Tag: Nolan Richardson

30 years ago, Arkansas basketball was about to embark on a dream season

Hard to believe that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Arkansas hoisting the national championship trophy in Charlotte with a 76-72 victory over Duke.

It started a little later back then, but 30 years ago in November, Bud Walton Arena had just opened its doors and the No. 2 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks were about to journey towards a national championship.

This year on Razorbacks Wire we will look back week-to-week at how the ’94 Razorbacks eventually got to their 31-3 record that culminated in a 76-72 victory over Duke in Charlotte Coliseum to win the program’s first and only title.

Like this year’s Arkansas team, the ’93-94 unit was coming off losing in the Sweet 16 the year prior to the eventual national champion–North Carolina–with an extremely young team.

Scotty Thurman and Corliss Williamson were freshmen, while point guard Corey Beck and center Dwight Stewart were both JUCO sophomores who hadn’t ever played Division 1 basketball.

Other contributors included JUCO transfer Roger Crawford and sophomores Clint McDaniel and Elmer Martin, along with Davor Rimac.

Coming into 1993-94, Arkansas returned everyone but seniors Robert Shepherd, Darrell Hawkins and Warren Linn.

Nolan Richardson went and found sharp-shooter Al Dillard from the JUCO ranks and signed two freshman All-American centers, Darnell ‘Tank’ Robinson and Lee Wilson.

It wasn’t the transfer portal, but like Eric Musselman, Richardson was ahead of his time at finding diamonds in the rough that no one else wanted and getting the most out of them.

Arkansas Basketball: The All-80s Team

The 1980s saw the Arkansas basketball program go from a regional to a national program.

The 1980s were mostly all about football in the southern region of America. Arkansas was perennially one of the contenders in the Southwest Conference, led by two legendary coaches.

The basketball program had already transformed into one of the best programs in the country.

Like the football program, two elite coaches led the Hogs on the hardwood, Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson. Sutton took the Razorbacks to the NCAA tournament in the decade’s first half to end his eleven-year tenure.

Nolan Richardson took Sutton’s foundation and added to it Richardson missed the tournament in his first two years but followed that with nine consecutive trips to the dance.

Who were the players that helped these legendary coaches achieve success? Let’s check them out.

Nolan Richardson enshrined in another Hall of Fame

Nolan Richardson became most famous at Arkansas, but his college beginnings were in the junior-college ranks.

Former Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson was enshrined into his third Hall of Fame on Thursday.

Richardson took his place in the National Junior College Athletic Assocation Found Hall of Fame in Charlotte. He was already a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame, where he was enshrined in 2008 and 2014, respectively.

Richardson made his first mark at the college level in coaching at Western Texas Junior College. From 1977 to 1980, Richardson led the team to a record of 101-13 with a national championship in 1980. That year, Western Texas had become only the third team in history to finish with an undefeated record in NJCAA basketball.

Richardson then coach Tulsa for five seasons before he became nationally famous in Fayetteville.

Arkansas won the national title in 1994 and went to the national championship game again in 1995. He also went to another Final Four in 1990.

Richardson retired from college coaching after a tumultuous end to his stay at Arkansas just as the millennium turned. He won the NABC Coach of the Year, Naismith College Coach of the Year, SEC Coach of the Year and was a three-time SWC Coach of the Year.

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Column: The magic of Arkansas basketball has returned under Eric Musselman

The magic of Arkansas basketball has returned. Our Connor Goodson explains why these tournament runs are so special for Hog fans.

Three months before [autotag]Scotty Thurman[/autotag]’s iconic shot went in against Duke to secure the Razorbacks’ 1994 national championship, I was born.

In fact, my mom was holding me while Thurman’s shot went in and jumped up in celebration – nearly dropping me in the process. I think that’s probably what secured my Arkansas fandom for life.

Unfortunately, the only way I ever got to truly enjoy those legendary 1990s Arkansas teams were through the 1994 and 1995 commemorative VHS tapes titled Hog Heaven: From Walton Arena to Number One and Heart Stopping Hogs: The Battle to Seattle. I wore out those VHS tapes as a kid, watching them at my grandparent’s house over and over and over again.

