BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A lot of dominoes had to fall for John Pelphrey to become the Arkansas Razorbacks'basketball coach last April.

Stan Heath had to be told his five-year Razorbacks reclamation project was good, but not good enough.

Tubby Smith had to leave Kentucky for Minnesota. Billy Donovan had to turn the Wildcats down to stay at Florida - even though he later had a one-night stand with the Orlando Magic only to return to his beloved Gainesville.

Billy Gillispie, the Razorbacks' pr ime target for replacing Heath, had to get the Kentucky job.

A flurry of other coaches - Bill Self, Tim Floyd, John Calipari among others - had to say thanks but no thanks to the Razorbacks.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dana Altman had to accept the job and one day later do an about-face back to Creighton.

All that - as well as talks with Eddie Sutton - had to transpire before Pelphrey became the Hogs' head basketball coach.

Some might say Pelphrey Arkansas coach John Pelphrey speaks to media during the Southeastern Conference Basketball Media Day Wednesday at the Birmingham Marriott in Birmingham, Ala. was lucky to get the Arkansas job, but it might just be the other way around.

Though at the time, it seemed like a mess only the Three Stooges could make, the more I'm around Pelphrey and the more I hear his players and others talk about him, the luckier I believe Arkansas was that its coach search transpired just the way it did.

Pelphrey, 39, is a sincere, young yet talented coach whose philosophy is grounded in a sound basketball firmament.

He played under two coaching giants in Sutton and Rick Pitino, learning the principles of Iba ball as well as Pitino's pressurized, uptempo style. He coached under Sutton at Oklahoma State and then joined Donovan at Marshall and later at Florida as an assistant and the Gators began their rise to the penthouse of college basketball.

The past five years he guided his own program at South Alabama and through hard work achieved success there, winning a Sun Belt regular season and tournament title and earning an NCAA and an NIT bid in his final two seasons.

What I like most about Pelphrey is that he has always had to work hard for the success he's had in basketball. He overachieved to become Kentucky's Mr. Basketball as a senior at Paintsville High.

Sutton only offered him a scholarship after he took a visit to " that other school in the state, " as all Wildcats refer to Louisville.

But as the seventh man in a seven-man recruiting class, Pelphrey worked himself into an All-American and into the hearts of all Kentucky fans. His jersey hangs in rarefied air of the rafters in Rupp Arena and he was inducted into Kentucky's Hall of Fame two years ago.

Overachieving is important as a coach at Arkansas because that's what you have to do at first to build the program into one that can compete at the highest level.

Pelphrey adores the game. He spoke Wednesday of how he knew he was destined to coach because he loved the sounds, smells and camaraderie of the locker room so much that he knew as a freshman he would never be able to leave them behind for another profession.

Pelphrey said he and his Wildcats teammate Travis Ford, now head coach at UMass, would watch basketball games together in their dorm room. Each would select a team and mock coach against the other for the duration of the telecast.

Pelphrey, though, understands the opportunity that the Arkansas job has provided him. The only two coaches I've heard speak of a coaching opportunity at Arkansas with such reverence are Frank Broyles and John McDonnell.

From experiencing it in person as a player and coach and also hearing Sutton speak of Arkansas while Pelphrey assisted him at Oklahoma State, Pelphrey knew the program's history and potential. That was clear on the day he was hired as he easily joined with fans in calling the Hogs and proudly donned a Razorback cap. Applause filled the arena.

" I used to have to hit a 3-pointer to get that kind of applause in an arena, " Pelphrey joked Wednesday at SEC Basketball Media Days.

What became apparent in speaking with Razorbacks Charles Thomas and Patrick Beverley, though, is that Pelphrey has already earned their respect but also that he is able to relate to them as individuals.

" He's just like us, " said Beverley. " He loves the game and he wants to win. "

A select media group voted Arkansas as the favorite to win the Western Division prior to Media Days.

Pelphrey called it a " paper championship, " and while it's an honor to be chosen, he's more interested in a title his Hogs can earn on the court.

Thomas said the Razorbacks will wear the bull's eye of being picked to win the West all season, but under Pelphrey and his staff's tutelage, don't be surprised if the Hogs don't hit dead center themselves this year.

Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.