anyone else. He got us there in four years. He now has to show us that he can sustain a program and improve in recruiting. Afterall, he wasn't within the top 75 coaches in the nation his first three years. When is the poll coming out for last year that would include his one successful year? His salary demands that he produces at a higher level.

Hatfield's run off..... I don't think he was fired...... was the biggest travesty of justice in the history of the school..... imho. However, if your staff can't get it done..... whoever the coach may be......whatever the sport, the program has to come first.

It is my belief that MA has asked some players to leave while he has been here. I actually think it better to ask the player to leave than altruistically not saying anything and wasting a player's eligibility somewhere else. Do both parties a favor..... That's why they pay him the big bucks.

+1 Hammer meet Nail! Nailed it!

[bigdaddyhawg]

He has a higher winning percent right now through the same number of games than Nolan did at this point

Okay. 

Are we basing our review of our BB coaches by their win %, or by NCAA tourney success and conference championships?

If Mike finished his career with the career highest winning % ever at the UA, but only made the NCAA tourney one out of four years on average, would you still consider him the best coach ever at the UA??

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Okay. 

Are we basing our review of our BB coaches by their win %, or by NCAA tourney success and conference championships?

If Mike finished his career with the career highest winning % ever at the UA, but only made the NCAA tourney one out of four years on average, would you still consider him the best coach ever at the UA??

I never said he was the best coach in Arkansas history but this and I quote "Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach" isn't true. He is a very good coach and he has proven that here and at his other stops. Is he an elite coach? He hasn't proven that yet. But we didn't know Nolan was elite until we gave him a chance to prove it.

Heck Frank almost fired Nolan after that NIT game against ASU.

[Kevin]

after winning two conference championships, hatfield was run off because he was loyal to his coaches, (broyles told him to make changes). the man helped win us a national championship as a player. but got run out of town.

no way, anderson gets the same treatment.

[Deep Shoat]

Soooo
Ken Hatfield won 74% of his games and won the conference twice. 
Mike Anderson has won 64% of his games and has never won the conference. 
There is no comparison. Arkansas fans want an actual national championship (again) not an integrity national championship, or a moral victory victory national championship (trophy named after HDN), or an APR National Championship.
  Doing good things off the court is a good thing. Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach and he can't recruit.

I'm not exactly a big CMA fan, but this post (and your subsequent ones) are fricking stupid.

[SexyBeast77]

I think when you have to go back to his previous job at another school to support your argument, you're reaching.

He was talking about his production here, at the UA.  What he did at UM means zip, or at least it should.

It only meant something as a candidate for this job.  Once hired, the only consideration should be what he produces here.

Surely you can't disagree with that???

Thank you for saving me typing.

I just want to add that I really miss the Mike Anderson's third year is always great meme. UAB, Missouri. I felt silly after I got that Mike's 3rd year inner lip tattoo.   That was my favorite talking point.  The MA Fan Club hasn't found a new one to replace that one yet for year 5 (except maybe Nolan's 5th year did this). I love that one too. Sooo convincing.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

I'm not exactly a big CMA fan, but this post (and your subsequent ones) are fricking stupid.

Lol +1

[Mike Irwin]

I agree usually with most everything you say. However, the part about not replacing some of his staff to get someone that can recruit , I can not support. We have to have a coach who puts the program first instead of players or assistants. I believe that MA has this next year to recruit and if he is not successful, there will be an uprising for his replacement.

+1 Hammer meet Nail! Nailed it!

Nailed it? Nailed what? Some of you people are confusing complaining on a message board with real life.

An "uprising for his replacement?" Seriously?

This not not a Frankenstein movie where outraged villagers storm the castle with pitchforks and torches. Who is going to lead this uprising? Some guys from the Jump Ball forum of Hogville?

Good luck with that.

[snortman]

That's because he didn't have to play either Kansas or Texas A&M in the tourney (both won by double digits in reg. season over them).

Let's see Missouri won by 2 at home and lost(typical of Anderson on the road by 25). They still had a very easy road to the title period.

[hawginbigd1]

Nailed it? Nailed what? Some of you people are confusing complaining on a message board with real life.

An "uprising for his replacement?" Seriously?

This not not a Frankenstein movie where outraged villagers storm the castle with pitchforks and torches. Who is going to lead this uprising? Some guys from the Jump Ball forum of Hogville?

Good luck with that.

