Sometimes Karma is what they Say it Is

[WilsonHog]

In Eddie Sutton's last season, fans were growing restless. Might be time for a change, folks said. Little more criticism here and there.

We finished 23-11 and 10-6 in the SWC, and were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In Nolan's last six complete seasons, we averaged 21 wins a year and made the NCAA Tournament five of those years. We were 13-14 on the day of the infamous press conference.

And we haven't recovered since.

[BigHog396]

In Eddie Sutton's last season, fans were growing restless. Might be time for a change, folks said. Little more criticism here and there.

We finished 23-11 and 10-6 in the SWC, and were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In Nolan's last six complete seasons, we averaged 21 wins a year and made the NCAA Tournament five of those years. We were 13-14 on the day of the infamous press conference.

And we haven't recovered since.

Not old enough to remember what was really going on around the program at the end of Eddie's time.

Clearly remember Nolan's.  He had absolutely quit after the mess in '96.  He wasn't recruiting, wasn't bringing in the same kind of players at all, and had grown obviously complacent (just like what Mike looks like on the sidelines now).

Nolan finally started to try to turn it around with putting in a little more effort on the recruiting trail his last year, but it was too little, too late.  Seems he said something along the lines of... once you build the beast, you gotta feed it.  He was right.

We as a fan base weren't happy at all with not winning big.  He didn't finish 1st in the West once in that last six years, and didn't get out of the second round of the Dance in any of the four trips to the Dance in his last six years.  The program decline started immediately after '95, and Hog fans were ready to see it back where it had been.  Nolan didn't have the fire to get it back there, and attendance was dropping quickly.  When BWA was built, the season ticket waiting list was somewhere along the lines of 10,000 seats.  By around 2000, the general public could order season tickets.  Now, you could fit most in attendance along the sideline seats at Barnhill.

[Atlhogfan1]

Blaming the fans/critics? 

Sutton had a substance abuse problem and some players had issues too.   

Nolan's program had long been in decline and needed the 2000 SECT to make the NCAAT.

The fans/critics weren't wrong. 

Do we need to rehash reasons why we haven't recovered like unique and very limited coaching searches and hires? 

[BigHog396]

Blaming the fans/critics? 

Sutton had a substance abuse problem and some players had issues too.   

Nolan's program had long been in decline and needed the 2000 SECT to make the NCAAT.

The fans/critics weren't wrong. 

Do we need to rehash reasons why we haven't recovered like unique and very limited coaching searches and hires? 

I was thinking about that last sentence early this morning.

No one ever mentions the fact that both of the two coaching searches before Mike's were ham-strung by search committees and John White as Chancellor.  There were "name" coaches interested in both of those, but they were told they had to interview for the job.  "Name" coaches won't interview.

There really wasn't much that John White touched in the Athletics programs on the hill, that he didn't tarnish horribly.

[snoblind]

I was thinking about that last sentence early this morning.

No one ever mentions the fact that both of the two coaching searches before Mike's were ham-strung by search committees and John White as Chancellor.  There were "name" coaches interested in both of those, but they were told they had to interview for the job.  "Name" coaches won't interview.

There really wasn't much that John White touched in the Athletics programs on the hill, that he didn't tarnish horribly.

Plenty of folks do mention it. 

I'm on the record (many times) here as saying JFB should have retired in the early 90's and let Terry Don take over.  But no doubt in my mind White shoulders more blame for the cluster than Frank.  Who knows where we would be today if Tuberville instead of Nutt and Self instead of Heath had happened?  And I understand there were no guarantees JFB would have closed both of those deals. 

[WilsonHog]

Blaming the fans/critics? 

Sutton had a substance abuse problem and some players had issues too.   

Nolan's program had long been in decline and needed the 2000 SECT to make the NCAAT.

The fans/critics weren't wrong. 

Do we need to rehash reasons why we haven't recovered like unique and very limited coaching searches and hires?

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

[Ironhawg]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

Fell into?  We hired them.  I guess it could be considered pure dumb luck that Arkansas hired two great coaches in a row.  I always viewed it as good hiring decisions not just dumb luck.

