I thought Andre Clark’s comment was pretty telling:

“When that many guys leave after one year, it tells you something’s not working,” Clark said of being among four players to leave the program.  “I don’t want to say anything bad about the coaches, I still love those guys and I still talk to them.”

It seems to be thought of as a basketball certainty that the player who works hard and overachieves will make an excellent coach one day.  John Pelphrey fits that mold perfectly.  They tend to: 1) understand the game; 2) place a great value on hard work; and 3) understand players such that they can get the best from them.

My view on Pelphrey is that he currently has only one of those three attributes.  He has the next year to get players to love to play for him or he’s gone.  He doesn’t have the credibility to continue to have guys leave on him.

Jason Henry may have been a problem child, but sending him away after one year (if he truly was academically eligible) creates questions.  With Washington back and no changes in the coaching staff, the rumored locker room issues from last year are sure to resurface in the coming season.

As to understanding the game, you only have to look at the number of close losses last year and the overreliance on Courtney Fortson as proof points.  The failure to establish a power forward other than Monk early in the season, as well as a solid half court offense in the fall, cost dearly in the conference season.

To say Razorback basketball is down would be an understatement.  John Pelphrey has to get the program looking like it is going in the right direction or he will be history by this time next year.

Certainly in football, the National Champion Florida Gators would have to be at the top of the list.  And in baseball, the National Champion LSU Tigers would be at or near the top.  (No offense to Tiger fans…but the Diamond Hogs played some pretty darn good teams this year.)

Unfortunately, the Hogs were mostly unsuccessful against those two great teams.  But surprisingly, during a basketball season full of loss and discontent, the Razorbacks beat the best team they played on the court last year.

Coming in at #3 on our countdown of the best Razorback games of the year is the impressive 96-88 win in late December over then #4 Oklahoma.

Razorbacks impressive in downing #4 Sooners (Courtesy of RazorVision)

Not sure if OU was the best team the Hogs played in basketball last season?

Well, there’s certainly little argument that Oklahoma had the best player in college basketball last year in Blake Griffin.  Even in a game where he was mostly frustrated by heavy defensive pressure by the Hogs, Griffin still scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

But let’s not forget this stat:  the Sooners started the season winning a school-record 25 of their first 26 games.  Their only loss during that stretch…was in Bud Walton Arena.

And that was one of just six losses that OU would suffer all year — a season that ended in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to eventual National Champion North Carolina.

University of Arkansas basketball guard/forward Jason Henry will not return as a member of the Razorback basketball team, head coach John Pelphrey announced on Sunday.

Also:

• ArkansasSports360.com: Henry Not Returning To Razorbacks
• Alex Abrams: Henry Leaves Razorbacks
• Tom Murphy: Pelphrey: Henry off UA roster
• Terry Wood: Henry will not return to UA basketball team

Updated 7/6/09 7:55 a.m.

But when you make the College World Series for only the sixth time is school history and for the first time in five years, the game that gets you to Omaha has to be in the mix.  Never mind that it also had a fantastic come-from-behind finish.

At #4 on our countdown of the best Razorback games of the year is the Diamond Hogs thrilling 9-8 win over Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regional.

Hogs Win!!! On To Omaha!! (Courtesy of RazorVision)

By going 4 for 5 with a home run and the game-winning walk-off double, Andrew Darr joined Brady Toops in modern Razorback baseball lore.

After the biggest game of his life, Darr was humble…and speechless:

“I thought I had been swinging pretty well in batting practice.  I know my role.  I’m not an everyday guy.  But when I get in there, I just try to do the best I can.

“I’m really lost for words.  It’s a great feeling for the entire team.  We just fought in the ninth to get back in it, and the rest is history.”

Darr and his teammates, however, weren’t done making history just yet.

As some have pointed out, 2008-09 was mostly a year to forget for Razorback sports.  Hog fans languished through a rough fall and winter, only to be rewarded as spring turned into summer.

Coming in at #5 on our countdown, however, is one of the few highlight games of that cold winter.

No matter what sport it is…Razorback fans always want to beat Texas.  The football team couldn’t…uh…quite pull it off down in Austin in September.

But as they say, timing is everything.  And during a seven day stretch in late December and early January, you didn’t want to be a visiting team coming in to Bud Walton Arena.  After a huge victory over #4 Oklahoma just a week earlier (more on that later), the Hogs went toe-to-toe against the #7 Longhorns and survived 67-61.

