| |
LOCATION: Fayetteville, AR
CONFERENCE: Southeastern (Western Division)
LAST SEASON: 23-11 (.676)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-7 (2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 4/1
NICKNAME: Razorbacks
COLORS: Cardinal & White
HOMECOURT: Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
COACH: Nolan Richardson (UTEP '63)
record at school 337-129 (14 years)
career record 456-166 (19 years)
|
ASSISTANTS: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82)
Brad Dunn (Western Illinois '81)
Nolan richardson III (Langston '91)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 32-20-18-24-23
RPI (last 5 years) 5-29-58-20-29
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in NCAA second round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
It wasn't the best of offseasons for Nolan Richardson, but life goes on. That was the attitude Richardson took when Chris Jefferies, who started 21 games at forward as a freshman last year, announced in late August he was transferring to hometown Fresno State. If the veteran coach was unhappy about Jefferies being the fifth post player to either leave the program or be declared academically ineligible since last season ended, he sure didn't show it. The loss of Jefferies, 6-10 junior college transfer Kevin Robinson, 7-foot center Jason Jennings and incoming freshmen Larry Satchell and Joe Johnson left Richardson with only three players 6-7 or taller. And none of them have played a second of college basketball. What will Richardson do without a bonafide big man in the program? Adapt. "With this group of players, I think we'll be more '40 Minutes of Hell' (Richardson's trademark pressing defense) than we've ever been," Richardson told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette the day after Jefferies' defection. "I really like this group. We're going to have some fun, and I think we're going to give a lot of folks some problems." And what of freshmen Dionisio Gomez, Carl Baker and Alonzo Lane, the aforementioned corps of undersized, inexperienced big men?
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES B+
Arkansas has suffered heavy personnel losses since last season. In addition to losing three valuable seniors guards Pat Bradley and Kareem Reid and forward Derek Hood coach Nolan Richardson also had some unexpected departures from his frontcourt. Foremost among them was 6-10 junior college transfer Kevin Robinson, who is academically ineligible, and 6-8 sophomore Chris Jefferies, who announced in late August he was transferring to Fresno State. That leaves Arkansas with just three players taller than 6-7, and all are freshmen. How will Richardson and the Hogs survive? Richardson is often at his best in adverse conditions. He will find a way for Arkansas to maintain the standard of living to which its fans have become accustomed. Which means Richardson won't dwell on his team's weaknesses, but focus on its strengths. That strength is clearly in the backcourt, where Richardson has six excellent guards who can shuttle back and forth with no dropoff in production. Pity Arkansas' opponents this season. Anyone playing the Hogs had better brace up and get ready for relentless, fullcourt pressure. Richardson's style has always worked well, whether he had the most talent in the league or just a handful of decent athletes hungry for steals, deflections and layups. "Forty Minutes of Hell" will allow Arkansas to mask its lack of post players (and a halfcourt game) by allowing the Razorbacks to always be on attack mode. Arkansas fans needn't be concerned. The Hogs might not be the tallest team around, but they are still good for 20 wins and another NCAA Tournament trip. |
"They're going to have to come along and bring it, baby," Richardson told the newspaper. "Bring it in a hurry." Where did all Arkansas' big men go? Different places. The plodding Jennings finally realized after two seasons that he didn't fit into Richardson's fast-paced style. When Jennings announced last spring he was headed to Arkansas State, Richardson gave his blessing. Who knew? Next to part company with the Hogs was Robinson, who is apparently destined never to play for Richardson. Robinson signed with Arkansas out of high school, but didn't qualify academically. He played two seasons for Butler County (Kansas) Community College and signed with Arkansas again last fall, only to be denied admission when he didn't take care of some academic requirements in summer school. He probably won't be heard from again, at least not in Fayetteville. Like Robinson, freshmen recruits Satchel, a 6-8, 220-pound forward from Waco (Texas) High School, and Johnson, a 6-7 forward from Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., were declared academically ineligible. Unlike Robinson, they have a chance to become eligible this season by getting the required score on a standardized test, which they could do in the fall. Even if Satchel and Johnson were to become eligible, there's no guarantee they could be of much help after missing preseason conditioning and practice and the first third of the season. The final blow was Jefferies, who at 6-8 had displayed tremendous versatility as a freshman, averaging 7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and blocking a team-high 46 shots. Jefferies claimed the reason for his move to Fresno State was that he was homesick. "He did a good job for us last year," Richardson told the Democrat-Gazette. "But he's stated he doesn't want to come back. And I don't want you back if you don't want to be here." Somehow Richardson will find a way to survive. The most likely way is to turn loose his pack of quick, athletic guards like so many wolves. Richardson never was happy with a half-court game anyway. He's always favored an uptempo style of fullcourt, pressure defense designed to disrupt an opponent's game plan. At Arkansas, that strategy has worked 72 percent of the time in Richardson's 14 seasons and won a national championship, in 1994. This team probably won't have to worry about a national championship, but Richardson fully expects the Hogs to contend for the SEC title and play in the NCAA Tournament. "The day I stop thinking that way, I'm going to quit," Richardson said. If Arkansas is a tad undermanned in the frontcourt, it is loaded with guards young, talented guards. The backcourt is clearly the focus of this team. It's a good bet Richardson will start three guards. If so, that might mean sophomores Brandon Dean, Sergerio Gipson and T.J. Cleveland will be on the floor at the same time. Or it could mean freshman point guard Charles Tatum will get an early chance to take over the team. If Richardson wants some veteran stability, he could throw his only senior into the lineup, 6-5 Chris Walker (7.