From the Bench

The John Pelphrey Report Card

Robert Shields

I typically hand out report cards every year for the University of Arkansas basketball and football coaches, and it’s time for the much anticipated John Pelphrey grades. A year later and John Pelphrey still remains the wonderwall. Can he get it done?

As a precursor, you can’t just win 14 games at Arkansas and lose your last six of the season and expect a good grade. Last year, I wrote in my report card that my expectation for this season was to go 8-8 in the conference. He missed the mark this year with a 7-9 conference record.

Now the grades for this year…

Player development: D
(Last year: D)
No player improved except for maybe Marshawn Powell, who I think was good anyway. He just adjusted to the college game on his own. You can argue Rotnei Clarke also improved, but I will just argue he was a good shooter before he put on the Razorback uniform.

Game management: D
(Last year: D)
The Hogs came back in some games and won. In other games at the end of the season when the team should have been playing better, they looked terrible.

Recruiting: D
(Last year: I - Incomplete)
His recruiting gets a low grade for no other reason than the list of players he has signed that either never made it or have left the program. This would be an F if not for Courtney Fortson and Powell, who are both good players.

Discipline: F
(Last year: A)
The shenanigans off the court to start the season set this team back at the beginning, and the team struggled to ever regain itself.

Game plan: D
(Last year: F)
The team did not go 2-14 this year in conference so I have to assume this improved, but other teams at the end of the year seemed to have the Hogs figured out and the team never seemed to adjust to correct its shortcomings.

Fundamentals: F
(Last year: F)
In one man’s opinion, the defense stunk this year, and fundamentals show up more on the defensive side while raw ability shows up more on the offensive side. If you don’t bring to the game sound discipline and fundamentals, the defense will usually show it and it did for the Hogs. The exhibit that I will use is the dunk by UAB on an inbounds play to win the game. Sound fundamentals would never allow that play to happen.

Success: F
(Last year: F)
At Arkansas, which has a long history in basketball save for this decade, not making some sort postseason activity outside the HPER building earns you an F, especially when bowing out of the first game in the SEC tournament against a weak opponent. The SEC West was pathetic and for the first time in decades it did not send a team to the NCAA tournament. At a time when the Hogs should be dominating it, the Pigs are equal to the task of stinking it up.


Usually at the end of my grades, I just end the column. But not this time. Nolan Richardson was fired for the stated reason by the Powers That Be that fans had lost faith in the program. My question for Jeff Long, who is all business, is what do you do when many of your stockholders in your business have lost faith in your coach?

Coach, please have your athletic director sign this report card and return it to me by the end of the week.



Send your grade of John Pelphrey to fromthebench@yahoo.com



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