Article on the Anderson hot seat

[hogfanny]

Yep, Jeff has got this.  Got the entire athletic department.  I can hardly contain my giddiness.

Yep, I have that giddiness too. He(jl) is probably trying to figure out how to get another ohio man in here.

[tophawg19]

keeping a coach just to keep from hiring another is bad business . HDN taught us that. Spending whatever it takes to get the really good ones is the only way to dig out of this mess . We need a big time recruiting staff to go out and get the kids we keep missing on . you can't build a team on Juco's . We aren't in a tough league so returning to glory shouldn't be that hard if we make a good hire

[pigmailyen]

So, my question now becomes (I guess), "Is stability enough of an incentive to keep plugging along with Mike?"   

Wilson, going back to your post--and I've never heard more than idle conjecture on this--what happened to chase Altman back to Omaha?

Please forgive my ignorance on these topics!

[jgphillips3]

Bill Self will never be our coach.  We are going to have to get an up and comer.   We need to find the Eddie Sutton at Creighton or Nolan at Tulsa.  They are out there.  It's just hard to find them at the exact moment you have an opening.  We need to be watching some young guys right now and for the next 2 years.  MA will either have it turned around or apathy will drive a change.  Doesn't matter who is available now.

[Captain Morgan]

Fire the head coach!

[Atlhogfan1]

In my mind, even talking about Bill Self as a possibility illustrates the depth of our delusion. Might as well throw Tom Izzo, Billy Donovan, etc. into the mix.

We do not have that kind of basketball pedigree anymore. Once upon a time? Yes.

Could we get a guy like Archie Miller? Ben Jacobsen? Sure. Good mid-major coaches.

I still say that the biggest mistake of the past 10 years was our failure to keep Dana Altman. His Oregon teams have gone 143-61 (.701), with soon to be four trips to the NCAA Tournament in six seasons.

Altman is a good coach.  But had he stayed, he would have had the same Anderson Anchor which only winning big would have overcome.  2008-9 Mizzou E8 team would have been the season Altman would have had so many new players thanks the scholarship situation left by Heath. 

Bill Self wanted the job at one time. Instead we went the PC route and hired a coach that ran a system that reminded me of watching paint dry. That was the biggest mistake in the history of Razorback Basketball. We literally dropped the ball after Nolan left. The administration at the time was incompetent. 

This is the type of dumb darn that helped build the campaign.  Focused so much on having to have a certain system.  Well we have our Hawg Ball back - or what is supposed to be Hawg Ball. 

[intelligence]

3 elite Arkansas basketball recruits currently would disagree. Gafford, Vanover and Hill.

only 2 of those players have committed.

[Razorbackers]

only 2 of those players have committed.

Yeah, and Vanover needs to start eating 6 steaks a day haha

[hawgtime]

With a losing season this year and next his seat may warm. Regardless of what we fans think until he loses favor with the PTB he is safe.

when does spring football start?  I lOVE basketball but I HATE not having the shooters or horses to get the wins!

[hawgtime]

What are the two most important things that we get this year to improve this TEAM?

[The_Iceman]

Yeah, and Vanover needs to start eating 6 steaks a day haha

Don't worry about Vanover. He will fill out.

[Captain Morgan]

Don't worry about Vanover. He will fill out.

But will his coaching staff make it through next year?

They will all be coaching for their jobs and an in season termination is possible if blowouts keep happening next season

[hogsanity]

But will his coaching staff make it through next year?

They will all be coaching for their jobs and an in season termination is possible if blowouts keep happening next season

Mike is not playing for his job next year. If they miss the post season again next year, then he is playing for his job in 2017/2018, because by then BWA will be empty.

[Captain Morgan]

keeping a coach just to keep from hiring another is bad business . HDN taught us that. Spending whatever it takes to get the really good ones is the only way to dig out of this mess . We need a big time recruiting staff to go out and get the kids we keep missing on . you can't build a team on Juco's . We aren't in a tough league so returning to glory shouldn't be that hard if we make a good hire

tophog, I believe Greg Marshall would be the best hire. I think it would get the fans entergized again with such a brilliant coach

[HoopS]

tophog, I believe Greg Marshall would be the best hire. I think it would get the fans entergized again with such a brilliant coach

I would totally support that hire. He's who I wanted before. I didn't actually want MA like many others did.

