[Basketball] Stan Heath out at Arkansas

[Martin Kove]

per espn

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2813245

[McCarroll21]

w00000t! I was kind of on the fence, but then I started thinking about how similar this was to last season when he went on a run at the end of last year to get into the tournament and then didn't have his team prepared to play.

It sucks that we waited so long to do it that the Kentucky job is now open.

Another link: http://www.hogwired.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=833988

[Martin Kove]

Hopefully Nutt is next

[McCarroll21]

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6612092

According to the same sources, Heath will likely be replaced by Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie. One source even maintained that Gillispie has agreed in principle and could be introduced as soon as Tuesday.

[CB1]

Not A&M's head coach?

[McCarroll21]

Not A&M's head coach?
Not sure what you mean by that, but Gillispie is A&Ms head coach.

[CB1]

Wow.
That's pretty insane.

[McCarroll21]

More linkage:

http://www.arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/?sid=f205ca41161db0802f4c21a329cca690&cid=55059

Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles announced on Monday that men’s basketball coach Stan Heath will not return to coach the Razorbacks in the 2007-08 season. Broyles informed Heath of his decision at a meeting on Monday. A short time later, Razorback Nation sources told KARK 4 Sports Director Bo Mattingly, Texas A & M coach Billy Gillispie will replace Heath.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

ESPN is reporting Gillispie and Texas A/M have agreed to a contract extension through 2012

[McCarroll21]

The last thing I've heard for real about Gillispie and TAMU is that they are having a board meeting on Friday to discuss a new contract. The TAMU AD has not allowed Broyles to contact Gillispie, their AD has basically ran from the phone and avoided Broyles.

I would think that after TAMU's contract is out there on Friday, Broyles will come in offering some money that TAMU can't match.

That will get Arkansas back in the running. Gillispie also wants to wait on Kentucky to make a hire, hoping that he's the candidate after Donovan there. After Kentucky gets Donovan, Gillispie will come to Arkansas. Despite the last few seasons, you don't turn down a top 10 basketball program with some of the better facilities in the nation, and on top of that ... millions from the Tyson and Walton family.

[McCarroll21]

I'm sure you guys don't really care, but here's the latest...

http://www.knwa.com/razorbacks/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=1983
Broyles Talks With Calipari

Fayetteville- The University of Memphis confirmed to the Razorback Nation on Saturday that it has granted permission to Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles to speak with head coach John Calipari about the Razorbacks head coaching vacancy. Sources close to the University of Arkansas athletic department say that Calipari has shown interest. Broyles arrived back in Fayetteville around 4:45pm and was accompanied by sports information director Kevin Trainor and ESPN basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes. Sources also say that while in Atlanta Broyles also interviewed Creighton head coach Dana Altman.

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Ummm ... I don't know how to feel. I personally hate Coach Cal, but I think I could put those feelings aside if he were our coach. Hmm... don't really know.

[Chopaholic]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2822209

Looks like Crieghtons coach is taking over.

[McCarroll21]

I can live with that. Not a big name, but a proven winner. Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson weren't big names either. They made their name at Arkansas after being proven winners at mid-major colleges.

[Chopaholic]

Well I guess you always can pull a Nick Saban. No Altman @ Arkansas

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2824653

[McCarroll21]

I think we're just going to go with Houston Nutt for everything.

Whoever takes the job is going to have a good first year, I can promise you that. This team is too good not to be good next year.

[McCarroll21]

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6658992

John Pelphrey.

South Alabama coach John Pelphrey, who played in the SEC at Kentucky and has led the Jaguars to consecutive 20-win seasons, will be introduced as the Razorbacks head coach at a news conference at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, according to sources close to the situation.

Pelphrey, 38, was an assistant at Florida and helped his best friend, Gators coach Bill Donovan, build the program in Gainesville. Pelphrey took over the job at South Alabama in 2002 and is 80-67 in his five years at the helm.

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w00t! I like Pelphrey. Not my first choice, obviously, but he's already been in the SEC (as a coach and player) so he knows what it takes. Now we have a coach to take over the 8th ranked team in the nation -- not officially of course, but that's from a FoxSports.com early pre-season poll.

[CB1]

Good pick for the job.