Yeah Mike go talk to the Alabama system president and board or even HDN and get back to me on this! How about you get some reality. To Mhuffs point if MA doesn't get some studs next year and build on what he has done to this point, the pitchforks will come out! Seriously it seems as if you are trying to be Schaefers understudy!

[TomBigBeeHog]

Nailed it? Nailed what? Some of you people are confusing complaining on a message board with real life.

An "uprising for his replacement?" Seriously?

This not not a Frankenstein movie where outraged villagers storm the castle with pitchforks and torches. Who is going to lead this uprising? Some guys from the Jump Ball forum of Hogville?

Good luck with that.

[GlassofSwine]

Yeah Mike go talk to the Alabama system president and board or even HDN and get back to me on this! How about you get some reality. To Mhuffs point if MA doesn't get some studs next year and build on what he has done to this point, the pitchforks will come out! Seriously it seems as if you are trying to be Schaefers understudy!

Yeah, like that Petrino rally that worked so well. I think they had what 20 people there holding Long's feet to the fire.

[Jek Tono Porkins]

I just read through the whole thread. Here's the facts on the matter:

Mike just led Arkansas basketball to its best season since 1996. That would be 19 years.

Maybe he ends up like Houston Nutt. He's viewed as good at the time because he got Arkansas basketball out of the Heath/Pelphrey era but will eventually be viewed as mediocre, just like Nutt was seen as good at the time because he got Arkansas football out of Crowe/Kines/Ford era but was eventually seen as mediocre.

The difference is that I see absolutely ZERO parallels between the way that Mike conducts his program and the way Nutt conducted his program. In fact it's almost completely the opposite.

Mike is the real deal.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I never said he was the best coach in Arkansas history but this and I quote "Maybe Mike Anderson should run a PARK style program to help kids because he can't coach" isn't true. He is a very good coach and he has proven that here and at his other stops. Is he an elite coach? He hasn't proven that yet. But we didn't know Nolan was elite until we gave him a chance to prove it.

Heck Frank almost fired Nolan after that NIT game against ASU.

Ignored my question.

[aar0n]

SexyBeast (Dbag name BTW) is either the most dramatic, ill-informed, and childish person I've ever seen on this board (and that's saying a LOT) or a mildly successful troll just throwing out his bait at the right time in our history.   I'm not one to launch a personal attack on someone on here, but good lord this guy is something else.   Hawginbigd1 is making a good attempt to take his crown though. 

[Mike Irwin]

Yeah Mike go talk to the Alabama system president and board or even HDN and get back to me on this! How about you get some reality. To Mhuffs point if MA doesn't get some studs next year and build on what he has done to this point, the pitchforks will come out! Seriously it seems as if you are trying to be Schaefers understudy!

You're comparing Mike Anderson to Houston Nutt? The two situations are not even remotely similar.

If any pitchforks come out it's going to be Lanny and his moderators coming to clean out this forum. They've been watching this nonsense build for a while now.

Tom Bennett just paid you guys a little visit in the now locked thread on Willy Kouassi.

Every now and then, I swing by Jump Ball just to see if it's as bad as others say it is.

It is.

He didn't post that for giggles.

[Biggus Piggus]

Hatfield's run off..... I don't think he was fired...... was the biggest travesty of justice in the history of the school..... imho. However, if your staff can't get it done..... whoever the coach may be......whatever the sport, the program has to come first.

This statement alone is reason to question everything else you say. You say Hatfield was run off? You "don't think" he was fired? Good lord. Hatfield actively sought another job and left. He was a finalist for the Georgia job that went to Jim Donnan. The next year, he jumped for Clemson. Hatfield was not run off! Why do you think Broyles panicked and hired Jack Crowe to replace Hatfield? Broyles was not planning to replace his head coach who was coming off back-to-back Cotton Bowls. Broyles was not plotting a sinister coaching change on the eve of Arkansas's entry into the SEC. Broyles pressed Hatfield to upgrade his coaching staff -- Hatfield resisted -- and started looking for another job.

You must have spent a lot of time trying to draw bizarre analogies between Hatfield and Anderson, but it was wasted.

[farmhawg]

Just lock the whole damn cesspool of a forum.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Ignored my question.

Your question made no sense to me. If MA finished his career at Arkansas the highest winning percent in UA history it would be impossible for him to only make the NCAA 1 out of 4 years and do that.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Just lock the whole damn cesspool of a forum.

[WilsonHog]

That would be an idea, except that would deprive our better posters with a place to discuss Razorback basketball. No sense throwing the baby out with the bath water.