Razorbacks rally to upset #7 Texas (Courtesy of RazorVision)

If you watched the game on TV, it was great.  But if you were there, you know that it was an electric atmosphere that night.  The crowd was raucous and, for a while, it was loud enough that I even thought I was back in Barnhill Arena again.

The signature play of the game — Michael Washington’s driving dunk with 22.5 seconds left — just about brought the house down.

Looking back at the basketball season now, it never got any better than that for the remaining three months.  (Not that seeing Nolan again wasn’t awesome.)

But finishing the season 2-15 after that game doesn’t take away from how exciting it felt that night to think that home court advantage had finally returned to the Arkansas basketball program.  The ‘Bud, we believed, was back.  And it felt pretty good.

It’s caught our attention, when reading their little tidbits about prospective recruits, the number of players who mention how much they like their lead Arkansas recruiter, Marty Biagi.  That got us thinking…who the heck is Marty Biagi?

Biagi joined the Razorbacks as a graduate assistant in August last year.  He works closely with Razorback Defensive Coordinator Willy Robinson in the secondary, and helps Kirk Botkin and John L. Smith with special teams.

We first noticed Biagi last fall during two-a-days working with the Razorback kickers.  What caught our eye was after putting them through some normal kicking drills, Biagi had the punters working on properly fielding high snaps that had sailed over their head.  Teaching them how to circle, scoop and kick on the run showed just how closely Bobby Petrino’s staff pays attention to detail.  How many people would practice that?  It was fun to watch.

Coach Biagi should know a thing or two about kickers.  He was a kicker and punter, and was special teams captain for the Marshall Thundering Heard from 2005-2007.  Knowing that coaching was in his future, Biagi, while still a player, assisted the Marshall staff by breaking down film and assisting with scouting reports during the season.  He left — with one season of eligibility remaining — to pursue his career in coaching.

Instrumental in the recruitment of new Hog punter Briton Forester (5-10, 185, Palomar, Calif. Community College), Forester’s father Fred, owner of a California software company, was sold on Biagi.

Forester said his time spent in Fayetteville leads him to believe that Biagi has a very bright future in coaching.  “I look for him to go far,” he said. “He’s like 24 years old and I’ve been to board rooms of Fortune 500 companies all over the country. He’s very mature.”

Biagi was also recently praised by current recruits, brothers Terry Lee and Terrence Talbot of Huber Heights, Ohio.  Terry Lee (6-3, 270, 4.8), a defensive tackle, and Terrence (5-11, 170, 4.47), a defensive back, have offers from several schools including Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois.

“He (Biagi) seems like a person you would like to get to know,” said Terry Lee, who reports a 405-pound bench press and 510 squat. “He’s the type you can talk to and rely on and get a good opinion.”

No doubt Biagi looks to be a rising star, perhaps following in the footsteps of some famous Razorback GAs — Pete Carroll and Jackie Sherrill just to name a couple.  Hog fans should enjoy him, and the fruits of his recruiting, while he’s here.

After giving accolades for the accomplishments of the Razorback spring sports teams (gymnastics, golf, outdoor track, baseball), Long was asked about sites such as Twitter and Facebook:

“We can’t overlook it.  [People] are looking for that direct connect between us — administrators, coaches, student athletes.

“They don’t want it filtered through the media outlets…some people.  That’s what social media gives them the opportunity to do.

“We need to do more with it.  We’re going to do more with it.  It’s where things are headed and we need to be a part of that for our fan base.”

Long even revealed for the first time that he has his own Twitter account and plans to start using it in the future.

Perhaps coincidentally, one of the first Razorback head coaches to begin updating Twitter started on Friday evening.  Swimming coach Jeff Poppell (@jeffpoppell) made his first few ‘tweets’ about three Razorback swimmers who will soon be competing in the World Championships in Rome.

Will Petrino or Pelphrey be following soon?  Only time will tell, but Long recognized the growing importance that social media sites like Twitter are playing in the recruitment of future student athletes.  Communicating with these new tools, Long said, was “second nature to them (young people).”

You can see the entire video web chat with Long here on RazorVision.  And you can, of course, follow us ‘blogging the Hogs’ through @RazorBloggers on Twitter or by becoming a ‘fan’ of our page on Facebook.

