UT 4th Best Coaching Job

#77
#77
I am not sure I agree that Arkansas is that great a program.. With the exception of UK, every program, including Arkansas, is basically defined by the success of one or two coaches. If you argue that Florida's success is only Donavon, a person could argue the Arkansas' was just Richardson. I think that UT has more history than Florida but the same could be said for LSU and I don't see anyone putting them very high on this list. Arkansas was great under Nolan but outside of that they have had little success historically and almost none recently. This poll was about now and right now UK and UF are the two best jobs in the SEC.
 
#79
#79
zansdad said:
I am not sure I agree that Arkansas is that great a program.. With the exception of UK, every program, including Arkansas, is basically defined by the success of one or two coaches. If you argue that Florida's success is only Donavon, a person could argue the Arkansas' was just Richardson. I think that UT has more history than Florida but the same could be said for LSU and I don't see anyone putting them very high on this list. Arkansas was great under Nolan but outside of that they have had little success historically and almost none recently. This poll was about now and right now UK and UF are the two best jobs in the SEC.
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Yep
 
#80
#80
dukes_of_maggard said:
No one thinks Vandy is a top 3-5 job?
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Their fan support is terrible. Their home court advantage is the extent of the support the basketball program gets. Vandy's attendance at road games, the SEC Tournament, and even non-conference games in the downtown Nashville arena is the worst in the league. To clarify, I'm comparing how well Vandy draws 10 minutes from campus to what UT draws in the same building, or UK in Louisville, or UF in Jacksonville, etc. They can't be a Top 5 job in the SEC when they have basically no fans if the game's not on their campus.
 
#81
#81
cncchris33 said:
I've tried staying out of this mess because the opinions are everywhere and there doesn't seem to be a distinct few, which is to be expected given the subjective nature of ranking 14 programs with no real "criteria" as to what makes one program more desirable than another.

However, this list looks about exactly the way I would rank the programs if I were an unbiased head coach looking to make a move into the SEC, RIGHT NOW. I think the order here is reflective of recent success, tradition (whether it be 10 years or 100), fan support, and the school's desire to support basketball success.
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I'll ask you because nobody else has given a a very good or detailed answer. What is it about Arkansas that has so many thinking it's a top 3, most attractive job RIGHT NOW?

I'll admit maybe I'm missing something, but from what I gather, their success and history is mostly from Richardson and that was about 20 years ago, what have they done since? IMO tradition doesn't mean a whole lot when the school hasn't been successful in 15-20+ years. When the kids you're recruiting weren't even alive for those "glory" days, that history and tradition doesn't carry too much weight IMO.

From what I've heard they do have a nice arena and great facilities so they do have that going for them, and they are also in a good area for recruiting so that's also a plus. However, doesn't recent success(last 10-15 years) usually carry more weight than all those other things?

So I guess my question is, for those saying top 3 for Arkansas, to an unbiased head coach, what makes that job more appealing than Tennessee or Florida? IMO, you'd look at the success Bruce pearl was able to have and automatically think that the Tennessee job was better, add in faculties and arguably the only thing Arkansas has over Tennessee is its recruiting area.
 
#82
#82
bleedingTNorange said:
I'll ask you because nobody else has given a a very good or detailed answer. What is it about Arkansas that has so many thinking it's a top 3, most attractive job RIGHT NOW?

I'll admit maybe I'm missing something, but from what I gather, their success and history is mostly from Richardson and that was about 20 years ago, what have they done since? IMO tradition doesn't mean a whole lot when the school hasn't been successful in 15-20+ years. When the kids you're recruiting weren't even alive for those "glory" days, that history and tradition doesn't carry too much weight IMO.

From what I've heard they do have a nice arena and great facilities so they do have that going for them, and they are also in a good area for recruiting so that's also a plus. However, doesn't recent success(last 10-15 years) usually carry more weight than all those other things?

