Someday we’ll all look back at the University of San Francisco’s Eddie Sutton era - all six wins and 13 losses of it - with nostalgic fondness, but today the only word is that it’s officially over. The Dons hired former Kansas player Rex Walters, and it sounds like Eddie wasn’t exactly an integral part of the search process:

“Rex Walters? I thought perhaps they’d want someone from the West Coast to be able to recruit,” Sutton said over the phone. “I gave them suggestions to help the basketball program … evidently he made a big impression.”

Personally, I was hoping they’d continue to go the ex-Razorback coach route and hire Nolan Richardson. That nitpick aside, here’s wishing Eddie a happy and peaceful retirement.

* What was your favorite moment of the Nate Rakestraw era?

* WholeHogSports.com has a good look at the incoming Hog roundballers.

* For those interested - and we personally think that slam-dunk contests are now about as exciting as the Pro Bowl - Sonny Weems will participate in one on Thursday in San Antonio.

* From the kinda, sort-of Razorback-related news file : Eddie Sutton’s son Sean has resigned at OSU. Might we recommend as a replacement another son of a Razorback coaching legend? We hear he’s looking for work, and he might bring a needed dose of tough love.

* Brandon Marcello of The Slophouse has a good collection of articles about Bobby Petrino’s recent press conference as well as some audio files from the event.

* Finally, in honor of the April’s Fools Day that is about to pass, you should check out today’s Penthouse/Outhouse over at ArkansasSports360.com.

Wow, it’s a lot more fun when you win these games! The Good Hogs certainly came to play tonight, firing on all cylinders in a most impressive 86-72 win over Indiana. It’s amazing how a big NCAA tournament win erases the bad memories of dismal midseason performances against, say, South Carolina.

Lots of thoughts are rattling around in my head right now, so rather than trying to write anything particularly coherent, here’s a rundown of a few of them:

Sonny, welcome to the club. With his 31 points on 12 for 14 shooting, Sonny Weems etched his name among the great Razorback postseason performances. Not too shabby.

I don’t know if I could pull off this quote, but I like the way it sounds. Patrick Beverley: “Sunny days when Sonny Weems plays the way he plays.”

This will probably eliminate any nostalgia for the Dana Altman era. Tonight John Pelphrey did something that Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson never did…won his first NCAA tournament game as Razorback coach.

He might not remember the name, but I’m sure he remembers the ball getting swatted back in his face. Afterwards, Indiana star Eric Gordon referred to Steven Hill as “that big 7-foot guy.”

Somebody give this man a raise. In our Q&A with Pat Bradley yesterday, the former Razorback said “it just seems like Indiana’s superstars — those two guys, Gordon and White — I think they’re looking at the NBA right now and couldn’t care less about the tournament.” After Gordon’s 3 for 15 shooting night, that analysis sounds pretty dead on.

Bring on the Heels! The Hogs have a good history playing North Carolina in the tournament, routing UNC in 1990, giving the eventual national champs a scare in 1993 and beating down their star-studded team in the 1995 Final Four.

Awhile back, it dawned on us here at RazorbackExpats.com that the Arkansas basketball program has a very special anniversary coming up this spring. Thirty years ago this March, Eddie Sutton led the Hogs to the Final Four, marking the school’s first modern-era appearance in college basketball’s showcase event. Whit E. Knight, one of our favorite commenters and an occasional contributor, has commemorated this seminal event with a three-part series. In this final installment (click here for the first and here for the second), he recounts the Hogs’ five games in the 1978 NCAA Tournament. Many, many thanks, Whit. Once again, the stage is now yours:

Arkansas’s first-round game in the NCAA tournament was in Eugene, Ore., against unranked Weber State, which had finished the season with an impressive winning streak and its conference tournament title. Weber State kept it close early, but Brewer finally began penetrating the Wildcats’ zone, and with U.S. Reed and little-used Alan Zhan getting extended playing time while Moncrief and Schall were on the bench in foul trouble, the Hogs pulled away to a 73-52 victory. Delph finished with 20 points, Brewer 19 and Moncrief 16. The Arkansas Gazette noted that the game was remarkable for one thing: an almost total lack of intensity. That would soon change.