Every year here at RBN we like to take a quick glance over the SEC landscape to check the state of each team’s quarterback situation.  This year, nine teams return a quarterback that started at least one game last season.  That leaves three — Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama — looking for “trigger men” to assume the role.  How do we see it in 2009?

1. Tim Tebow, Florida — Call us old fashioned, but we prefer championships over NFL projections.  With one Heisman and two National Championships under his belt, Tebow and the Gators are looking to go back-to-back in 2009.  Like him or not, he is a true leader of men.

2. Jevan Snead, Mississippi — After leading the Rebels to a Cotton Bowl victory and nine wins a year ago, expectations are very high in Oxford.  With the loss of several offensive linemen, including NFL first-rounder Michael Oher, Snead may find himself on his back a bit more in 2009.  Easy schedule though (two FCS opponents) should help pad the stats.

3. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas — Despite breaking the ring finger on his throwing hand, the hard-throwing transfer from Michigan is ready to lead the Hogs.  He’s got a coach that wants to throw it, and weapons (WR, TE) all around him.  The perfect storm?  Still needs to work on his accuracy and touch, but has all the tools.

4. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina — With the transfer of fellow QB Chris Smelley to Alabama, Garcia has virtually no competition heading into the fall.  While he has shown to be inconsistent playing in Coach Spurrier’s “Quarterback Carousel,” being the definitive leader now may spur his development.  Good game experience.

5. Mackenzi Adams, Vanderbilt — After battling Chris Nickson for the past several years, Adams is ready for his senior season.  The former Tulsa Union HS star has shown flashes at Vandy (14 career TDs), but lapses (14 career interceptions) as well.  His experience lands him here.

6. Greg McElroy, Alabama — Waiting in the wings behind John Parker Wilson the last two years has allowed McElroy the chance to watch and learn.  The bad part is he did a lot of watching, only throwing 11 passes in his career.  The ‘Bama faithful believe in him though, and with a swarming defense providing a short field to work with, McElroy should be okay.

7. Jordan Jefferson, LSU — The 6-4, 209 freshman came on strong at the end of the year, and led the Tigers to an impressive blowout of Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.  Despite being on the wrong end of a Casey Dick to London Crawford game winning toss, Jefferson showed good poise in Little Rock last year.  He is the future for LSU, and the future is now.

8. Mike Hartline, Kentucky — With last year’s part-time starter Randall Cobb now a full-time wide receiver, the sophomore Hartline gets the nod full time now.  He’s tall, got a good arm, but still learning the SEC.  Gives the Wildcats hope for the future.

9. Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee — After B.J. Coleman transferred and Nick Stephens broke the wrist on his throwing hand, Crompton is the Vols starter by default for the moment.  Vol fans liked Crompton so much last season, they filled his e-mail and mailbox with death threats.  A motivational ploy we’re sure new head coach Lane Kiffin will get used to.

10. Tyson Lee, Mississippi State — Could Lee have a breakout year in 2009 in new head coach Dan Mullen’s spread offense?  Maybe.  Lee excelled in the spring, and if he can hold off incoming hot shot QB Tyler Russell, look for a good year.  MSU is limited by the talent that surrounds him, though.

11. Kodi Burns, Neil Caudle, Chris Todd, Auburn — What’s the old saying…if you have two quarterbacks (or in this case three), you don’t have any!  If OC Gus Malzahn can make something out of this bunch, they may very well build a statue of him down on The Plains.  No starter was named after the spring, so we’ll keep an eye on this battle in the fall.

12. Joe Cox, Georgia — After watching the Georgia spring game on ESPN, we quickly moved the fifth-year senior to our bottom rung.  The “G-day game” yielded only one offensive TD, and that was a rushing score with :09 seconds left in the game.  It’s impossible to replace #1-overall pick Matthew Stafford, but when you have limited arm strength and couple that with lack of mobility and experience, it’s not going to be pretty.  Some think Cox will be “holding a clipboard“…maybe before the Hogs host the Dawgs in week three.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Hogs’ post-season run ends at Omaha

The Arkansas baseball team’s season ended on Friday afternoon at the College World Series with a 14-5 loss to Southeastern Conference rival LSU in Omaha, Neb., after an amazing run that saw the Razorbacks go from an afterthought to a tie for third in the college baseball ranks.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Razorbacks’ run in Omaha comes to an end (Video)
• ESPN.com: Four homers power LSU’s romp into CWS finals
• Ryan Malashock: Arkansas’ Season Ends With Loss To LSU, Ranaudo Baffles Hogs
• Rick Fires: All good things come to an end
• Chris Cocoles: LSU’s Ranaudo bounces back in big way
• Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: College World Series report
• Brandon Marcello: Hogs’ run ends to LSU in College World Series

Updated 6/20/09 9:30 a.m.

