Stan Heath

[JavaCat]

I'm just saying.

Code: [Select]

Year 1: 9-19    4-12
Year 2: 12-16   4-12
Year 3: 18-12   6-10
Year 4: 14-6    3-4

[michigancat]

Very Wooldridge-esque.

[jeffy]

Sounds like Big 12 coach of the year material.

[michigancat]

http://nwanews.com/nwat/Sports/37568/

TAKE ONE : Other hoops programs excelling despite adversity

Rainer Sabin [email protected]

Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2006

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When Arkansas coach Stan Heath’s name rolled off the tongue of public address announcer Johnny George before the Razorbacks trounced Auburn 84-64 on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena, a few boos could be heard. Accompanied by polite applause, they weren’t especially loud. But they were there. With the regular season nearing the end and Arkansas’ postseason status still uncertain, Heath is feeling the pressure to deliver an NCAA Tournament berth to a hungry group of fans desperate to fill Arkansas into their office pool brackets. It has been five years since the Hogs made an appearance in the Big Dance and even longer since they were ranked. That is an eternity in college basketball.

Not too long ago, people across the country would wake up every Tuesday morning, open their newspapers and turn to the agate page only to see Arkansas among the schools listed in the Top 25. Now, they see West Virginia, Gonzaga, Villanova and George Washington. In a matter of five years, these teams have catapulted into the media and coaches polls while Arkansas has floundered and become virtually irrelevant on the national scene. And they have done so while facing similarly adverse circumstances as the Razorbacks did during the transition between former coach Nolan Richardson and Heath.

Karl Hobbs, who runs the show at George Washington, has resurrected a program that was left in disarray in 2001 by former coach Tom Penders.

That year, the Colonials finished 14-18 and were beset by scandal. One player was accused of rape and several of his teammates were discovered to have made long distance calls at the university’s expense, sparking outrage inside the Beltway. Hobbs, who was Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun’s lead assistant, was asked to restore order to a team that had failed on the court and had its reputation besmirched by embarrassing incidents off it. Five years later, Hobbs has guided the Colonials to a 20-1 record and George Washington is now ranked eighth in the nation.

John Beilein, meanwhile, has transformed West Virginia from a team that finished 8-20 in 2002 into a Final Four contender. Beilein led a ragtag group to the Elite Eight last year and his team has vaulted near the top of the polls. But Beilein’s arrival in Morgantown was somewhat accidental. Bowling Green coach Dan Dakich was originally hired to turn around the Mountaineers. A week later, however, he abruptly resigned, and West Virginia has been on the rise ever since.

Like Heath, who was among the original candidates for the Mountaineers job, Beilein and Hobbs were left to pick up the pieces of programs left in shambles. Their cupboards were bare and there was little optimism. But they have overcome difficult circumstances and taken their teams to new heights.

Heath, on the other hand, is still looking up at the NCAA Tournament and title banners circling above in Bud Walton Arena wondering when he will be able to add one to the rafters. Heath is hoping that this will the year. So are the fans.

Otherwise, those boos may turn to silence, as people begin forgetting about a program that has been surpassed by the likes of West Virginia and George Washington in such a short period of time.

Rainer Sabin is a sportswriter for the Northwest Arkansas Times.