Ole Miss had suffered five consecutive losing seasons, eight in SEC play.

The Rebels hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1981.

Lee Hunt and Ed Murphy had overall losing records as head coaches after Bob Weltlich, who was the head coach in 1981, left for the University of Texas, and even Weltlich had an overall losing record.

In fact, the last coach to have a winning record at Ole Miss was Edwin Hale, and he was there two years in the early 1940s.

Ole Miss was tired of being a doormat, so it took a shot.

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Rob Evans was a 24-year assistant and had been with Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State for two years when the call came.

A much respected and classy gentleman, Evans blew away the Rebel powers in his interview, and in 1993 Ole Miss began a process that laid the foundation for any and all future basketball success at the school.

Evans, a close friend of Nolan Richardson, saw opportunity in the Natural State but didn't pursue it until after visiting with Arkansas' head coach.

It started with Anthony Boone (Helena-West Helena Central) and continued with Keith Carter (Perryville), Jason Smith (Palestine-Wheatley), Hunter Carpenter (Little Rock, Central Arkansas Christian), John Engstrom (Paragould) and Jason Flanigan (Little Rock Parkview).

Boone was such an incredible warrior that by his senior season his knees were so shot that he rarely practiced, saving himself for games.

His final two seasons, which were sophomore and junior seasons for Carter, Smith and Carpenter, the Rebels won the SEC West and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, Evans had slipped into New Orleans and signed point guard Michael White, who was tougher than a claw hammer on a pecan. White is now an assistant at Ole Miss, and he, Carter and Evans were scheduled to have dinner together Tuesday night.

After six seasons, Evans turned Ole Miss from an SEC doormat into a respected contender, and other schools took notice.

Arizona State made the best offer, and Evans left to be closer to his family (he's from Hobbs, N.M.).

Like Ole Miss, Arizona State did not have a strong reputation in basketball, but a challenge is something Evans never has and never will run from.

In his first seven seasons, he led the Sun Devils to postseason play four times, including an NIT bid in 2005, which got him a contract extension that didn't include guaranteed money. After the 2006 season, Evans was told he was not welcome to return.

He took a year off and now is an invaluable part of John Pelphrey's staff at Arkansas. Not only does he have an excellent basketball mind, but the 62-year-old Evans has great life experience that helps players mature as young men as much as basketball players.

When he left Ole Miss for Arizona State, his assistant Rod Barnes tried to keep the flow of Arkansans going.

He hired highly regarded Henderson State Coach Eric Bozeman as his right-hand man and the guy to recruit Arkansas.

Bozeman got Jason Harrison (Little Rock Parkview), who played in a school-record 132 games, Darren Brown (West Memphis), who transferred to Louisiana Tech, and Jermey Parnell (Gosnell), who lettered four years.

In Barnes' third season, the Rebels won the SEC West and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Shortly after that Bozeman left to become the head coach at Southern Arkansas, Ole Miss started to slip and, coincidentally, there are currently no Arkansas natives on the Ole Miss roster.

The Razorbacks have a 39-21 advantage in the overall series, but Ole Miss has won 13 of the past 20 meetings.

The Tad Pad has become a very hostile environment for everyone, including the Hogs, because Ole Miss was smart enough to take a chance on Rob Evans, who laid the foundation of success for Rebels basketball.