By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Little has gone well for Arkansas basketball under coach John Pelphrey the past three seasons.
Attendance numbers in Bud Walton Arena have hit an all-time low. Inconsistent performances — especially in Southeastern Conference play — have piled up. And the Razorbacks have dealt with their share of struggles on and off the court.
Naturally, the problems have been met by mounting criticism from fans who have flocked to message boards and talk radio shows to express their concern about the direction of the program under Pelphrey’s guidance.
But the embattled coach, whose team snapped a three-game skid with an 80-61 win against LSU last Saturday, answered some of the complaints with a passionate defense of his program Monday.
Associated Press/April L. Brown
“Criticism, I don’t think anybody likes that,” Pelphrey said. “But I understand that, too, and I believe this wholeheartedly without exception … Whatever I’m going through or whatever we’re experiencing, man it’s strengthening us right now. It’s getting ready to make us better. It’s going to make us great.
“I have no reservation about that whatsoever.”
The promise of a payoff is one many have grown tired of waiting for in Arkansas. Pelphrey is 66-55 in his four years with the Hogs, including 23-36 in conference games.
The Razorbacks started this season 10-2, but are 5-7 in the past 12 games and fighting for a second-place finish in the SEC Western Division standings. The conference season has included impressive wins against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Alabama, but frustrating losses to LSU, Georgia and Ole Miss.
Pelphrey acknowledged not everything has gone as planned the past three seasons. He said his team has not handled past wins (like beating Texas and Oklahoma during the 2008-09 season) or losses (like last season’s season-ending six-game slide) as well as hoped. He also admitted to feeling the mounting criticism about whether he is fit for the job.
“Am I perfect?” Pelphrey asked. “Do I have moment in time where stuff may creep into me? Absolutely, I’m no different than anybody else. But I do think because of what I’ve learned and what I’ve experienced and because I do have a great faith, I do think I can turn fear into faith pretty quickly. I don’t think I stay in the wrong place very long.”
The frustration with Pelphrey intensified during the three-game losing streak, which began with a 60-59 home loss to Georgia on Feb. 2. It was Arkansas’ first loss at home this season and was met with frustration largely because of Pelphrey’s subdued reaction to the call that awarded Georgia’s Trey Thompkins with last second free throws.
“There was nobody in the state of Arkansas that was more disappointed with that than I,” Pelphrey said. “Does it mean I’m going to do display it like everybody else and voice my opinion? I think there are points in time when I have a platform to talk about how I feel, or maybe get to show separate, different emotions on occasion. But I also think there is a time when, ‘Hey, that guy’s a leader. He better show he has a level of control and understanding.’”
The Razorbacks’ slide also included another home loss to Ole Miss and on the road at Mississippi State. The latter dropped Arkansas to 4-6 in SEC play and into fourth in the division.
Arkansas won its 15th game with the victory against LSU last Saturday, eclipsing a mark the program failed to achieve the past two seasons. But even then, Pelphrey was criticized afterward for saying Arkansas was an “overachieving team” after beating an LSU squad that has lost eight straight.
Pelphrey attempted to clarify his remarks Monday.
“For me, I had to be an overachiever because I was not as physically blessed as some of you in this room,” Pelphrey said. “I couldn’t do some of those things, and in my profession if I wanted to get by I couldn’t be like everybody else. I had to burn the midnight oil. I had to exhaust all the perspiration in my body to get that done.
“That’s what I demand of my guys. Do I get it all the time? Probably not. Do they understand that? Yes.”
One of Pelphrey’s players, leading scorer Rotnei Clarke, came to his coach’s defense Monday.
He said the Razorbacks’ determination to win was evident against LSU, when they snapped their streak with a resounding performance. Clarke also said “anyone doubting us and thinking we are going to quit because we had a losing streak” were wrong.
“I believe in coach,” Clarke said. “I think everyone does. It is a different team than last year. We have a lot of guys that are a lot more united. We have a different chemistry level than we did last year. It’s a lot easier after a loss. Of course, we hate losing, but it’s a lot easier to come back and want to work and try to get better and improve.”
Guard Mardracus Wadesaid Arkansas needs to keep following its coach’s plan.
“He knows there’s some stuff on the court that we can do better,” Wade said. “He sees that in us, he has that confidence in us. He knows we can overachieve in some of those parts. And we, as players, we just have to believe in him and believe in his system and what he’s doing and do what we are capable of doing.”
Ultimately, though, proof must come in wins and losses and Arkansas is running out of opportunities.
The Razorbacks play their final nonconference game of the regular season against Florida A&M on Wednesday night, then finish against Alabama, Kentucky, Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
But Pelphrey used Valentine’s Day as a platform to laud the resiliency of his team.
He also emphasized his “passion” for his position in a state loaded with dedicated fans.
Pelphrey said he understands the “thrill of victory” and the “agony of defeat,” adding that sometimes a “warrior just has to kind of lay down on the ground for a minute, just stay there for a second, and have a good bleed. And just bleed.”
Through it all, Pelphrey insisted Monday he has a plan to restore Arkansas’ basketball program no matter how rocky the road has appeared and no matter how much criticism he faces.
“Everybody needs to hear me say this: I love the Razorbacks,” Pelphrey said. “There is nothing cooler than that logo and that Hog. That is a part of my fiber and a part of my being, of who I am. … I am fearless.”
