By Jeff Reed
Stephens Media

Former Arkansas basketball coaches (from left) Eddie Sutton, Pat Foster and Gene Keady share laughs during Monday’s Downtown Tip-Off Club banquet in North Little Rock. (Jeff Reed photo)

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — For years, Eddie Sutton, Pat Foster and Gene Keady sat side-by-side on the Arkansas Razorbacks bench.
Today, for an hour or so, they did the same at the season-ending banquet for the Downtown Tip-Off Club.

They were joined on the podium by former players Joe Kleine and Jim Counce, two stars of the early Razorback glory years.

They focused a lot on the explosion of Barnhill Arena and how it was the backbone of the program. Kleine and Counce both said it was their favorite place to play.

“We lost eight home games there in 11 years, and three of those came in the first year,” said Sutton. “So in the last 10 we lost five. And (former band leader) Jim Robken played a big role in that.”

Sutton told of a story where he attended a bull fight in Spain while doing basketball clinics in Europe with former TCU coach Jim Killingsworth.

“Well, Jim had a few beers in him and he finally leaned over and told me ‘that bull has got about as much chance of beating that matador as I do of beating you in Barnhill.’ The Frogs never won in Barnhill,” Sutton said. “I had the honor of coaching in three of the best basketball arenas in the country — Barnhill, Rupp Arena in Kentucky and Gallagher-Iba at Oklahoma State. Barnhill was the best by far.”

The event started with microphone trouble for the coaches.

“The men are masters at breaking down the 2-3 zone, but they can’t turn on a microphone,” said Kleine.

The program also included comments from ex-Hogs Leroy Sutton, U.S. Reed, Ricky Norton and Carey Kelly. All but Kelly gave Sutton impersonations and told some of their favorite stories.

Kleine recalled the Hogs playing in the Southwest Conference Tournament in front of a mostly Hog crowd at Reunion Arena in Dallas.

After getting frustrated by some early foul calls, Sutton went to the SWC head of officials, who was sitting at press row, and said “If it weren’t for Arkansas you wouldn’t have an SWC Tournament and I want some (referee) calls. I think he got the rest of them,” laughed Kleine.

Keady and Foster credited Sutton for changing the culture of basketball in the state.

“When we got to Arkansas we were second-class citizens,” said Foster. “I played at Arkansas. We were second-class citizens. He turned things around and made it as close as it could be to being a basketball school in the South.”