Next up was 10-time NCAA champion and No. 2-ranked UCLA in Albuquerque, N.M. It is hard to realize today just how daunting the game must have seemed to the Hogs and their fans. As Counce said, “From the time I was 7 until I was 17, UCLA was the national champion every year but one.”

The deck headline in the Gazette sports section the day after the game said it all: “Hogs Display Courage, Poise in Record Win.” Arkansas led by 10 at the half, but was down by two with 7:34 to go. The Razorbacks shook off the memory of their collapse against Wake Forest the previous year, steadied themselves, regained the lead and answered every UCLA threat the rest of the way to prevail, 74-70.

Delph, who had been snubbed out of high school by UCLA, which had no interest in a 6-4 center from Conway, was 10 of 11 from the field in the first half and finished with 23 points. He and Brewer, who scored 18, played the entire 40 minutes. Moncrief, who tallied 21, played all but the last few seconds. He had to leave the game after he suffered a mild concussion, jammed finger on his left hand and considerable bruises on his shoulder and neck when a hard foul from 6-9 All-American David Greenwood sent him crashing to the floor. Counce played 39 minutes. With Schall again on the bench with four fouls, Zahn contributed a solid 21 minutes.

It was the most physical game the Hogs had played all year, but even though they were a finesse team, they were clearly the better squad and deserved to advance. This game announced to the world that Arkansas now belonged among the elite in college basketball.

(Read on …)

Awhile back, it dawned on us here at RazorbackExpats.com that the Razorback basketball program has a very special anniversary coming up this spring. Thirty years ago this March, Eddie Sutton led the Hogs to the Final Four, marking the school’s first modern-era appearance in college basketball’s showcase event. Whit E. Knight, one of our favorite commenters and an occasional contributor, will commemorate this seminal event with a three-part series that will run on Wednesdays. In this second installment (click here for the first), he recounts the thrilling 1977-78 regular season. Many thanks, Whit. The stage is now yours:

In 1973-74, the last year that Lanny Van Eman coached the Razorbacks, a U of A student could walk up right before game time, flash her student activity card and basically have her choice of seats to watch the Arkansas basketball team play.

Not in 1977-78.

Now the Hogs were playing before packed crowds, both at home and on the road. A preseason exhibition game in Little Rock (albeit against the Russian national team) was sold out.

The previous year, the Razorbacks had caught everyone unaware. Sutton said that even he didn’t realize how good the team was until after the season. But his success was forcing the other Southwest Conference schools to hire better coaches and recruit harder to catch up. The talent level in the league was definitely up, and the Hogs would not be sneaking up on anyone this year. In addition, Arkansas’s non-conference schedule was brutal.

Arkansas began the season ranked No. 7 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the UPI (coaches’) poll, where they got one No. 1 vote. After an opening victory against Missouri State, the Hogs traveled to Little Rock to face Mississippi State, who would end up finishing second in the SEC, considered one of the strongest basketball conferences. Arkansas whipped the Bulldogs, 94-61. Hmm, maybe the Southwest Conference wasn’t just Houston and bunch of football schools after all.

The Hogs continued to cruise through their non-conference schedule. After topping Oklahoma and Kansas, they advanced to No. 3 in the polls, which is where they stood when they topped LSU in Baton Rouge, 67-62, in late December.

On New Year’s Eve, they took on Memphis State in Memphis and whipped the Tigers, 95-70, getting revenge for the previous year’s loss. Brewer had 26 points, “some of which were difficult to believe even after seeing them,” according to the Arkansas Gazette’s David Smith. Schall added 20, and Counce, playing before his hometown fans, shut down the Tigers’ leading scorer. Moncrief and Delph also had big games.