How many bullets did we dodge?  It was hard to keep track…

• The 9th through the 12th innings all saw the UVA leadoff man reach base.
• Before slapping a single to center, Zack Cox was down to the Hogs last strike of the season.
• Dallas Keuchel goes to a 3-0 count with the bases loaded, winning run on third, and battles back to record the out.
• A double play, turned by two freshmen, to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth.

Erasing a season full of frustration at the plate (.227 batting average), Brett Eibner’s blast to tie the game in the ninth is a highlight for the ages.  Late subs Andrew Darr (GW double in the 12th) and Tim Carver (started the double play in the ninth off a hard hit ball) all came up big, and Keuchel did the rest.  “Fear the Jaw!!!”

Brett Eibner’s CWS home run

(Thanks to RazorVision for the video and to CharlieHog and HogNation — the best Hogs baseball message board around — for uploading it to YouTube.)

A thrilling night, and an incredible team victory by a team that has fought, clawed and scratched their way to the CWS final four.  That kind of effort and resolve has brought out a level of excitement not seen in a while for Razorback Baseball.  The grinding nature of this overachieving team will make this one a “team to remember”…win or lose against LSU.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Hogs win CWS Classic in 12 innings

Andrew Darr came up with yet another clutch double to break a 3-3 tie in the top of the 12th inning to lift Arkansas to a 4-3 win over Virginia on Wednesday night in the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Hogs rally to eliminate Virigina, advance at CWS (Video)
• ESPN.com: Darr, Arkansas knock out Virginia in 12 at CWS, Albright: Hogs survive, but big challenge awaits, SportsCenter Highlight (Video)
• Ryan Malashock: What A Relief, Hultzen Does It All
• Rick Fires: Houdini Hogs
• Chris Cocoles: Keuchel refuses to give in to Cavs, College World Series report
• Brandon Marcello: Extra Special

Updated 6/18/09 7:20 a.m.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Tigers hand Hogs first loss at CWS

LSU pounded out 13 hits, including launching three home runs, as the Tigers posted a 9-1 win over Arkansas in a College World Series winners’ bracket game on Monday night in front of a crowd of 23,417 at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Tigers knock Hogs into losers bracket at CWS (Video)
• ESPN.com: LSU stays perfect at CWS with rout of Arkansas
• Ryan Malashock: Arkansas Suffers Two-Out Turnaround In Loss To LSU, Inside Pitch
• Rick Fires: Tormented by Tigers
• Chris Cocoles: LSU back in power thanks to long ball, College World Series report
• Brandon Marcello: LSU tees off, scores big against Hogs

Updated 6/16/09 7:30 a.m.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Hogs open with 10-6 win at CWS

Andy Wilkins homered and drove in five runs to help Arkansas start off the College World Series with a 10-6 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Razorbacks down Titans in CWS Opener (Video)
• ESPN.com: Arkansas crushes CS Fullerton in CWS opener,  Merrill: Hogs’ bats stay hot in Omaha
• CBSSports.com: Dodd: Omaha ‘09 already the best for CWS vet Van Horn
• Yahoo! Sports: Rogers: Van Horn’s Hogs continue postseason run
• Ryan Malashock: Razorbacks Relaxed In Routing Titans, Keuchel Successful Enough In Hogs Win
• Rick Fires: Hogs play ping kong in Omaha
• Chris Cocoles: Hogs get to Titans freshman early, College World Series report
• Brandon Marcello: Big in Omaha, This time, UA’s Van Horn enjoying time in Omaha

Updated 6/14/09 8:30 a.m.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: College World Series bracket set

The College World Series field is set and as a result the NCAA released the bracket and game times for all games and the Arkansas Razorbacks game with the Cal St. Fullerton Titans is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, at 1 p.m.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: College World Series Ticket Info
• CWSOmaha.com: 2009 College World Series Bracket
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Dave Van Horn Press Conference, Hogs turn focus to Omaha

