Not that anyone asked but…
Mike is going nowhere after this season regardless of the finish.
He will get a chance to coach Hall, Garland, and Gafford.
Will next year’s team be better?
I think so, but that is a debate for another thread.
He will get to coach next season, but he will be on a short leash. He will be told make the tourney or see ya.
That way, we get these three kids coming in this season (maybe one more), we get the stud group for 2018 signed, and let the chips fall where they may.
Those kids all play AAU ball together. It is likely, if we open up the checkbook and bring in a name coach, that they will all stick after they sign.
At any rate, you just can’t keep giving the guy more chances based on future recruits. Has to win NOW.
I certainly prefer Mike gets this figured out, wins out, and we are rolling for the next few years.
But either way, I think we will end up ok.
Go Pig, I agree that he has one more year. However, as noted by several other posters, he needs to get rid of the trapping defense. However, if he doesn’t, next year could be his last.
If CMA sticks to his approach, I think next year’s team will be about the same.
If somehow they fired him next year, I could see some of the Arkansas kids staying but Perry could name his school pretty much. He will be a top 15
Prospect more than likely. Let’s hope somehow the corner is turned somewhere between these last few games this season and next season so this Fire Mike argument can stop for awhile.
He is well paid, now has a top notch practice facility and no excuse. I’m not expecting the run of the early 90s but we are playing in a weak conference and this thing needs to turn around
IMO, if Mike wins 20-22 games this year, goes to the NIT and repeats that same scenario the next year and gets fired, that 2018 class will fall apart. Dr. Hill, and his son Justice are a good part of the glue keeping those great Hawk players wanting to play together. They want to play together at Arkansas because of Mike, not in spite of Mike.
I agree that a big well known winning basketball coach might keep them together, but I don’t see Long paying $3-4MM a year even if he could get one to come to Arkansas. It’s not likely that any great coach would be interested in replacing a coach who won 20-27 games in 3 of his last 4 years at Arkansas and got fired. The Hogs haven’t had a National winning rep in over 2 decades.
Personally, unless 2017 ends up being Mike’s first overall losing season, I want him to get a shot at keeping that 2018 class together and proving whether or not he can win big with them. If he cannot make the Dance in the 2018-19 season, then it’s probably time to give up on him.
I so hope he finishes this season strong and wins 25+ next year and makes all this speculation a moot point!
Personally, I think CMA needs to shake up his staff a little. I’m not going to say any of those guys are “bad” because I’m not qualified to judge that. But, I do think there are some similar personalities and they need some diversity. I’m just basing that on what I see in games because we can’t see practice. CMA, Thurman, and Cleveland all seem to have similar personalities. Who is the coach on this team that will go nuts in practice? Who is the “Wilson Matthews” of the group? CNR was that and I think CMA was the balance. I’m not saying CMA won’t get fired up, that just doesn’t seem to be his personality. I would like to see us make a change or two and upgrade our staff. I don’t expect it to happen though.
When is the last time we hired a big name coach in BB? I would argue never. Eddie and Nolan weren’t really big time when they were hired here, Heath and Pel were mid major guys, and Mike was only a big name locally. I have no confidence we would hire a big name coach.
It’s hard to watch the defense being played as the head coach and not thinking a change of some kind has to be made, either in scheme or staff or both. I still hope that this team wakes up and plays closer to it potential but nothing Has been shown to indicate that is coming. I have lost interest in the thing that, Hog related I was most passionate about.
This is is a very good post right here. I’d like to expand on it a little bit.
The SEC is considered the lowest among the P5 basketball conferences right now. We’ve seen the recent hires SEC schools have made. They’ve either been up and comers from lower division (ex. Mike White), fired coaches from a better conference (ex. Rick Barnes), or coaches with a questionable back ground (ex. Bruce Pearl). There’s been no “good coaches” that was in a better situation to make the transition over to the SEC. CMA was the last coach that did that, and only reason he did that is because he had strong ties to the school.
I think the biggest thing that has hurt CMA since he’s been at Arkansas is the quality of the league. When he was in the Big 12, there were so many quality teams, that could have a couple of slip ups and there were several opportunities to get quality wins within the league so you were fine. Looking at the SEC, we’re a 17-6 team, currently 6-4 in conference (4th place) and we’re considered a last 4 out team. Any other P5 conference in the country you’re pretty much a lock with a record like that. Like look at Missouri, they are the worst P5 team in the country. Every time a team in the SEC plays them it hurts their RPI win or lose. And SEC has had teams like this every year, they get beat by mid-majors with bad RPIs at home then get to conference and win a few games and hurt other teams in the league. That’s why this has been a 3-4 bid league.
People calling for CMA to be fired need to realize they are getting mad about a coach that has a winning conference record, you pull the plug on that, there’s not going to be any really good coaches lining up to take the position and risk their career coming here. Best case scenario we get an up and comer from a mid-major that takes the job and hope he works out and when you do that, you’re looking at a complete rebuild. Good coaches aren’t going to want to come to a 3-4 bid league, where they could finish top 5 in conference and not even have a shot at the tournament. When they would be in a better shot taking a lower tier job at an ACC school. Just look at Josh Pastner for example at Memphis, he was in the American Conference which is a 2-3 bid league, he goes to a dumpster of a program at Georgia Tech, and they don’t even have a good record, but because they play quality teams every game, his team has a shot at the tournament his first year.
I get your point.
But, the product he is putting on the floor now would, IMO, not be in the top half of many “real” basketball leagues.
