Hog Calls

It's not all doom, gloom for Anderson

Arkansas coach Mike Anderson watches practice Wednesday, March 18, 2015, at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson watches practice Wednesday, March 18, 2015, at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Nobody can sugar-coat what the Arkansas Razorbacks lost for their 2015-2016 basketball season.

No formula of addition by subtraction that computed for some past players who turned pro early after the Nolan Richardson era can apply to Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls seeking their NBA fortunes early.

Tangibly and intangibly, SEC Player of the Year Portis and junior swingman Qualls, the highest-flying example of visible intensity since Sidney Moncrief soared in the 1970s, meant the gist of the 27-9 record that Coach Mike Anderson compiled in his fourth Arkansas year.

That said, don't write off the Razorbacks for 2015-2016.

Turn the clock back to 1992-93 when Anderson assisted Richardson.

Lee Mayberry, Todd Day and Oliver Miller had just completed their eligibility after helping Richardson rocket from criticized coach to Arkansas legend by three compiling three Southwest Conference championships, an SEC championship an Elite Eight and Final Four appearance among their four NCAA Tournaments.

Uncertainty lay ahead. In retrospect you wouldn't believe it given the Sweet 16, national championship and national runner-up seasons that followed led by the new trio of Corliss Williamson, Scotty Thurman and Corey Beck. Williamson, Thurman and Beck became Arkansas legends but did not arrive legendarily.

Oh, Williamson was a high school All-American from Russellville. But he began his freshman season unable to play because of a stress fracture in his foot. The prolonged convalescence prevented him from being fully in shape when he did play by the SEC season.

Beck was just a junior college transfer who looked too heavy to play point guard.

Thurman was ignored by recruiting gurus. Richardson only had to beat hometown Louisiana Tech to sign the Ruston native, yet Thurman carried that 1992-93 team, especially when Williamson was sidelined.

And some previously role-playing holdover Hogs like guard Clint McDaniel blossomed to stardom in their own right.

Anderson, who fashioned some allegedly rebuilding Missouri teams into national contenders, returns some gritty guards, All-SEC freshman team member Anton Beard of North Little Rock and junior-to-be Manuale Watkins of Fayetteville, and the raw but athletically gifted 6-10 African born center Moses Kingsley.

The coach cites the potential of other returnees, including Dusty Hannahs, a guard who redshirted last season after transferring from Texas Tech, and lauds two incoming freshman signees, guard Jimmy Whitt and forward Ted Kapita.

Of course, it still seems remote for this coming season's Hogs to come close to last season's accomplishments.

Just remember it looked the same way 23 years back in May for a Sweet 16 forerunner to a national champion.

Should the coming season's Hogs flounder, the program is still ahead of the game. Compare the perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) score that Anderson's Hogs just achieved to the scholarship losing APR penalties he inherited from the preceding Stan Heath and John Pelphrey regimes.

Even minus Portis and Qualls from the train, Anderson keeps Arkansas basketball on the right track.

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Sports on 05/30/2015

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