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Omaha Bound Hogs!! Arkansas wins Super Regional

Andrew Darr doubled off the center field wall to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give No. 16 Arkansas a dramatic 9-8 win over No. 4 Florida State clinching a trip for the Razorbacks to the College World Series Saturday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Hogs Win!!! On To Omaha!!, Hogs return to hero’s welcome
• ESPN.com (Video): Arkansas vs. Florida State Post-game Extra
• Ryan Malashock: Razorbacks Secure College World Series Berth With Two Runs In Ninth, Darr Shines In Rare Start
• Rick Fires: Underdogs now Omahogs, Tallahassee (Fla.) Super Regional report
• Chris Cocoles: Bigham puts on show for ESPN
• Bob Holt: Razorbacks enjoy happy homecoming

Updated 6/7/09 10:30 a.m.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Hogs take game one 7-2 over Seminoles

Mike Bolsinger pitched five innings of relief after three rain delays, giving up no runs on four hits to lead the No. 16 Arkansas Razorback Baseball team to a 7-2 win over the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the NCAA Super Regional.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Hogs take game 1 of Super Regional (Video)
• ESPN.com: Arkansas vs. Florida State Highlights (Video)
• Ryan Malashock: Arkansas One Win From College World Series, Stranding Runners
• Rick Fires: Razorbacks weather rain, lightning and Seminoles, Tallahassee (Fla.) Super Regional Report
• Chris Cocoles: Analyst, Van Horn on same page

Updated 6/6/09 7:50 a.m.

The NCAA announced late Monday night that the No. 21 Arkansas Razorback baseball team will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on the No. 6 Florida State Seminoles in NCAA Super Regional action beginning on Friday.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Dave Van Horn Press Conference, Razorbacks turn focus to Seminoles, Super Regional
• NCAA.com: Eight Super Regional Hosts Announced For Division I Baseball Championship
• Ryan Malashock: Arkansas Quickly Shifts Focus To Florida State
• Chris Cocoles: Seminoles to host Hogs
• Nate Allen: Throw out the stats

Updated 6/2/09 7:20 a.m.

The Hogs, who entered the weekend ranked 274th nationally out of 288 teams in batting average (.267), unloaded for a 9-run eighth inning in a 10-3 win over Washington State Friday night.  That big inning seemed to jump start an anemic offense that had ranked dead last in the SEC in six offensive categories…average, slugging, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits and RBIs.

The carryover was evident in 17-6 and 11-0 routs of the #7 National Seed Oklahoma.  The “fat-man’s softball” type scores seemed to really stun the Sooner faithful, as Hog fans took over control of the venue from the hometown Okies.  All accounts had at least 50% of the crowd being Arkansas fans.

On Sunday night though, the bats took a back seat to freshman Drew Smyly’s 8 1/3 innings no-hit bid.  Drew faced the minimum (24) through eight innings, and only yielded an infield single before exiting after 106 pitches.  Had Smyly completed the no-hitter, it would have been the first in NCAA post-season play since 1991.

That performance should make the Hogs feel pretty good about a third starter going into the Super Regionals. 

What can you say about Andy Wilkins?  He picked a great time for his explosion…a 12-for-16 performance with 2 HRs, 11 RBIs and 23 total bases.  Nice job by the Regional MVP and Oklahoma boy (Broken Arrow)!!!

Two wins away from Omaha, and the Hogs are as hot as we have seen them all year.  They’ve got a shot…as long as the “hits just keep on coming.”  Go Hogs!!!

The No. 21 Arkansas Razorback baseball team completed their quest to advance to a NCAA Super Regional with a stunning 11-0 victory over the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners behind a superb pitching performance by redshirt freshman Drew Smyly and a fantastic day at the plate from the region’s most outstanding player Andy Wilkins.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Box Score, Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• SoonerSports.com: Post-game Quotes, Arkansas vs. Oklahoma Highlights (Video)
• Ryan Malashock: Arkansas Wins Regional With Blowout, Smyly Flirts With No-No
• Rick Fires: Winning wager for Hogs
• Chris Cocoles: Hogs’ Wilkins wallops Sooners’ pitchers

Updated 6/1/09 8:00 a.m.