By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — While the college basketball world had its eyes fixated on the NCAA Tournament’s selection Sunday, Arkansas was preparing for a different kind of March Madness.
The Razorbacks are in the market for a men’s basketball coach once again after athletic director Jeff Long’s decision to fire John Pelphrey on Sunday. Arkansas was 69-59 during Pelphrey’s four-year tenure at the school, which ended three days after the Razorbacks’ 74-68 loss to Tennessee in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The loss ensured Arkansas would not reach the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
“I wanted to give John every chance possible,” Long said. “I felt like four years was fair to John, given the situation he took over and given the commitment that was made to him when he arrived here. I had hopes, very high hopes that John could be successful, and I think John could be successful in another situation. But it wasn’t happening at Arkansas.”
Long said he did not reach the decision until Sunday. But the move to part ways with Pelphrey came as little surprise, considering the frustration and criticism building about the program.
Attendance in Bud Walton Arena had dipped to an all-time low. In 18 Fayetteville games, Arkansas averaged 12,022 in paid attendance and 8,568 in actual attendance. In addition, a fan placed an advertisement in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette earlier this month urging others to write letters to leaders expressing their concerns for the program.
Long called the advertisement a “cowardly act” that had no bearing on his decision. He added the only thing influencing him to make the move was the pressure he put on himself.
All factors were weighed, including the lost revenue from the attendance woes. He also considered the “student-athlete experience.” Long said he informed Pelphrey of his decision on Sunday afternoon.
“John is a professional and I have great respect for him,” Long said. “He handled our meeting extremely well. This is a tough business. I respect John for the way he has handled things. He could not have been better.”
Pelphrey, who met with his players at 2 p.m., did not respond to messages Sunday. His Arkansas contract, which paid him $1.245 million annually, ran through April 2014. The Razorbacks owe Pelphrey $1.8 million (or $600,000 annually) for the three years remaining on his deal.
Those terms could be lessened if the coach finds a position elsewhere.
Long said he has no plans to hire a search firm or put together a formal search committee to help him find Arkansas’ new coach. The search will begin immediately, but could take some time to complete with teams participating in the NCAA Tournament.
Long didn’t specify financial limitations for the new coach, but did say “money is an object” and “anybody to say it isn’t would be irresponsible.” But he doesn’t believe it will hinder the search. Long said the Arkansas job is much more attractive than it was four years ago when Pelphrey was hired.
“I think if a new coach comes in and reviews our program they’ll see a lot of positive things surrounding our program,” Long said. “And I think they’ll see they have a better chance to be successful given all the things we put in place during this time.”
He credited Pelphrey, his staff and the work of the athletic department for making the Arkansas job more desirable. Some early names that have surfaced as possible replacements, according to reports, include Missouri’s Mike Anderson, Marquette’s Buzz Williams and Texas A&M’s Mark Turgeon.
Assistant Rob Evans will be in charge of the program until a new coach is hired. Long said the search for Pelphrey’s replacement is “wide open,” but did hint at some criteria Sunday.
“Head coaching experience is highly desirable,” Long said. “Have I ruled that out and said they have to be a sitting head coach? No. But our program is a program that will command a sitting head coach at a high level.”
Arkansas brought two players — guard Jeff Peterson and forward Michael Sanchez — to Sunday’s press conference. Both said they were well aware of the speculation swirling around Pelphrey’s future, but were still “surprised” by the news when it broke Sunday.
“It’s a tough decision, but we’ve got to respect it,” Peterson said. “We have nothing but respect for Coach Pel and the rest of his staff. They’ve been good to us. We just wish him the best. We don’t have any doubt that he’ll go somewhere else and be fine.”
Peterson, who described the team meeting at Pelphrey’s house as an “emotional” one Sunday, also said he was confident Long would find a strong coach for the program.
So did Sanchez, who said Arkansas is “pressing the reset button.”
“Jeff Long made the decision he felt was right for the program,” Sanchez said. “It’s hard to see Coach Pel leave, but we’ve got a lot of faith in Jeff Long.”
It’s not yet known if any current players intend to transfer after Pelphrey’s dismissal. And the fate of the five-member signing class, which is regarded as one of the nation’s best groups, is unknown as well.
Messages left for each signee was not returned Sunday, although Hunter Mickelson and B.J. Young both told Hawgs Illustrated they would make a decision regarding their futures after the new coach was in place.
But Long said the reason for his decision to fire Pelphrey, and the goal of his coaching search, is returning Arkansas to the same type of success it has enjoyed in the past.
“I’m disappointed we’re not in the NCAA Tournament,” Long said. “Our student-athletes are disappointed. That is where we expected to be and that is where we’re going to be.”