Some will assure you we can't get Marshall.  I don't know that to be fact.

[husker71]

Fire the coach and/or play the 2nd or 3rd or 4th string QB.  Those are the 2 most heard opinions in sports when things arent going well   or sometimes even when things are going well.

[Captain Morgan]

Fire the coach and/or play the 2nd or 3rd or 4th string QB.  Those are the 2 most heard opinions in sports when things arent going well   or sometimes even when things are going well.

Lost to two bad teams by a combined 48 points. That's more than enough to put a coach on the hot seat

[HoopS]

Lost to two bad teams by a combined 48 points. That's more than enough to put a coach on the hot seat

the games last week were very bad and who knows, maybe they were game changers. Still believe he gets next season.

[Captain Morgan]

the games last week were very bad and who knows, maybe they were game changers. Still believe he gets next season.

I agree he gets next year unless it gets disastrous during the season.

[LA Football fan]

Anderson's seat will be as hot as a firecracker going into next year - just getting warmed up this year.  He has earned a pass this year for a continual progression of success the last 4 years.  They weren't stellar by any means but winning 27 games last year was a really good year for this basketball program, no matter who was the head coach.  The off season woes killed any goodwill he had built up though and then losing Monk to UK was just another gut punch.  I have said in other threads that recruiting is what is going to get Mike fired.  He may not be the best X and O coach out there, but when he has good talent, he normally produces a good product on the floor.  Losing 3 out of the last 4 top instate recruits is a giant red flag in limiting how far he can take this program.   He has a couple good ones committed for the future but there are still a couple more that he needs to lock down if he wants to remain HC IMO.  He has shown his out of state recruiting of high school players is average to very poor so far. 

If we struggle to win 18-20 games next year and continue to go 1-whatever on the road in the SEC again, he will have a hard time remaining as head coach IMO.  Being paid over 2 million dollars to coach this program comes with the expectations that he can get us back to the NCAA tourney more than once every 5 years.  If we have any more off court issues, players transferring, players ineligible due to grades, etc. and we tank the rest of this season, he may be in danger sooner than we think.  Whatever happens, I think whether you are a MA supporter or not, people just want to see this program get back to being in the conversation for being a top 20 team again.   

IMO Long and the PTB need to take a hard look at Mike and his STAFF at the end of this season.   Not only Mike but EVERY staff member needs to be looked at to see if they are meeting expectations for this program.  If you aren't getting any turnover in your staff it is due to two things, you have the best staff in the country at the best program in the country and there is no reason to move on, or you have dead weight on your staff and NO ONE wants to hire them away.  It is obvious which situation we are in, the question is, will Mike do anything about it?  You have people defending Mike by attacking the football program, but there is one thing they cannot argue and that is CBB has hired a staff that is constantly being looked at by other programs to hire them away.  When was the last time you heard ANYONE looking at one of Mike's assistant coaches??

[GuvHog]

Mike is not playing for his job next year. If they miss the post season again next year, then he is playing for his job in 2017/2018, because by then BWA will be empty.

If the Hogs had a shot at making the NIT this year I MIGHT agree with you. They have 6 games left in regular season and they'll be hard pressed to win even 3 of them so I don't.

[root_hawg]

You could chill a frozen margarita on MA's seat.

[HawgAdvocate]

I would totally support that hire. He's who I wanted before. I didn't actually want MA like many others did.

Some will assure you we can't get Marshall.  I don't know that to be fact.

I'd be one that would highly doubt we could get Marshall. Considering the tougher academic requirements that the SEC has, our somewhat limited in-state recruiting base, and the fact he has already turned down jobs at NC State, Mizzou, and possibly/probably even UCLA, I don't know what Arkansas can offer that he'd pack his bags for. At Wichita State he's got salary ($3.3 million/year), bonuses, sellout crowds, booster backing and almost total institutional deference on his side. He's got no real reason to leave until a dream job comes calling.

[GuvHog]

You could chill a frozen margarita on MA's seat.

That may be true this year but it won't be next year.

[hogsanity]

If the Hogs had a shot at making the NIT this year I MIGHT agree with you. They have 6 games left in regular season and they'll be hard pressed to win even 3 of them so I don't.