My first true memories of Arkansas basketball were in 2000, the year [autotag]Nolan Richardson[/autotag] won his first [autotag]SEC Tournament[/autotag] championship. Then, it was two decades of mediocracy as I – along with every other Razorback fan – craved to see Arkansas play meaningful basketball deep into March once again.

Watching Stan Heath’s teams, the 24 hours of Dana Altman and then John Pelphrey’s teams all underachieve was what defined my childhood Razorback fandom. I was envious of those who grew up watching those almost-mythical “40 Minutes of Hell” teams in the 1990s.

The [autotag]Mike Anderson[/autotag] years were fun at times, but the deep postseason NCAA Tournament runs were absent and the thirst for national relevancy was never quite quenched.

Along comes [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] in 2019 and the 2020-2021 season happens. Not only do the Hogs make it to the second weekend, but they make it all the way to the Elite Eight. Last year, we see the same thing happen. Back-to-back Elite Eights for the first time since those legendary 1994 and 1995 teams.

Making it to the second weekend of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag] once could be considered a fluke. Back-to-back? An impressive coincidence, maybe. Back-to-back-to-back? There’s no way to dismiss that kind of accomplishment.

That brings us to this season.

The hype, excitement and anticipation all rivaled anything that I have experienced as an Arkansas basketball fan. The Hogs had three five-star freshmen to pair with a highly-touted crop of transfers. [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamani Johnson[/autotag] also returned from last season’s Elite Eight team.

It felt like the stars had aligned, but that feeling quickly diminished as injuries derailed what most thought would be a special regular season. The team struggled to find their groove for the majority of conference play, and limped into the NCAA Tournament having lost four of their last five games.

A win over Illinois in the first round was one thing, but beating the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks in the second round was a totally different beast. There’s no way THIS Arkansas team can do that, right?

Wrong.

Arkansas, once again, shocked the world.

Eric Musselman lost his shirt, Devo Davis broke down in the postgame interview and Razorback legend [autotag]Darrell Hawkins[/autotag] gave a postgame speech for the ages.

Was it a Final Four or national championship? No. But as I said earlier, back-to-back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances can’t be dismissed.

On my social media feeds, I saw celebrations from family members, friends, former high school and college classmates, former teachers and co-workers, complete strangers and everyone in-between. People from all walks of life and every corner of the state were celebrating and brought together by Arkansas basketball.

I was immediately brought back to watching old Razorback games at my grandparents house, desperately wanting to experience those special moments in real time as a kid. If you were to ask around, I guarantee that you’d find similar experiences to mine.

It took nearly 30 years, but the magic of Razorback basketball has returned.

Enjoying and cherishing the moment shouldn’t be hard for Arkansas fans. The journey isn’t over, there are still games to be played and milestones to be reached, but the pride and enthusiasm from fans across the state – and far beyond – is back to where it was over two decades ago.

Whatever happens next can’t take that away.

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Arkansas men’s basketball all-time roster: Razorback Legends

The three best Arkansas basketball players in history are fairly easy to pick. But a whole starting lineup and reserves? That sounds like a blast.

Corliss. Sidney. Todd.

Just about any Arkansas basketball fan alive today, if you were to ask them, would rattle off those three first names when asked for the best three players in Razorbacks history.

Sidney Moncrief. Corliss Williamson. Todd Day. Arguments could be for others, certainly, and some folks may want to make them. It’s a good thing we aren’t doing that, exactly.

Instead, let’s examine, in a way, the 10 best Arkansas basketball players in history. Rather, let’s create a starting lineup of a reserve unit along with a coach and assistant coach to create the ultimate Hogs All-Time Basketball Team.

Because once Corliss, Sidney and Todd are off the board, things get interesting. Take a look at how we picked the team below.

Arkansas basketball remains inside Top 10 in latest rankings

Here’s where Arkansas basketball landed in the latest Top 25 rankings.

After starting the season 2-0, Arkansas basketball remained in the top 10 of both major polls released today. The Hogs moved up one spot to No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll and remained at No. 10 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll.