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 49 assists, 40 steals). Walker is a former walk-on who came into his own last season when he earned 17 starts. "You'd like to have a blend of youth and experience, but we have just one senior," Richardson said. "Chris Walker is going to have to be a leader for us." Few SEC walk-ons of recent vintage have contributed as much as Walker, who got to play 20 minutes a game and put together some solid stats. It was Walker and not senior Pat Bradley, the SEC's all-time three-point field goal leader, who led Arkansas in accuracy from behind the arc (33 of 72, .458 percent). Walker also thrived in Richardson's defensive scheme, picking off 40 steals to almost erase his 50 turnovers. If anyone emerges as a star from Arkansas' crowded backcourt, it could well be the 6-1 Dean (7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 49 assists, 42 steals), who has the skills to become an offensive machine. Inch for inch, Dean is the best leaper in the SEC, and he'll surely lead the league in acrobatic slam dunks this season. He's also quick to the ball and is as fast or faster than anyone he'll face this side of the NBA. "Brandon Dean is an incredible athlete," said Mississippi coach Rod Barnes, who coached Dean and a group of other SEC players during a barnstorming tour of Japan in August. "He's one of those type guys we'd like to have at Ole Miss. He gets up and down the floor, is athletic and he plays hard. He's an explosive player. I hate to try and defend him." Dean's freshman numbers were encouraging. Usually, most rookies shoot poorly, the result of nerves and bad shot selection. Not so Dean. He shot a respectable .455 from the field and .366 percent from three-point range. Dean's going to have to improve from the free-throw line, where he shot .515 percent a year ago. He'll pick up a lot of fouls on his forays to the basket and needs to take advantage of easy scoring chances at the line. Dean had some big games as a freshman. He scored a season-high 20 points against Auburn and reached double figures six other times. On the defensive end, Dean was second on the team with 42 steals. Dean had at least two steals in 10 games. Dean's young gun running mates also had decent debut seasons. The 6-3 Gipson (7.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 47 assists, 26 steals) shot .383 percent from behind the arc. He had a season-high 19 points against Mississippi State. Cleveland (4.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 55 assists, 39 steals), 6-1 and the nephew of Arkansas assistant Mike Anderson, played in 31 games without a start, but evolved into a key contributor down the stretch. He had 10 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and six steals in the Hogs' two NCAA Tournament games. All those assists came in a second-round loss to Iowa. Like Dean and Gipson, Cleveland shot well as a freshman (.442 percent, 23 of 52, from three-point range). Cleveland also notched his career high scoring game against Mississippi State (16 points). Arkansas has yet another sophomore guard, 5-11 Jason Gilbert (2.8 ppg, 0.4 rpg). Gilbert came in with the reputation of a shooter, but ironically didn't shoot as well as his fellow freshmen (.323 percent from three-point range). Gilbert didn't get a chance to find his rhythm, though, playing just six minutes per game. Richardson will have to find some minutes for Tatum, a 5-9 flash from Midland (Texas) High School, where he averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals as a senior. Tatum shot .420 percent from three-point range and 85 percent from the free-throw line, good numbers for a lead guard. He will probably share point-guard duties with Cleveland. Brandon Davis (2.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg), a 6-4 junior, will also compete for minutes. Davis' progress as a sophomore was hampered by injury he missed 12 games after breaking a foot in a late-January game against Ole Miss. Davis didn't return untl the NCAA Tournament, where he squeezed in 38 seconds against Iowa. Davis is a capable player, as his 10-point, five-rebound, two-blocked shot effort against Providence last season would attest. That game was the first of three in a row he would start, the last being the ill-fated Mississippi game. Arkansas' young front line players will be thrown into the fray immediately. Richardson has no choice. The most likely candidate to be ready for the rigors of the SEC is the 6-8 Gomez, who signed with Arkansas last season but was academically ineligible to play. Gomez was able to practice with the Hogs, so he's got a year in Richardson's system. Gomez, a native of Panama, played his high school ball at Fayetteville Christian, where he averaged 25.7 points, 17.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals. Gomez showed a glimpse of his talent in a state tournament game his senior season, going off for 30 points, a school-record 30 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Baker, 6-7, averaged 20.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 7.0 steals and five assists last season at Palestine-Wheatley High School in Palestine, Ark. He led his team in every major statistical category while shooting 60 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Richardson returned a favor to Ole Miss coach Barnes when he signed the 6-7, 240-pound Lane out of Canton (Miss.) High School. Barnes has seven players from Arkansas on his roster. Lane was a two-time All-State player who averaged 26.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in his last season. He's a banger who isn't afraid to mingle with opposing post players in the paint. Arkansas managed to bag a late signee who might be able to lend a hand as a freshman. When Richardson and Anderson went to the Nike Showcase in Orlando, Fla. last July, they were shopping for next year. But when they found out 6-6 Blake Eddins, a player they had added to their wish list, wasn't a junior but had already graduated from Montomgery (Ala.) Trinity, they got excited. Eddins was all set to walk on at Auburn until Richardson called and offered a scholarship. Eddins had also been offered by Virginia at that point, but when he visited Arkansas and saw Bud Walton Arena, he was hooked. Eddins, a good shooter, averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists last season for a team that finished 31-1 and won the Alabama Class 3A state title. "I really do expect him to come in and be someone who can contribute immediately," Richardson told Hawgs Illustrated. "He loves the game of basketball, works hard and has a lot of skills to work with."
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