And no one seems to care. As long as 9 or 10K will keep buying season tickets, for what good reason only God knows, to go to 3 or 4 games and then leave the rest of the tickets in a drawer, why change anything. At a football school, wins and losses in basketball do not matter, only gains or losses on the books do.

[The_Iceman]

I would totally support that hire. He's who I wanted before. I didn't actually want MA like many others did.

Some will assure you we can't get Marshall.  I don't know that to be fact.

He has turned down better jobs than Arkansas, allegedly. I don't think Archie Miller from Dayton is realistic as well.

I think someone like Ben Jacobson from Northern Iowa could do a great job here if he assembled a good recruiting staff around him. Kevin Keatts at UNC Wilmington is young but has turned around that program in his short time there. Did Tommy Amaker also show he can't get it done at Michigan, or has he grown into a better coach at Harvard? Brad Underwood at SFA has done a good job there as well.

I think those are the names you can more realistically expect to be on the radar for Arkansas. Could the right NBA coach become available or he pull of a Bielema? Sure. But these are more realistic. It is just hard to hire a sure thing anymore in college basketball. A lot of coaches can stay at Wichita State or Dayton, get paid a million dollars, and have very little pressure and great job security.

[rude1]

tophog, I believe Greg Marshall would be the best hire. I think it would get the fans entergized again with such a brilliant coach

Good coach that I had on my wish list last time. He won't be coming here though, already has turned down P5 offers to stay there where he signed a new deal. Ironically it took him 5 years to get the program into the NCAA tourney, I wonder how many of our fans truly would have had patience enough to wait that long? Or would the board be littered with "1 NCAA tourney in 5 years with a first round exit isn't good enough"?

[Sivad]

What are the two most important things that we get this year to improve this TEAM?

A letter of resignation from NolAnderson and a gag order and promise not to sue on Nolan.

[HoopS]

Jacobsen would be solid. There's good coaches out there we could get.

[The_Iceman]

Jacobsen would be solid. There's good coaches out there we could get.

I think Ben Jacobson has a bright future in college basketball. I wish he got that chance here, but I figure he will be snatched up this offseason.

[rude1]

I think Ben Jacobson has a bright future in college basketball. I wish he got that chance here, but I figure he will be snatched up this offseason.

What exactly makes you think this guy has such a bright future? Currently 16-11, 1 NCAA appearance in the last 6 years. 3 NCAA visits out of 10 years. Out of his 10 years, 8 have ended with 11+ losses. CMA resume was much better than that yet it is said by some he was a bad hire......

[Kevin]

Cannot fire him now, he has a commitment for 2019

[Hogimus Prime]

MA isn't going anywhere for awhile.

I was on the fence when he was hired. Was all for him and thought things were looking up but this offseason and into this season has put me off.  Part of this team's problems go back to last season. MA playing Watkins over Babb.  I know Watkins hustles and brings energy but he is no threat on offense. Babb needed more playing time than whathe got last year to get confortable. The terrible recruiting this offseason and not adjusting his style of play to fit this team is frustrating. I'm optimistic for next season and down the road cause who MA has signed and committed.

[The_Iceman]

What exactly makes you think this guy has such a bright future? Currently 16-11, 1 NCAA appearance in the last 6 years. 3 NCAA visits out of 10 years. Out of his 10 years, 8 have ended with 11+ losses. CMA resume was much better than that yet it is said by some he was a bad hire......

I think he does a good job at a tough place to win. Cedar Falls, Iowa isn't exactly a recruiting hot bed. Not all coaching jobs are created equal and I think he has a bright future. I watched his team play last year in the tournament and was impressed with him. I just got a feel from watching and listening to him that he will be a good coach one day at a bigger program. I see some Jay Wright in him.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Cannot fire him now, he has a commitment for 2019

Well, I'd say if he's not in the tourney a couple years after that, THEN he might be on the hot seat a little.  Not bad, but maybe a little.

[Atlhogfan1]

Good coach that I had on my wish list last time. He won't be coming here though, already has turned down P5 offers to stay there where he signed a new deal. Ironically it took him 5 years to get the program into the NCAA tourney, I wonder how many of our fans truly would have had patience enough to wait that long? Or would the board be littered with "1 NCAA tourney in 5 years with a first round exit isn't good enough"?