You have to, at some point, go get a quality road win.
If we can’t go to FL or USC and steal one, we don’t have a single top 50 road win, or really even played one reasonably close, and don’t deserve to get in.
Maybe I’m off on the details but you get the point.
You wait until 2017-18, you’re giving a guy EIGHT YEARS to rebuild a basketball program.
That’s just not acceptable to me.
That’s definitely your opinion. But, CMA has a top 4 home record in the country in the past 6 years. To think he wouldn’t continue that trend in a different conference is being disingenuous, especially when he’s already done it. You can say what you want about him, but his play style is hard to beat on home courts, that’s why he has close to a 90% home winning record throughout his career. And in the ACC/Big12/Big10 if you just win at home and win a couple on the road games, you’re pretty much guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament. Any 17 win team with 6 conference wins in those leagues would be a lock in the field right now.
And I think we have different definitions of what a rebuild is. I’m assuming your definition of rebuild, being in the tournament every year, which I mean I guess our whole league outside of Kentucky if rebuilding if that’s the case. Me personally, I don’t consider a 27 win season a rebuild. We were built after 4 years. We lost 2 of the top players in the country the follow year after that, now we’re getting back on pace, the foundation has already been built. A rebuild is rebuilding the culture, rebuilding the roster with players that fit your system, and getting guys to learn what’s expected on/off the court of the coaching staff. That’s why you don’t see many coaches, no matter how good they are go to a bad program and have instant success because it takes time to build all of that. A coaching change means start from scratch again, and if 17-6 and 4th in the conference has got you guys ready for a change, if we do make a change, I can’t imagine how you guys would take an up and comer coming in here if he struggled his first few years.
I don’t agree! Last seasons trouble cost the hogs a player whom is making a difference at Missle Tenn. D. Williams. Check out the box score on their games. Look at their RPI. I don’t like the direction the basketball team took once Nolan left. I thought Mike Anderson should have gotten the job then. He has had players leave that have caused last years provlems and this years problems.
I do think we stink pressing and trapping. We need to play half court defense
They need to play together and stop the one on one junk. Firing a coach don’t fix the problem.
I’m sure he’s talking about Jacorey Williams who’s at Middle TN St. Mike kicked him off the team when he assaulted his girl friend and was also involved in the forgery fiasco.
Again, I know who Jacorey Williams is, he doesn’t. I’ve said this five times now, and someone has said I think he means Jacorey every time and he still is calling him D. Williams.
BLU, according to Lunardi, we are in (still at a 9 seed). However, you’re incorrect on one point. Two teams share a similar record to us from a Power 5 league and they ain’t in. Texas Tech has a 16-7 record and isn’t even listed. Okie Light is 14-8 in their conference and is in (I’m guessing because they beat us, both teams are 4-6 in B12). California is 17-6 and in the PAC - 12. They are listed as the first team in the first four out. Now, I believe if both those teams finish with 23-24 wins, they’ll be in (same as us).
I do agree starting over right now isn’t the answer. I think a few have too high expectations, as I said preseason there were people on here saying Final Four or bust for CMA. One poster, in the last few days said he was one of those that expected to compete for a championship this year. I made the comment in preseason this team reminded me of Nolan’s second year. Many people said, but this is Mike’s sixth year, they didn’t think as to what I meant. For those that don’t understand this team is a good team, not a great team. A good team wins games that they are supposed to. Sometimes they’ll lose once or two they’re supposed to win, but they don’t necessarily have a “signature” win. Nolan’s second year was a good team and it started the run. I know you keep bringing up the Portis’ years, but I never got the impression from those two teams that it was a solid foundation. The proof of that is last year. I think if Barford or Macon leave after this year, we still would be good enough to make the dance next year (maybe even if both leave). That’s the difference and why I said this year was the equivalent of Nolan’s second. This will be the year that starts the streak
Yea looks like you’re right on those teams. Texas Tech scheduled a horrible non-conference, their non-conference SOS is 326, and have a 90 RPI. Had they just scheduled half-way decent in non-conference they would be in easily be in. With Cal, the Pac-12 is very similar to the SEC this year. With that said, Cal just won this weekend, so it should have them in as of now with a 17-6 record and 43 RPI.
Also, I read an article this morning that was very interesting, think all hog fans should read it about our NCAA tournament chances. I didn’t know this, but the highest RPI of a P5 team left out of the tournament since the field expanded to 68 was Missouri in 2014 with a 49 RPI. And highest team left since the RPI formula change was Florida State with a 41 RPI in 2007. So, looks like we just need to keep our RPI under 40 to get in. We currently have a 36 RPI.
I don’t know who is directly responsible for our non-conference schedule this year, but if we make the tournament, they deserve huge credit for it, because our non-conference SOS is 60, and that may be the reason we get in. Cause it’s saving our RPI right now.
I agree. I just looked at the article then went to the RPI wizard. If AR only lose some to SC, FL, and AUB (I think they beat AUB) their RPI would be 32 while sitting at 22-9. If they end up 5th (I believe three losses would put us 5th) then they get 1 game against a probable NIT team. So, a win would probably lock us. Don’t know how a loss would affect us.
Edit: our first game would most likely be aTm/Vandy. A loss to either would put us at 22-10 with a RPI of 38. Beating them, then losing to Bama (most likely 4 seed if we lose three) would put us at 35. Winning both would have us at 28 RPI, playing a Top 20 RPI team on a neutral court.
