It makes even more sense why University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek didn’t give in to the pressure and pursue Chris Beard to be the Razorbacks basketball coach.
It would, apparently, have taken $5 million to lure him away from Lubbock.
He already was making right at $3 million after taking the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight in 2018, and just three weeks after taking Texas Tech to the championship game he got a new contract worth $4.6 million a year.
That makes the former University of Arkansas at Little Rock coach the third-highest paid coach in the country, behind only Kentucky’s John Calipari ($7,950,000) and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski ($7,048,206).
Beard also had a hefty buyout, but not quite as bad as originally thought.
If he leaves for another Big 12 school, such as his alma mater Texas, the buyout is $6 million. Taking a job outside the conference will trigger a $3 million buyout.
What Yurachek did — and what many wish the former AD had been capable of — was avoid getting used as leverage by coaches who never intended to come here.
In hiring Eric Musselman, Yurachek secured a winning head coach who welcomed the challenge of getting the Razorbacks back to the NCAA Tournament — and maybe even to the Sweet 16, which he did with Nevada.
Musselman, just like Beard, is using everything at his disposal to get players. He not only recruits, but he takes transfers and molds them into a team.
A graduate transfer may come from a smaller school, but he’s usually had three years to grow and develop.
It is a system that is working
Really happy for Beard, who is a good guy in this crazy college business model and deserves the raise. But every day it seems more clear Yurachek found the right guy for the Razorbacks.
The party is three days after the big horse race, but that just gives more time to think about the fun that will be had by all.
On Tuesday, May 7, at Next Level Events in Little Rock, the Kentucky Derby Winner’s Circle Gala will provide more fun than a state fair, goat roping and a night of baseball all rolled into one.
There will be auctions, raffles, cork pulls and great social interaction.
The night’s cause is the greatest thing of all — to finish GiGi’s Playhouse, a place where families can help children with Down syndrome reach their full potential.
The Little Rock location will open June 8 to become the 46th in the country. The grand opening that day is set for 6 p.m. at 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite D 2-3.
Before that is the Winner’s Circle Gala, and ladies are encouraged to wear their big hats. Everyone should come prepared to have a good time for a great cause. To buy tickets or make a donation, go to gigisplayhouse.org/littlerock.
Saying Nick Saban had successful hip replacement would be like saying he knows a little about recruiting and winning.
He played golf the morning of the surgery, spent the next day at home recuperating, and was back in the office at 7:15 the following morning — less than 48 hours after the sugery.
His explanation to ESPN was simple: He could just as easily sit on an ice pack in his office and work as he could in his recliner watching The Weather Channel.
Initially Saban used a walker, then a cane, but both have disappeared.
It was probably for the best that he went back to work. The day he came home from the hospital, his wife left him resting. When she saw him next, he was standing in the driveway.
He knew what buttons to push to get back to work.