It didn't take long for Arkansas fans to call for Stan Heath's ouster. Fourteen games into the season and the Razorbacks basketball coach is already being excoriated for his perceived failures. Tempers flared after the Hogs lost their conference opener Saturday to Mississippi State, a team that many thought would be a pushover this season after several players graduated and its point guard, Gary Ervin, transferred to Arkansas during a tumultuous offseason.
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For a team that started the season with a promising 11-2 nonconference record, the 69-67 loss to the Bulldogs is still cause for worry. We have seen here before, after all. Last year, Arkansas jumped out of the gates with a 12-1 record, before going 6-10 in conference play and declining an invitation to the N.I.T. because the players were "tired." Fans were angry, and many said that Heath would be fired after this season if he didn't steer the Razorbacks to March's NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.
But there is reason to believe that won't happen. And that has a lot to do with two people: Heath's predecessor Nolan Richardson and Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt. Richardson, of course, was fired in 2002 and claimed that the university racially discriminated against him and infringed on his free-speech rights during the dismissal process.
He then brought his case to federal court in a lawsuit that was dismissed in July 2004 by U.S. District Judge William R. Wilson Jr. He has since appealed the decision and asked his arguments be reinstated by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis and those presiding over the case have yet to uphold or overturn the ruling. So what does this have to do with Nutt or Heath?
Among the claims Richardson made was that Nutt was treated better than him when both were coaching at Arkansas. If you compared just the individual accomplishments of both men, it's hard to argue with Richardson, who won a national championship and took his teams to three Final Fours. He was given a seven-year, $7.21 million contract. Nutt, meanwhile, has never won ten games in a season or come close to leading Arkansas to a BCS Bowl berth. But after his flirtations with Nebraska in 2003 he was able to leverage a $1.05-million contract with incentives. To his credit, Nutt does graduate players and has never publicly asked the university to buy him out (Richardson didn't do the former, but did the latter).
Apparently, that means a lot to the athletic director Frank Broyles, who has tolerated Nutt's back-to-back losing seasons in 2004 and 2005. Broyles didn't even ask Nutt to provide a written evaluation of the program after the football team went 4-7 this season. Of course, Heath was subjected to this embarrassing exercise after his team compiled a winning record last season.
In fact, Heath's teams have improved each year, whereas it can be argued that Nutt's best season was his first in 1998. That year, Arkansas went 9-3 and reached the Citrus Bowl. The Razorbacks have shown flashes of brilliance since, but have given fans little to cheer about the last two years.
As a result, even if Heath somehow botched this season and could only qualify his team for the NIT, the university would have a hard time getting rid of him. How can Broyles fire one coach who has produced better results each of the last three seasons when he didn't remove the other coach who has seen his program deteriorate during the same period of time?
He can't, not unless he wants to give Richardson's claims more legitimacy. Broyles has been backed into a corner and he only has himself to blame, while Richardson has inadvertently helped his replacement and at the same time stuck it to his former boss. The result? Heath can now sit back and relax -- no matter how bad things get.
The Arkansas program is in such disarray right now. One man can be blamed for all the problems, too -- Mr. Frank Broyles. The man has done NOTHING to improve the program the last six years in both basketball and football.
Honestly, the only thing that can save the program at this point is the retirement of JFB, but, as most of us know, he's a stubborn old man... just like your grandfather who refuses to leave his chair when his grandkids come over to see him.
It really is a sad day when Arkansas is looked upon as a second- or third-tier basketball program in the Southeastern Conference.
Thanks, Frank.
But also thanks to Stan Heath. He has no control of his team and no fire. Watching them run an offensive set is like watching a pickup game in the city park. No one knows what they're doing... and the HEAD COACH doesn't know how to fix it.
I don't think the issue with Heath has to do with his teams improving or not. Arkansas is clearly a poorly coached team at the moment. They are one of the more talented squads in the country, with a player that ought to be capping off a standout career with an All-America First Team selection, an NCAA tournament run, and a lottery pick selection in June.
What you have is a bunch of "TV Commentary" trained "home coaches" sitting behind their computers venting their anger. By far, most fans in Arkansas understand that Stan has made improvements each year, that Stan will personnally grow in coaching with each season, and that Stan is the man for the Razorback basketball program. Frank Broyles has is not responsible for the condition of the basketball program. Nolan Richardson carried the program to new levels both positively and negatively. He deserves the credit on both ends.
While many could make legitimate claims that Stan and Frank are to blame here, many are forgetting the fact that there are still 15 games to play.
The Hogs' loss in Starkville was a combination of two things: poor shooting and poor interior defense.