He would be catching absolute hell if his progression had gone exactly as Anderson's has- more hell than Anderson is getting.  But his season 5 was part of an upward trajectory at WSU unlike our current season 5. 

[Captain Morgan]

He would be catching absolute hell if his progression had gone exactly as Anderson's has- more hell than Anderson is getting.  But his season 5 was part of an upward trajectory at WSU unlike our current season 5.

Who's to say another P5 coach is fed up with the fan base and is ready for a new challenge? The way UCLA fans treat Alford for example. I'm sure I can think of more.

[Atlhogfan1]

Who's to say another P5 coach is fed up with the fan base and is ready for a new challenge? The way UCLA fans treat Alford for example. I'm sure I can think of more.

Don't get your hopes up.

The rollercoaster will head back up this week.

[intelligence]

Anderson's seat will be as hot as a firecracker going into next year - just getting warmed up this year.  He has earned a pass this year for a continual progression of success the last 4 years.  They weren't stellar by any means but winning 27 games last year was a really good year for this basketball program, no matter who was the head coach.  The off season woes killed any goodwill he had built up though and then losing Monk to UK was just another gut punch.  I have said in other threads that recruiting is what is going to get Mike fired.  He may not be the best X and O coach out there, but when he has good talent, he normally produces a good product on the floor.  Losing 3 out of the last 4 top instate recruits is a giant red flag in limiting how far he can take this program.   He has a couple good ones committed for the future but there are still a couple more that he needs to lock down if he wants to remain HC IMO.  He has shown his out of state recruiting of high school players is average to very poor so far. 

If we struggle to win 18-20 games next year and continue to go 1-whatever on the road in the SEC again, he will have a hard time remaining as head coach IMO.  Being paid over 2 million dollars to coach this program comes with the expectations that he can get us back to the NCAA tourney more than once every 5 years.  If we have any more off court issues, players transferring, players ineligible due to grades, etc. and we tank the rest of this season, he may be in danger sooner than we think.  Whatever happens, I think whether you are a MA supporter or not, people just want to see this program get back to being in the conversation for being a top 20 team again.   

IMO Long and the PTB need to take a hard look at Mike and his STAFF at the end of this season.   Not only Mike but EVERY staff member needs to be looked at to see if they are meeting expectations for this program.  If you aren't getting any turnover in your staff it is due to two things, you have the best staff in the country at the best program in the country and there is no reason to move on, or you have dead weight on your staff and NO ONE wants to hire them away.  It is obvious which situation we are in, the question is, will Mike do anything about it?  You have people defending Mike by attacking the football program, but there is one thing they cannot argue and that is CBB has hired a staff that is constantly being looked at by other programs to hire them away.  When was the last time you heard ANYONE looking at one of Mike's assistant coaches??

great post La Hog. I agree with everything you've said.

[HognitiveDissonance]

Bill Self wanted the job at one time. Instead we went the PC route and hired a coach that ran a system that reminded me of watching paint dry. That was the biggest mistake in the history of Razorback Basketball. We literally dropped the ball after Nolan left. The administration at the time was incompetent.

Agreed, and said same thing last week: the 2002 search and Bill Self miss was the biggest boondoggle in Arkansas athletics in the past 50 years. Enourmous mistake.

All John White. He was the AD then. Don't laugh...he really was running things.

Nate Allen wrote an article in Saturday's Demo-zette saying similar things. He made a reference to chancellors as 'AD wannabes' and it was no secret who he was referring to.

[Jonteviosk]

MA is a good coach. One bad year and all the trash that bemoans our program crawl out from under their rocks. These kids with a talent challenged roster and very limited true depth has played their hearts and aLL alot of trash on this site can do is ridicule them. As for Watkins offensively he has showed me more this year than I thought him capable of...Happy to be proven wrong...MA is not going anywhere anytime soon so move on and find a life. To all the filth and trash you know who you are crawl back under your rocks and leave us true fans to root for this team who has showed so much heart and determination. Truly sad these kids have given you trash complainers their hearts and souls and its nothing to you impotent bastards. GO HOGS GO MA....

[Shrevepork]

I think it was a good read and told us exactly where we are.

However as far as this this year we were right where we should have been.  I think there were things out of his control and planning that led to where we are today. 

