CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- By Jimmy Dykes' count, Tuesday marked his 11th time to attend SEC basketball media days.
This one was much different, and not just because the event has moved from Birmingham, Ala., where the SEC offices are located, to the Charlotte home of the SEC Network.
Dykes' previous role at SEC media days was to talk to coaches and gather information for his job as an ESPN analyst. Tuesday he was there representing Arkansas as the Razorbacks' women's basketball coach.
Dykes said he has a comfort level dealing with the media along with a greater appreciation for the coaches because he found himself offering some of the same answers he used to joke about.
"I was talking ESPN and I think I said, 'All I'm concerned with is getting better tomorrow in practice,' " Dykes said. "I remember I used to hear that and think, 'C'mon, give me something to work with here.' But, really, that's all I'm concerned with here."
There was some concern expressed within the women's coaching community about Dykes' hiring considering he never previously coached women and hadn't coached at all since 1991, when he was a men's assistant at Oklahoma State.
Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer went so far as to call it "very depressing" that Dykes was hired instead of a more experienced coach. Beth Bass, head of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, issued a statement calling it "depressing."
Dykes offered an impassioned defense of his hiring when asked about it Tuesday.
"I don't have anything to apologize for," he said. "The job was open, I applied for it and I got it."
Dykes, a former walk-on player at Arkansas, said people need to trust in Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long and the selection committee who hired him to replace Tom Collen. Dykes said he has a passion for the job and an ability to rally the fan base and recruit.
"Am I little bit of a trend-setter? Did I break some ground? Maybe," Dykes said. "I hope it's a positive going forward, that Arkansas thought outside the box and brought in someone that has a passion for the women's game, has a passion for this job, has a passion for his alma mater.
"For someone to say I didn't pay my dues, they don't know my track record. I've paid my dues. I've done a lot of things in this game of basketball."
Dykes was an assistant coach at Arkansas, Sacramento State, Appalachian State, Kentucky, UALR and Oklahoma State for six seasons and was an NBA scout for two seasons before working at ESPN, where he watched thousands of practices and games.
"I have a tremendous amount of resources to fall back on," Dykes said. "Now I've got to put it into practice, don't I? I've got to see if I can get the job done."
SEC coaches, men and women, praised Dykes' hiring.
"I think Jimmy is perfect for the Arkansas job," Tennessee Coach Holly Warwick said. "He's been around the game, he knows it, he's analyzed it. He has Arkansas connections.
"I know he'll put a product on the floor that people will want to come out and see."
Georgia Coach Andy Landers said Long didn't hire Dykes on a whim.
"There was thought put into this hire, and you've got to trust the administration that they thought this through and Jimmy was the person they felt they needed at this time," Landers said. "I've known Jimmy for a long time. He's been good for basketball with his television work, and I think he'll be just as good -- if not better -- for women's basketball as a coach."
"He's not only interested in winning, but he's interested in the way his players conduct themselves. He's interested in the University of Arkansas and what he can do to make them proud. I don't think there's anything one-dimensional about him."
Texas A&M Coach Gary Blair, who coached at Arkansas for 10 seasons from 1994-2003, praised Dykes' people skills and ability to market a program.
"Jimmy's never going to lose a press conference, that's for sure," Blair said. "The rest of us should learn from him. He can talk the game, and he knows the game. He hasn't forgotten the game of basketball.
"People made too much of a broadcaster taking over the program. I think Arkansas made a great hire with one of their own."
Arkansas senior point guard Calli Berna said Dykes earned the players' respect and trust quickly.
"We see each day in practice. He has the basketball knowledge and he knows how to use it," Berna said. "We have no doubts in him as a head coach."
Dykes said he enjoyed his job at ESPN, but that he has no doubt he did the right thing taking the Arkansas job.
"I absolutely love what I'm doing," Dykes said. "I love the challenge of it. I love the frustrations of it. I love the highs, I love the lows.
"I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. There hasn't been one minute where I thought, 'Should I have really taken this job?' Not one minute."
Sports on 10/22/2014