FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey has the full support of his athletics director as he leads the Razorbacks to the SEC Tournament this week.
Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long told WholeHogSports.com on Tuesday he was standing behind the third-year Razorbacks coach, who takes a five-game losing streak to Nashville for the SEC Tournament this week.
The athletic department's support of the coach "has not changed" since the beginning of the season, Long said.
"I'm excited about the prospects of the tournament and looking forward to going to Nashville," Long told WholeHogSports.com on Tuesday. "That's one of the great things about the postseason tournament is you start anew, so we've got a chance Thursday night to win an SEC game and move to the next round and see what happens."
Fan e-mails to the athletic director concerning the basketball program have met form-letter responses, according to a report.
In the form letter, Long asks fans to be patient with the coaching staff.
"There are many factors that make a successful program and many of them are educational in nature and cannot be seen simply by the play on the court," the e-mail reads. "We are working hard to build a successful program on and off the court and I believe Coach Pelphrey will ultimately be successful in all areas of our program."
Arkansas lost a double-digit lead in an eventual loss at home to Ole Miss in the regular season finale at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday. It was the fifth straight loss, a school record for consecutive losses to end a season.
Arkansas finished the regular season 14-17 overall and 7-9 in the SEC. The Razorbacks play Georgia at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday in the SEC Tournament.