Before you throw out the easy BS answer that he should have had backup plans for Portis, Qualls, Williams,and Beard let me say this for what its worth.

My company went through a natural disaster that totally wiped it out in an hour.  We had backup plans out the wazoo and they were good ones. However there were several things out of our control that we prepared for that did not happen and we struggled.  We will right the ship but it's not as easy as said.

Same for what happened to Mike. He got caught short handed and will either right the ship or won't. I have no idea if he can recover. He will give it his best and if it's not good enough he will get moved on.  Even though I think he can and is capable I would not bet a dime on it because the odds are stacked against him.

"Even though I think he can and is capable I would not bet a dime on it because the odds are stacked against him."
Exactly. And MA is the one doing the stacking.

[Lanny]

Anderson is staying,  no hot seat

[Captain Morgan]

Anderson is staying,  no hot seat

But for how long? Getting blown out in games like this next year will put his seat like a microwave.

[wheelspigharvey]

But for how long? Getting blown out in games like this next year will put his seat like a microwave.

If we only get blown out 4 times in a season next year you will want him gone?

Edit:  Nevermind, of course you would.  You wouldn't want anything from him good or bad.  Dumb question on my part.

[grayhawg]

If we only get blown out 4 times in a season next year you will want him gone?

Edit:  Nevermind, of course you would.  You wouldn't want anything from him good or bad.  Dumb question on my part.

Not as dumb as the OP.

[Kevin]

MA is a good coach. One bad year and all the trash that bemoans our program crawl out from under their rocks. These kids with a talent challenged roster and very limited true depth has played their hearts and aLL alot of trash on this site can do is ridicule them. As for Watkins offensively he has showed me more this year than I thought him capable of...Happy to be proven wrong...MA is not going anywhere anytime soon so move on and find a life. To all the filth and trash you know who you are crawl back under your rocks and leave us true fans to root for this team who has showed so much heart and determination. Truly sad these kids have given you trash complainers their hearts and souls and its nothing to you impotent bastards. GO HOGS GO MA....

another one, who denies the fact this is the roster cma built

[majp51]

If we only get blown out 4 times in a season next year you will want him gone?

Edit:  Nevermind, of course you would.  You wouldn't want anything from him good or bad.  Dumb question on my part.

You are familiar with what is called a Strawman Argument right? You also are aware that you just used that?

If all we did was lose 4 blowout losses a season I expect no one would be discussing this at all. Unless the blowout losses were 2 random blowouts, then blowout loss in first SEC tournament game played followed by blowout loss in first NCAA tourney game played.

[wheelspigharvey]

You are familiar with what is called a Strawman Argument right? You also are aware that you just used that?

If all we did was lose 4 blowout losses a season I expect no one would be discussing this at all. Unless the blowout losses were 2 random blowouts, then blowout loss in first SEC tournament game played followed by blowout loss in first NCAA tourney game played.

That's actually what I was saying.  Just pointing out that he's making a big deal about being blown out when really that's only happened a few times this season.  The problem with this season isn't the blowouts, it's the W/L record.  If we suffer the same number of blowouts to this point but have a much better W/L record then yeah those would sting but hopefully most people wouldn't freak out about where we are, and hopefully wouldn't expect his seat to warm.  I mean at this point next year I do expect us to be projected as solidly in.

But I also think the guy I was responding to is going to be unhappy with Mike no matter what, based on many of his statements he's made this season.

[majp51]

That's actually what I was saying.  Just pointing out that he's making a big deal about being blown out when really that's only happened a few times this season.  The problem with this season isn't the blowouts, it's the W/L record.  If we suffer the same number of blowouts to this point but have a much better W/L record then yeah those would sting but hopefully most people wouldn't freak out about where we are, and hopefully wouldn't expect his seat to warm.  I mean at this point next year I do expect us to be projected as solidly in.

But I also think the guy I was responding to is going to be unhappy with Mike no matter what, based on many of his statements he's made this season.

Maybe, but blowout losses to the wrong teams exacerbates the Record. If you swap the MSU loss with getting beat soundly at home by A&M you would see less concern. Everyone of the talking heads was saying the MSU was a "gimme game" , and this wasn't a close loss, ala Florida.

Blowout losses to bottom dwellers for a "middle of the conference team" like the Arkansas program has been for 20 years will always be a big deal.