LIKE IT IS : Pelphrey must rebuild with his own players

WALLY HALL

Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/220896/

More than likely, the way the Arkansas Razorbacks finished the season secured a kinder, gentler legacy.

Forget the loss to North Carolina. The Razorbacks beat Vanderbilt twice in 13 days, Tennessee once and Indiana, one of the nation’s most fabled basketball programs.

Once the players finally started buying into what Coach John Pelphrey had to say (and teach ), they beat teams that would have run them out of the gym earlier in the season.

A year ago, these same guys were dropping four-letter bombs on each other in the locker room.

Sunday, they were sad about not being together again.

One former coach said last year’s team had the worst chemistry he had ever seen.

“I think they hate each other,” he said.

Regardless of that, it took exhibition games for the players to find out Pelphrey is all about discipline.

And no one was immune to punishment.

Down the stretch, those lessons learned seemed to be more obvious than at any other time during the 35 games.

Stan Heath was a practice coach. He put the game plan in place in private and then expected, sometimes hoped, the players would execute it.

His sideline de-meanor bothered a lot of the fans because he seemed docile.

Pelphrey is quite different. The more mistakes the players make, mental or physical, demeanor he got.

He can be more animated than even Nolan Richardson, who was always in complete and total control.

The Hogs won 23 games, two more than a year ago, two more in SEC play and won a much coveted NCAA Tournament game.

Overall, the season was a success. It was laced with some disappointments, but those will only linger for a few days and what will be remembered are the highlights.

The Hogs made the Big Dance for the third consecutive season, played before sellout crowds at home and had their biggest following to the SEC Tournament in many years.

Now, Pelphrey faces the challenge of feeding the monster, and the truth is, love these six seniors or not, they are not going to be replaced overnight.

True, if you could have given Darian Townes’ offensive skills to Steven Hill, or Hill’s defensive abilities to Townes, the Hogs would have had an All-SEC center, but they still did better than most expected because of Pelphrey’s substitutions.

It is going to be up to Michael Washington to step up his game. At times he looks like a natural, but at other times not so smooth.

Michael Sanchez is said to be fearless and physical in practice, and if the redshirt freshman can hold down the fouls, he could be very effective.

Patrick Beverley and Stefan Welsh will be the lead guards as well as Marcus Britt, who is the most coachable player on the team. There are some others, but it is very likely some incoming freshmen will be expected to contribute, too.

Pelphrey’s first recruiting class was considered a big success by every recruiting expert, but still, fans will need to be patient the next two seasons.

This year’s team was inherited. Now Pelphrey begins the process of bringing in players who will know from day one they have to be disciplined, that it is the coach’s way or the highway.

They will be molded into his system and style.

That doesn’t happen overnight.

The SEC was soft this year, which is witnessed by the 4-5 record in the NCAA Tournament, but it will be better next year.

Ole Miss, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama should be much improved.

The Hogs lose six seniors who in the end played good enough to leave a good legacy.

Now John Pelphrey’s honeymoon begins.