Two days later, the football Razorbacks shocked Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in one of the greatest upsets in college football history. It was beginning to look like the stars were aligned right for Arkansas.

(Read on …)

I think we can all agree that it’s time for a break from the current unpleasantness of Razorback basketball, so with that in mind let’s discuss a more appealing subject: which ex-Hogs should have their numbers retired and jerseys hung from the rafters at Bud Walton? (This topic comes directly from Arkansas Sports 360, which has a good article asking why Arkansas doesn’t retire basketball numbers, so definitely check that out for your background research.)

As a starting point, here’s a very hastily put-together and poorly researched list of possible candidates…feel free to pick it apart and/or suggest your own version in the comments section.

In rough chronological order:

Sidney Moncrief
Ron Brewer
Marvin Delph
Darrell Walker
Alvin Robertson
Joe Kleine
Eddie Sutton
Todd Day
Lee Mayberry
Corliss Williamson
Scotty Thurman
Corey Beck
Nolan Richardson

This doesn’t include the larger-than-lifesize statue of Dwight Stewart that we’re recommending be placed outside the entrance of Bud Walton. That one is such a no-brainer it’s almost not worth mentioning here.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts…

Awhile back, it dawned on us here at RazorbackExpats.com that the Razorback basketball program has a very special anniversary coming up this spring. Thirty years ago this March, Eddie Sutton led the Hogs to the Final Four, marking the school’s first modern-era appearance in college basketball’s showcase event. Whit E. Knight, one of our favorite commenters and an occasional contributor, will commemorate this seminal event with a three-part series that will run on Wednesdays. In this first installment, he describes how Sutton and the Hogs set the stage for their magical ‘78 season. Many thanks, Whit. Take it away:

The fall of 1977 was a time for anticipation. I had just started my dream job as a copy editor at the Arkansas Gazette, the future Mrs. Whit E. Knight was entering her senior year of the University of Arkansas, the Expats were looking forward to their last year of freedom before kindergarten, and the growing number of fans of the Arkansas Razorback basketball team were entertaining dreams of back-to-back Southwest Conference titles and a return to the NCAA tournament.

I have been a basketball fan for as long as I can remember and a Razorback basketball fan since the mid-1960s. My all-time favorite team remains Eddie Sutton’s Final Four squad of 1977-78, which set the stage for the success of the program that culminated in the 1994 national championship. It seems like yesterday, not 30 years ago, that that team left its mark on the state’s psyche.

For starters, that group had the closest identification with the state of any of the successful Razorback teams of the last 30-plus years. Its three best players — Ron Brewer of Fort Smith Northside, Marvin Delph of Conway and Sidney Moncrief of Little Rock Hall — were Arkansans. I saw all three of them play high school basketball. Jimmy Counce, the 6-7 defensive stopper, was from Memphis White Station, just across the Mississippi River from Arkansas. Steve Schall, the skinny 6-10 center, was from Raytown, Mo., just up U.S. Highway 71 (OK, 233 miles) from Fayetteville. All five of them settled in Arkansas after their playing days were over. In addition, four of the bench players were storied high school stars from Arkansas: U.S. Reed of Pine Bluff, Chris Bennett of Little Rock Catholic, James “Rocket” Crockett of Helena and Houston Dale Nutt — yes that Houston Dale Nutt — of Little Rock Central.

Brewer, Delph and Moncrief were incredibly gifted players who could have started for any other college basketball team in the country and for all three of them to be on the same squad made this a special group.

It wasn’t like Arkansas fans were unfamiliar with winning basketball — it just had been too long since they had last seen it. The University of Arkansas began playing basketball in 1924, won the Southwest Conference championship five straight times to finish out the 1920s, and continued to rack up titles through the ‘30s and the ‘40s. The 1936 Razorbacks reached the semi-finals of the tournament to select the U.S. Olympics representatives, and Arkansas made it to the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament in 1941 and 1945. But starting in the ‘50s — except for 1958, when they lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to an Oklahoma A&M team that featured Sutton as a high-scoring guard — success eluded the program as Arkansas continually finished among the also-rans in the SWC.