[lefty08]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

That is the truth, and if we continue to hold good coaches to that standard, we will forever swirl in this college basketball toilet bowl

[Captain Morgan]

That is the truth, and if we continue to hold good coaches to that standard, we will forever swirl in this college basketball toilet bowl

This program is already in the toilet. Its just if next season someone flushes it or we move forward.

[Atlhogfan1]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

Karma suggests bad intent by someone or group led to suffering.

I of course agree with your HOF comment.  But as pointed out, we didn't fall into them.  Nolan was hired after Rollie turned it down.  Our last 3 hires though have been unique and put us into unique situations.  We don't know where the program would be if not. 

[Atlhogfan1]

That is the truth, and if we continue to hold good coaches to that standard, we will forever swirl in this college basketball toilet bowl

Who is the good coach being held to their standard?  Not Heath or Pel.  Anderson?  Anderson is more often held to the standards set by Heath/Pel. 

[lynbug]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

And they both did some verbal damage upon leaving.  Sutton's "crawl to Kentucky" statement could be interpreted a couple of ways and all the things Nolan said upon leaving and after certainly didn't paint a pretty picture for future coaches.

[Count Hogula]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

We were tough, could play with the best.

We all have problems. Eddie and Nolan put Arkansas Basketball on the map.

[BigHog396]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

Come on Wilson.  You've been around long enough to know exactly what we were as a program when Nolan was canned.

We were well inside the Top 10 in all-time NCAAT appearances, in all-time NCAAT wins, in all-time Final Four appearances, in all-time school winning percentage.  We were right there with Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucy, Duke, UCLA, etc.  We are still probably in the top 7 or 8 for all-time conference championships in all of college basketball.

We may not have been quite at the level of the Top 5 all time programs, but we were absolutely a basketball powerhouse, and were absolutely considered one of college basketball's elite programs.  For the 20 year stretch from the beginning of Sutton's tenure, we may have actually been more consistent than any of the programs you mentioned.

[HiggiePiggy]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

Isn't that pretty much how all big time programs were made?

[Karma]

I hear Karma is awesome.

[PonderinHog]

I hear Karma is awesome.

There are exceptions...

[hawgfan4life]

Nolan didn't quit.  NCAA investigated us for two years and dismantled a very good recruiting class we had on campus.  NR struggled to bring in elite players when other schools were telling recruits AR was going to be on probation.  NCAA admitted later they were wrong but damage was already done.  AR never recovered from that for multiple reasons that included lack of administrative support and fickle fans

[nwahogfan1]

In Eddie Sutton's last season, fans were growing restless. Might be time for a change, folks said. Little more criticism here and there.

We finished 23-11 and 10-6 in the SWC, and were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In Nolan's last six complete seasons, we averaged 21 wins a year and made the NCAA Tournament five of those years. We were 13-14 on the day of the infamous press conference.

And we haven't recovered since.

Eddie quit recruiting also and was frustrated in his lack of success in feeding the monster. 

[nwahogfan1]

Nolan didn't quit.  NCAA investigated us for two years and dismantled a very good recruiting class we had on campus.  NR struggled to bring in elite players when other schools were telling recruits AR was going to be on probation.  NCAA admitted later they were wrong but damage was already done.  AR never recovered from that for multiple reasons that included lack of administrative support and fickle fans

Was it the NCAA doing anything under handed or just a matter of recruits not having their Grades and test scores? 

[PonderinHog]

Eddie quit recruiting also and was frustrated in his lack of success in feeding the monster.

Eddie made a complete ass of himself in his last game against St. John's.

[bphi11ips]

Blaming? No. Just acknowledging that we weren't quite, as a program, what many of us (me included) thought we were. Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky? Nope. We were who we were because we fell into two HOF coaches.

Horse $#!+.

[Farmer Hogget]

What hurt Arkansas more than anything was Nolan Richardson himself and his lawsuit against the University!  He destroyed the beast he'd built.  The University was practically forced to bypass Bill Self and hire Stan Heath in order to prove the University of Arkansas was not racist.  THAT is what happened.

[Torqued pork]

Somebody named John Wooden recommended Eddie Sutton to Coach Broyles if memory serves. Wooden was considered to be somewhat of a basketball guru at the time.