So I guess my question is, for those saying top 3 for Arkansas, to an unbiased head coach, what makes that job more appealing than Tennessee or Florida? IMO, you'd look at the success Bruce pearl was able to have and automatically think that the Tennessee job was better, add in faculties and arguably the only thing Arkansas has over Tennessee is its recruiting area.
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See that makes me think you're just making this a glorified power rankings list if you believe that... teams go in cycles and recent success isn't going to solely determine if the job is desirable - that has exceptions of course.. like Vandy football.. there's the stigma that you can't win there.

Arkansas is the whole package - they've just been down. Great facilities, fans, location, great support from the AD.. Alabama pre-Saban was stuck in the same rut for about the same amount of time.. it didn't change the fact that it was a job coaches wanted.. and we all know in basketball that rebuilding jobs are 10x easier than they are in football.
 
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#83
#83
I will admit, I lived in Connecticut and wasn't around SEC basketball during Arkansas relevancy so maybe that effects my perception of them. I've never known them to be anything except what they've been the last decade, and knew only of success under Richardson.

So in your opinion is UCLA the best job in all of college?
 
#84
#84
Basketball is a priority at Arkansas. They pack their arena even when they suck, their facilities are top-notch, and Arkansas is a solid recruiting area, although it's not on the level of Atlanta, Florida, and Memphis. I have them slightly below Florida and on the same tier as Tennessee because it has to be tough to recruit outside of its base because they've been irrelevant for so long.

But no, Arkansas isn't similar to LSU, because LSU fans are fair weather and Arkansas' facilities are on a whole different level from LSU's.
 
#85
#85
GatorsGators said:
Basketball is a priority at Arkansas. They pack their arena even when they suck
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The rest of what you said could e accurate, but this is a completely false statement. Bud Walton Arena holds 19,200.

2012: Reportedly around 10,500( not confirmed yet)
2011: 11,884
2010: 13,182

So clearly they aren't lacking the arena when the team sucks.
 
#86
#86
bleedingTNorange said:
The rest of what you said could e accurate, but this is a completely false statement. Bud Walton Arena holds 19,200.

2012: Reportedly around 10,500( not confirmed yet)
2011: 11,884
2010: 13,182

So clearly they aren't lacking the arena when the team sucks.
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Eh my bad; thanks for the info. They do pack the arena for big games; though, so their fan support is still good considering how long they've been irrelevant.
 
#87
#87
GatorsGators said:
Eh my bad; thanks for the info. They do pack the arena for big games; though, so their fan support is still good considering how long they've been irrelevant.
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Very true but most schools do that, it's the small games and average attendance that really show the support. They actually had a game recent that set an all time BWA low, around 5k attendance.
 
#88
#88
bleedingTNorange said:
I'll ask you because nobody else has given a a very good or detailed answer. What is it about Arkansas that has so many thinking it's a top 3, most attractive job RIGHT NOW?

I'll admit maybe I'm missing something, but from what I gather, their success and history is mostly from Richardson and that was about 20 years ago, what have they done since? IMO tradition doesn't mean a whole lot when the school hasn't been successful in 15-20+ years. When the kids you're recruiting weren't even alive for those "glory" days, that history and tradition doesn't carry too much weight IMO.

From what I've heard they do have a nice arena and great facilities so they do have that going for them, and they are also in a good area for recruiting so that's also a plus. However, doesn't recent success(last 10-15 years) usually carry more weight than all those other things?

So I guess my question is, for those saying top 3 for Arkansas, to an unbiased head coach, what makes that job more appealing than Tennessee or Florida? IMO, you'd look at the success Bruce pearl was able to have and automatically think that the Tennessee job was better, add in faculties and arguably the only thing Arkansas has over Tennessee is its recruiting area.
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Well, the appeal is the potential the job has. Great facilities, decent fan support, recruiting proximity to Texas and Memphis (without the negativity UT faces), historical success, etc. The only thing really missing is the recent success, which is perhaps the easiest fix of all factors with the right coach. The AD struck out with Heath and Pelphrey, but they were the hot names among young coaches at the time as well. They abandoned the mid-major method and broke the bank for Anderson, so we will see if they create a different result.