Last Monday, they defeated North Dakota State, 76-58, and then cruised to a 74-48 win over Fordham on Friday.

No. 9 is the highest ranking the Hogs have had since March of the 2020-2021 season when they entered the SEC Tournament ranked No. 8. Before that, the last time an Arkansas basketball team was ranked that high was in 1995 when they finished runner-up in the NCAA Tournament under Nolan Richardson.

There’s plenty to be excited about in regard to Arkansas basketball right now. Over the weekend, five-star recruit Layden Blocker signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Eric Musselman and the Hogs in 2023.

The No. 9 Hogs will be back in action in Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night as they host South Dakota State. It will be their final game before heading to Hawaii to play in the prestigious Maui Invitational from November 21-23.

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Current Razorbacks Evoke Memories of Past Glory

Nolan Richardson’s elite, championship teams used defense to force their opponents into bad decisions that led to quick points. The “Forty Minutes of Hell” monicker was apt. Those Hogs pressed and harassed other teams, ultimately breaking them. It was a delight to watch for Razorbacks fans.

Nolan Richardson’s elite, championship teams used defense to force their opponents into bad decisions that led to quick points. The “Forty Minutes of Hell” monicker was apt. Those Hogs pressed and harassed other teams, ultimately breaking them. It was a delight to watch for Razorbacks fans.

The 2022 Hogs have a different approach, but they share the same DNA as those teams coached by Richardson: defense. Eric Musselman adapted early in the year, shifting his approach to lockdown defense rather than fast-paced, transition-dependent offense. And he used that approach to thwart the #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs – a team that relied on a fast-paced, transition-dependent offense.

Josh Peter at USA Today spotted the similarities to the Nolan Era and wrote about it last night. Gonzaga head coach Mark Few certainly noticed, too.

“Their defense was pretty just tough to get any rhythm against,’’ Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after the game. “I think we never really got any sort of rhythm in the first or the second half.

“To me that was the difference in the game, and I felt like we had stretches where we guarded them pretty good. We just couldn’t get any rhythm on our offensive end, which is rare for us.’’

The Hogs get a chance on Saturday to once again turn back the clock to the mid-1990s. They’ll face Duke with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The last time these two played…

ESPN picks, then ranks, Arkansas’ “all-time starting five”

Where does ESPN’s pick of an “all-time” Arkansas squad compare to other “all-time” teams in the Sweet 16?

Arkansas Basketball has seen its share of success this season thanks to sharp-shooting by JD Notae, smooth all-around efforts by Jaylin Williams, and incredible coaching by Eric Musselman.

As the Razorbacks prepare for their second straight appearance in the Sweet 16, ESPN’s Myron Medcalf has selected an all-time starting five for Arkansas, as well as every remaining team in the NCAA Tournament, and has ranked them according to collegiate production.

Based on the all-time team that the staff at ESPN put together, the Razorbacks would be the 10th best team in this year’s field. 

College Basketball’s “blue bloods” such as UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas, and Duke are ranked No. 1 through No. 4 respectively, while the Razorbacks beat out the all-time teams of Providence, Iowa State, Miami, Texas Tech, St. Peters, and Thursday’s Sweet 16 opponent, Gonzaga.

Here’s a look at what ESPN calls a “tough opponent.”

  • G Sidney Moncrief: AP All-America first team (1979); averaged 16.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG in four seasons at Arkansas; Southwest Conference player of the year (1979); led team to Final Four (1978)
  • G Todd Day: AP All-America second team (1991); averaged 19.5 PPG for Final Four team in 1990; Southwest Conference player of the year (1991)
  • F Joe Johnson: SEC freshman of the year (2000); averaged 15.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 41% from 3 in two seasons at Arkansas
  • F Corliss Williamson: AP All-America second team (1994, 1995); led the team to the 1994 national title; 1995 SEC player of the year; averaged 19.0 PPG and 7.1 RPG in three years at Arkansas
  • C Joe Kleine: Averaged 18.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG in three years at Arkansas (1982-85)
  • Coach: Nolan Richardson (coached team to 1994 national title)