After the 1973-74 Hogs won only 10 games, newly named athletic director Frank Broyles decided it was time to make a commitment to basketball. He turned things around by hiring Sutton from Creighton University, where he had just led the Bluejays to a 23-7 record and a berth in the NCAA tournament. Sutton immediately showed his eye for talent by hiring future Purdue head coach Gene Keady as an assistant and retaining Pat Foster, also a future head coach, from the previous coaching regime.

With his coaching staff set, Sutton’s next task was to halt the exodus of talented black basketball players leaving the state for other colleges.

(Read on …)

When it comes to college basketball, it’s hard to find a school with more tradition and fan intensity (ask Tubby Smith) than Kentucky. With the annual Hogs-Wildcats battle looming, we figured this was a good time to check in with one of our favorite SEC bloggers, Truzenzuzex from A Sea of Blue. He was kind enough to give us his informative and entertaining thoughts on a variety of topics, including the Billy Gillispie hire, the most irritating 90s-era Hog to play against, and why Razorback fans maybe shouldn’t get too used to having John Pelphrey around. And when you’re done reading Tru’s take, head on over to his site to read our answers to his questions about the Hogs. Big thanks to Tru for his time…read on for the full scoop:

1. The Wildcats’ overall record is a very un-Kentucky-like 14-10. However, the team is 8-3 in the conference, has won seven out of its last eight games, and has wins over then-No. 13 Vandy and then-No. 3 Tennessee. Considering all of that, what’s the overall mood of Wildcat fans and what’s your impression of Billy Gillispie so far?

The fanbase, in general, is happy with Gillispie, particularly those who wanted Smith gone so passionately. But I would say that Gillispie has widespread support among the Big Blue Nation, and I am pleased to count myself included. There have been a few missteps and some questionable decision making, but given the difficulty we have had with injuries and the defection of Alex Legion, I think things have gone reasonably well, particularly since the SEC season began and we finally began playing decent basketball. In sum, I would say the State of the Big Blue Nation is satisfied pending future improvement. Essentially, he gets a pass for this season. The radicals can always blame Tubby Smith.

2. Give us a quick scouting report of UK: What are the team’s strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths:

• Shooting — Kentucky is currently second in FG% in the conference, and second in 3-point FG%, and 3rd in eFG%
• Defense — Kentucky is currently 3rd in the league in defensive FG% and 2-point defensive FG%.
• Blocks — UK is currently 5th in blocks/game.

Weaknesses:

• Ballhandling — 10th in TO’s, 10th in A/TO ratio, and dead last in turnover rate.
• Fouls — we foul way too much.
• Rebounding — We are 10th in rebounds/game, and only 6th in rebound %.

3. What are the keys to a Kentucky win on Saturday, and what is your prediction for the game?

• Turnovers — If UK turns the ball over > 5 times more than Arkansas, we will have trouble
• Patterson — If Patterson catches the ball much in the post, Arkansas will have its hands full.
• Defense — Joe Crawford must do a number on Patrick Beverly, defensively.
• Defensive intensity — When the defensive intensity is high, the Cats are very tough.
• Attack the rim — Kentucky is the best free-throw shooting team in the conference.

Prediction? I think the Cats have a good chance to win if they play well.

4. With John Pelphrey returning to Rupp, Saturday’s game will obviously be a special day for both him and Kentucky fans. Describe what Pelphrey the player was like and give us a sense of what he and the rest of The Unforgettables mean to UK basketball.

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A few weeks ago, we asked for your help in tracking down former walk-on Eugene Nash, one of our all-time favorite Razorbacks. We’re happy to report that, thanks to the subsequent tips, we were able to do so. Today, Nash lives in Fayetteville and is a national account manager for Tyson Foods, for which he has worked for 25 years.