When a team misses two-thirds of its shots from the field and makes less than half its freethrows on the road, they are going to lose. Add to that the complete lack of defense against easy layups and a 2-point loss on the road against a weaker, younger team doesn't seem so far fetched.
In the end, Razorback fans have a right to be angry but also need to exercise a little patience. There are still plenty of games left to see if this team really is improved.
Last edited by Razor_Mose on January 10th at 8:31 AM.
Thanks for the comments. I think the jury still is out on Heath as a coach. But the verdict will come in the next few weeks. One loss should not determine his fate, but if this becomes a trend and Heath shows he still can't win on the road Arkansas is in trouble, because as jwatters pointed out this team has a lot of talent.
Where it is easy to blame Frank Broyles for everything this should not be done. Broyles has for a long time had pressure put on him by a Real Estate guru that has tremendous clout due to his financial assistance. Also, it is no secret that the chancellor would love nothing more than to make the decision in the athletic program. If you think things are bad now then you should wait for a Chancellor White decision. I think we all see how terrible Susie Gardner is at coaching the women's team.
Are you talking about someone named Jim Lindsey? I think anybody who follows Arkansas knows that Lindsey is calling some of the shots. In the end, Chancellor John White has impacted the program greatly. If he didn't try to force Broyles out in 2003, Lindsey would never have stepped in to save his friend. As a result, Broyles would never have been indebted to Lindsey and Nutt would not be in as secure a position as he was these past two seasons. It's like a domino effect and White pushed the first domino.
I think this has to be Heath's last opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament before Arkansas lets him go.
I know this might be a stretch but I think Heath and Arkansas can be compared to Karl Hobbs and George Washington. Don't roll your eyes, and just give me a minute.
Heath and Hobbs took over their respective teams around the same time, and both inherited teams in need of rebuilding. Both coaches saw some players transfer when they came in as well. Heath went to Arkansas fresh off an Elite Eight appearance. Hobbs joined GW after being an assitant coach who helped build a national champion at Connecticut.
Of course Arkansas has a lot more tradition and history and plays in a much stronger conference than GW. They also have better facilities and more money to spend.
Everything points toward Arkansas being the team that should have gotten better quicker and made an appearance in the Top 25 and/or the NCAA Tournament.
Yet, GW has rebuilt faster and better. It doesn't make too much sense. GW spent time in the Top 25 last season, won the Atlantic 10 and made it to the NCAA Tournament. They've been ranked every week this season.
I don't see how a team with tradition like Arkansas can wait around for four, five, six years to make it back to the NCAA Tournament. They should be competing for a spot pretty much every year. I think this has to be Heath's last chance before they look for someone new to run the program. Look at how quickly GW rebounded. Arkansas should've been able to do the same with Heath.
Last edited by gansett on January 10th at 3:09 PM.
excellent commentary. i don't follow arkansas... well really at all. however, your insight was excellent and this shows that there are still some forms of racism whether anyone wants to admit it or not
You nailed this one sportstraveler. As an Arkansan, I can tell you that Broyles and Co. have backed themselves into a corner on this one. I personally like Stan Heath, but have my doubts on whether he can bring the program back to prominence. However, it looks like we're stuck with him either way.
I think it must be mentioned that Frank Broyles was not willing to pay a large salary to Nolan Richardson's replacement. Nolan never cared about making one of the largest salaries, he just craved the recognition. The chip on his shoulder has always been his primary motivator.
So Frank goes out to hire someone like Bill Self who apparently scoffed at the salary being offered. So Stan bites and is paid $800,000 per year. How many nationally elite programs (the non-negotiable expectation of Hog fans) pay their HC this small salary? Some of the best coaches make more than 3 times this amount. Classic example of how something looks on the shelf at the store (new coach with only potential) is how it will look when you get it home. Anyone who expected something different than learn as you go from Heath is delusional.
Frank made a HUGE mistake conducting Heath's performance review in the morning paper. He would have damaged the current football recruiting class permantly by doing so to Nutt after miserably failing in his job, AGAIN. However, the federal judge told Frank & the UofA they COULD NOT TREAT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY.
I love the Hogs more than anything outside my family so this may not make sense. But I hope Frank the UofA get their #### nailed to the wall on this one. Finally, house will be cleaned and Board of Trustee members (like Jim Lindsay) won't yield so much power. And big boosters who end up paying a HUGE employment issue tab (like the one they are still paying off to NR) will hopefully be avoided in the future.
I agree with many of the comments. Gansett makes a good point about GW. How does an A-10 program do better than Arkansas under similar circumstances? It's mind-boggling.
My name is Rainer Sabin. I am a 23-year-old freelance reporter who has covered professional and Division I college sports for a variety of publications and news services.
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