Most of all, the school has made a commitment to basketball in response to the success they attained in the 90's. This is the biggest hurdle to overcome for programs with everything else going for them. Tennessee faced this from the mid 80's until Pearl was hired. Georgia is facing it. Alabama faces it. Auburn did until their recently new arena. South Carolina and Ole Miss are others.

The pieces are all there to make Arkansas a good job. Georgia is a sleeping giant if they just realized it.
 
#89
#89
Also, in my opinion Arkansas is not nearly as attractive as Florida right now. Tennessee and Arkansas are perhaps interchangeable. Both are successful in key areas and both have drawbacks in areas.

Kentucky is clear cut #1. Florida is #2 IMO. What they lack in overall tradition, fan support, and facilities, they make up for where it matters...winning. #3, 4, 5 could all be interchangeable depending on opinion.
 
#90
#90
cncchris33 said:
Also, in my opinion Arkansas is not nearly as attractive as Florida right now. Tennessee and Arkansas are perhaps interchangeable. Both are successful in key areas and both have drawbacks in areas.

Kentucky is clear cut #1. Florida is #2 IMO. What they lack in overall tradition, fan support, and facilities, they make up for where it matters...winning. #3, 4, 5 could all be interchangeable depending on opinion.
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Agree 100%.
 
#91
#91
cncchris33 said:
Also, in my opinion Arkansas is not nearly as attractive as Florida right now. Tennessee and Arkansas are perhaps interchangeable. Both are successful in key areas and both have drawbacks in areas.

Kentucky is clear cut #1. Florida is #2 IMO. What they lack in overall tradition, fan support, and facilities, they make up for where it matters...winning. #3, 4, 5 could all be interchangeable depending on opinion.
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I can definitely agree with that well said and very well explained.
 
#93
#93
Bassmanbruno said:
Lol - Bruce Pearl isn't and never was UT basketball - he only rejuvenated the program and reminded the country UT can easily be a force in basketball with a halfway decent coach. Billy Donovan is Florida basketball - look at the stats.

And history =/= success.. although they usually go hand in hand. Florida having 2 amazing years in a 2 year span doesn't make them historic. They were as irrelevant in basketball as there were football pre-Donovan.
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Pearl is better than a halfway decent coach, so no.

We were garbage before Pearl going back to the Reagan administration.
 
#94
#94
JokermanVol said:
Pearl is better than a halfway decent coach, so no.

We were garbage before Pearl going back to the Reagan administration.
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They made 4 straight NCAAs from 98-01, won an SEC championship, made a sweet 16, and were ranked as high as #4. People love re-writing history around here.
 
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#95
#95
zansdad said:
They made 4 straight NCAAs from 98-01, won an SEC championship, made a sweet 16, and were ranked as high as #4. People love re-writing history around here.
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How dare you imply that Pearl didn't build TBA with his own hands and single-handedly bring basketball to UT?
 
#97
#97
JokermanVol said:
He only re-built TBA.
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Saying Pearl was good at fund raising and that the program was garbage back to the Reagan era are completely different things. Yes Pearl had a lot to do with getting TBA renovated but it's not like UT hadn't had success before Bruce Pearl showed up in Knoxville.
 
#99
#99
dukes_of_maggard said:
Does UT being a football school make it a better or worse basketball job?
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Worse - but we at least care about basketball unlike some football schools - I guess since we are a bit further north - there is no way being a football school at any university makes the basketball job more attractive - unless you just enjoy being 2nd always.
 
#100
#100
Bassmanbruno said:
Worse - but we at least care about basketball unlike some football schools - I guess since we are a bit further north - there is no way being a football school at any university makes the basketball job more attractive - unless you just enjoy being 2nd always.
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I guess I mean in terms of having more time to grow a program.
 
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