If the results at Portland go a certain way, there could be an Arkansas-Oregon game.
Oregon. Coached by Dana “Run Away” Altman. I don’t think I need to say any more.
Game would be either Sunday at noon Central (5th place game) or 7:30 p.m. (championship game).
That was not the finest hour for UA basketball. It was like it was an absolute certainty that we were going to get Billy Gillispie, so we fire a coach who made the NCAA tournament. The supposedly obvious transition to Billy Clyde didn’t happen after all, so we then appear to scramble. A few days later we get Dana Altman, and overwhelmingly he was criticized by Hog fans for being a bad hire. Talk shows and message boards were full of people thinking we could have done much better, unfortunately, I was one of those. I remembered his less than stellar days at his Alma Mater Kansas St. He even got fired from there. So the next day we get one of the most awkward, non enthusiastic introductory press conferences ever. Both sides were trying hard to appear happy, but neither really was. I remember listening to 103.7 that afternoon in LR and caller after caller were critical of the hire. The UALR AD at the time (I think Peterson?), called in and in an angry tone admonished Razorback fans for not appreciating what a good coach Altman was. He said just keep on being critical and he might just go back if he’s that unwelcome. I don’t know if he knew Altman personally or not, but the next day the bombshell hit that Altman was going back to Creighton. And a whole lot of Hog fans thought “good!”, we didn’t want him anyway. Flash forward to now, Altman’s career has been on an upward arc for basically ten consecutive years, and we have flopped around like a fish out of water.
John White had a lot in Altman leaving after they had Dinner that night.
Comments: I beg to differ with you, not the finest hour in razorbacks basketball is when Coach Nolan Richardson was forced out. Go figure, how do you terminate the man that brought this institution their only National Collegian Basketball Championship, couple of finals appears, multiple finals fours etc. As it relates to Arkansas, pundits are saying what coach Richardson accomplished will never be duplicated again, now coach Mike says that is a lie.
Regarding Altman, an example if the head coach has a good plan and the institution and fan base is behind him and given time, of course the backing of a billionaire doesn’t hurt, eventually the talent will come. I see where Altman received a commitment from 7’ Boles an 2018 5*.
I like The Hawgs against OU, early in the season or late, I think we have some hungry seniors, and the rest are anxious to follow their leads…Go Hawgs!
OMG how am I still the only one who thinks our darkest hour by far was when we hired a FREAKIN KENTUCKY WILDCAT to coach Arkansas Basketball. SMDH talk about hitting rock bottom. So thankful to have things set right again with coach A. Happy Thanksgiving Hog Ball nation! We’re back. Beat the Sooners
Reply: Wow! Your comments are dead on spot, I always thought I was one of few that didn’t embraced that hire. The way I understand it Boyles went to Rick Pinto and asked for recommendations and he gave him Pelphry one of his guys in that coaching circle, in which in the long run further enhances Pinto’s legacy providing Pelphy goes on to do great things in coaching. It appears now Pinto has bigger worries than his coaching legacy, as it relates to the under the table dealings of sorts, at least so it appears…
Altman was a good hire. It was handled poorly on our side. Remember JFB was playing golf at Augusta Natl so White doesn’t deserve all the blame. JFB (may he RIP)deserves a good portion of the blame.
Altman is a dirtbag and deserves to be ousted with all the other sexual harassers out there. How many rapists can one coach shelter?
JFB only went to Augusta (for the Masters) after the hire was made. Altman had dinner with John White that night & the next day he decided to return. I don’t know how Broyles was to blame.
Perhaps I’m prejudiced, but it seems anytime John White touched anything with the athletic dept, things went bad.