A native of Tyronza, he played for the Hogs from 1978 to 1982 and despite (or, at least in part, because of) his infrequent playing time, he captured the hearts of Razorback fans like few players before or after. The waning moments of blowout wins were inevitably accompanied by booming crowd chants of “Eu-GENE! Eu-GENE!” When Coach Eddie Sutton would put Nash in the game, the crowd would go nuts.

We spoke last week with Nash, and he spun many a good yarn about his time on the Hill. Below is the first installment of a two-part Q&A, in which Eugene discusses how he became a Razorback, how Sidney Moncrief inspired him to stay on the team, why Coach Sutton resembled the Godfather, and, of course, his famous dunk and the resulting t-shirts.

Coming out of high school, did you have any scholarship offers from other schools?

I had a scholarship offer to go and play at Arkansas State, which is around my hometown. From there, I had some smaller offers like Arkansas Tech and Arkansas-Monticello, but my mindset was that I wasn’t thinking NBA or anything like that. I wanted to go to the University of Arkansas and have employers in job interviews see that on my resume, but I still wanted to pursue my dream of playing college basketball.

Before leaving for Fayetteville, I sent a letter to the coaching staff saying I wanted to come out for the basketball team. They sent a letter back saying they’d never taken any walk-ons, but said I could stop by the basketball office and have a tryout.

Tell us about the tryouts.

The first day, there were about 100 guys who showed up. They put us through different drills, ran us really, really hard, and split us up into different teams and let us play. On the second day, about half of those guys didn’t come back. A few of them probably figured, “What the heck, this isn’t what I want to do.”

It’s tough when you try to walk-on. The tryouts were like an all-star game. Everybody was trying to show off their skills; people shot the ball as soon as they crossed half-court. At the time, I was a pretty good jumper for a 6’1” kid so I could block shots and rebound. I figured I’d defend and rebound and let them see how well I could perform without shooting the basketball.

(Read on …)

Feb. 12, 1984.

That’s the day that Arkansas defeated the No. 1-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, who brought a 19-0 record into that Sunday afternoon nationally televised contest in Pine Bluff and featured the greatest basketball player who has ever lived. Jordan’s teammates weren’t too shabby either. They included Sam Perkins, who would go on to enjoy a 17-year pro career, and Brad Daugherty, who was the No. 1 pick in the 1986 NBA draft and who played in the pros for eight seasons before injuries forced his retirement. Also wearing Carolina uniforms that day were Matt Doherty, who was coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons earlier this decade, and Buzz Peterson, who coached the UT Vols from 2001 to 2005. (Kenny Smith was on the Tar Heels that year but didn’t play in the game because of a broken wrist.)

The Hogs, who were led that year by Alvin Robertson and Joe Kleine, brought an 18-4 record into the game but were not ranked. The day before, they had defeated SMU in Dallas and were only able to arrive in Pine Bluff a couple of hours before tip-off after a line of severe thunderstorms played havoc with their travel plans. Suffice to say, not exactly an ideal way to get ready for the game.

No matter.

The Hogs came out roaring and led by as many as seven in the first half before going into halftime with a 38-34 lead. The second half was a tight affair, and Jordan put his greatness on full display and was basically unstoppable in the final 20 minutes, finishing the game with 21 points. With under a minute to play, he drilled a jumper to put the Tar Heels up 64-63.

That’s where the score stood when forward Charles Balentine etched his name into Razorback history by hitting a game-winning, eight-footer from the baseline with seconds left to play. Carolina guard Steve Hale fired off a buzzer-beating shot that rimmed in and (thankfully) back out to give the Hogs a 65-64 win (NBC broadcaster Al McGuire famously screamed, “It’s good!” as Hale’s shot approached the rim).

(Read on …)