Pelphrey, Gillispie making their way for traditional powers
Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The two new kids on the block were the talk of their peers during the Southeastern Conference coaches ’ teleconference earlier this week. Arkansas’ John Pelphrey and Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie, who were both hired this April to revitalize two of the league’s most tradition-rich basketball programs, received strong praise from their colleagues.
“ There’s certainly a lot of buzz about both [teams ], ” Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said. “ They’ve got good coaches and I think both will add a lot to our league. I think they will add a bunch to the SEC. ”
After former Wildcats coach Tubby Smith shocked the college basketball world by resigning in March and taking a head coaching position at Minnesota, Gillispie was offered the job at Kentucky following the turnaround he orchestrated during his three seasons at Texas A & M. Gillispie, who was reported to be a candidate for the Arkansas job after former Razorbacks coach Stan Heath was fired in March, instead took over the conference’s most highprofile basketball program.
That left the door open for Pelphrey, who became Arkansas’ newest head coach only after watching Creighton’s Dana Altman both accept the position and resign from it in one 26-hour period.
For both Gillispie and Pelphrey, the last three months have been a whirlwind.
“ When you do change jobs, it’s just an enormous task, ” Gillispie said. “ No matter how good a situation you come into, there are so many things. You’ve got to put a staff together, you have to recruit and you have to get to know your players.
“ You have to find a place to live. There are just a million things. I don’t know how other people feel, [but ] it really takes about a year and a half for you to really feel any comfort at all [at a new school ]. ”
Like Gillispie, Pelphrey is adjusting to his new surroundings. Each day, he practices calling the Hogs once when he wakes up and one more time before he goes to bed. In between each rendition, he has been recruiting, familiarizing himself with a roster that includes six seniors and devising workout regimens for a group of players that his assistant, Tom Ostrom, called “ the worst-conditioned team I have ever seen. ”
Asked about the Razorbacks’ returning starters, here was Pelphrey’s response: “ I can give them to you, but you’ve got to understand right now I haven’t coached these guys one second in a 5-on-5 setting. ”
Pelphrey and Gillispie, however, weren’t getting much sympathy Monday from their peers.
“ I’ve been joking with [Pelphrey ] all summer that I’m picking him first [in the SEC West ], ” said Alabama Coach Mark Gottfried, whose father, Joe, is the athletic director at South Alabama, where Pelphrey coached in his last stop. “ I’m going to put the pressure on him right out of the gate. ”
At both Kentucky and Arkansas, Gillispie and Pelphrey expect to feel their fair share of heat. Fans have high expectations. And the coaches themselves do, too.
“ I don’t think if you are going to dread anything, you would take on this situation either as a player or a coach at this level, ” Gillispie said. “ We look forward to the challenges. No dread. ”
Pelphrey agreed.
“ I believe that if we make a commitment to working hard and being unselfish as a basketball team, these guys can put themselves in a situation where they can compete at the highest level, ” Pelphrey said. “ I really, really believe that. ”
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