University of Arkansas Head Coach Mike Anderson has been fired.Anderson had coached the Razorbacks for 8 seasons. He was 169-102 with the Hogs, and led them to the NCAA Tournament three times.Anderson never had a losing record with Arkansas or with any other team. He's coached NCAA basketball since the 2002-2003 season.Arkansas went 18-16 in 2018-2019, getting an NIT bid. The team finished 9th in the SEC.Mike Anderson was honored as a "Burlsworth Legend" in August 2018. The award is given each year to a person who makes a significant impact on the lives of Arkansas.The team will begin a national search for the next head men's basketball coach immediately, the school announced.Associate head coach Melvin Watkins will serve as a lead on the team until the new head coach is named. University of Arkansas Head Coach Mike Anderson has been fired. Anderson had coached the Razorbacks for 8 seasons. He was 169-102 with the Hogs, and led them to the NCAA Tournament three times. Advertisement This content is imported from Facebook. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Anderson never had a losing record with Arkansas or with any other team. He's coached NCAA basketball since the 2002-2003 season. Arkansas went 18-16 in 2018-2019, getting an NIT bid. The team finished 9th in the SEC. Mike Anderson was honored as a "Burlsworth Legend" in August 2018. The award is given each year to a person who makes a significant impact on the lives of Arkansas. The team will begin a national search for the next head men's basketball coach immediately, the school announced. Associate head coach Melvin Watkins will serve as a lead on the team until the new head coach is named.<doc-sep>UPDATE: Now official through the UA Mike Anderson is out at the University of Arkansas. Multiple sources have now confirmed what HawgSports.com reported earlier today that Anderson is out as the coach at Arkansas. A release is expected to be out soon. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the job security of the former Arkansas coach following an 18-16 season. While Anderson apparently did not meet the expectations of new Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yuracheck or Razorback fans, no coach has reached expectations since the 1994-95 season when Arkansas lost the NCAA Championship Game to UCLA, 89-78, aside from a few solid regular seasons under Anderson without much to show for it in the NCAA Tournament. As great as former Hog Nolan Richardson was in the first 10 years of his career at Arkansas, his last seven seasons were rather pedestrian. There were no Western Division titles, they never won more than 11 SEC games, and the only time they got past the second round was in the 1995-96 season. They may have been the last team to make the cut that season, as well. Nobody has had a great regular season and a great showing in the NCAA Tournament in 24 years at Arkansas - and yet the fans still show strong support for the program and have high expectations. The debate was not whether or not Anderson deserved another year. Arkansas is coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances (again, that's not the standard for Arkansas basketball), and this season was a rebuild year (though that also was on Anderson's shoulders). Coaches can get a rebuild year now and again, but they can't have two back-to-back or two in three years, and that appeared to be what was on the horizon in 2019-20. There aren't a lot of major job openings outside the SEC. It's pretty much UCLA and then Alabama, Vanderbilt, LSU and Texas A&M that are making head coaching changes (for now, at least). Arkansas will be in the mix battling with those schools for the top available coaches. While there isn't a lot of competition for coaches nationally, the competition that is there is very localized. “After a review of the program, including an analysis of the past eight years and a look forward, I have made a decision that a change in leadership will best position our men’s basketball program for future success,” Yurachek said. “In the past eight seasons, we have won a number of games and have made appearances in both the NIT and the NCAA Tournaments. However, in my evaluation, we have not sustained a consistent level of success against the most competitive teams in the nation to enable us to compete for SEC and NCAA Championships on an annual basis. That will continue to be the benchmark for our success throughout our athletic program. “During his tenure with our program, Mike Anderson has represented the University of Arkansas in a first-class manner and with the highest level of integrity on and off the floor. We are grateful for Coach Anderson’s many contributions to our program and most of all for his investment in the lives of the many student-athletes he has coached. He has been a positive influence on their lives, encouraged them and supported them on, both their individual and collective, academic and athletic journeys. We wish Mike, his wife Marcheita and the entire Anderson family the very best. “With our great history and tradition, a loyal fan base and a fully supported program within the SEC, I am confident that we will identify a leader that will elevate our men’s basketball program to a nationally competitive level on an annual basis,” Yurachek said. “In an effort to most effectively identify and secure our next head coach, I do not plan on providing further comment related to our search until its completion. I appreciate the understanding and support of all Razorback fans as we move forward in this process.” THE MIKE ANDERSON FILE Arkansas (2011-Present) 168-101 2011-12: 18-14 2012-13: 19-13 2013-14: 22-12 - NIT Second Round 2014-15: 27-9 - NCAA Round of 32 2015-16: 16-16 2016-17: 26-10 - NCAA Round of 32 2017-18: 23-12 - NCAA Round of 64 2018-19: 18-15 - NIT... It took the Razorbacks two seasons under Anderson to finally reach the postseason, and even then it was only an NIT berth. However, by maintaining a winning record in his first three seasons, the coach had the program in a better spot than when he took it over from John Pelphrey in 2011. Pelphrey coached the Hogs for four seasons from 2007-2011, and he had two losing seasons while only making the Big Dance once as the head Hog in his first season with the team he inherited from Stand Heath. Arkansas reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time during Anderson’s tenure in the 2014-15 season. Led by forward Bobby Portis and swingman Michael Qualls, the Razorbacks went 27-9 while earning a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament after losing in the SEC Tournament Championship Game to Kentucky, 78-63. The Razorbacks had high-expectations from fans going into March Madness, but they were eliminated by North Carolina in the Round of 32, 87-78. After losing Portis and Qualls when both declared for the NBA Draft (Qualls was not drafted and Portis went No. 22 overall to Chicago), the Hogs took an expected dip in the 2015-16 season before bouncing back to have a 26-10 record in the 2016-17 season. Led by Daryl Macon, Dusty Hannahs, Jaylen Barford and Moses Kingsley, the Razorbacks got off to a 10-1 start that season. The Hogs lost to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament final, and they also lost to UNC once again in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament, 72-65, in a game the Hogs appeared to have control of before the refs got involved...UNC went on to win the national championship. With Macon and Barford back for another season in 2017-18, the team made their second Big Dance in a row. However, they lost in the first round to Butler to end their season. This season, the Hogs were one of the youngest teams in college basketball with nine newcomers. Sophomore forward Daniel Gafford was the heartbeat of the Razorbacks while leading them in scoring (16.9 p.p.g.) and rebounding (8.7 r.p.g.). They found themselves on the NCAA Tournament bubble for most of the season, but after suffering through a six-game conference losing skid that spanned from Feb. 9 to March 2, Arkansas had to make a legitimate run in the SEC Tournament to have a shot at an NCAAT berth. They lost in the second round to Florida 66-50 on March 14, so the Hogs had to settle for an NIT berth. The Razorbacks just completed an impressive 84-72 win over Providence in the first round of the NIT. Missouri (2006-2011) 111-57 2006-07: 18-12 2007-08: 16-16 2008-09: 31-7 - Elite Eight 2009-10: 23-11 - Round of 32 2010-11: 23-11 - Round of 64 Anderson’s first two seasons as head coach of the Tigers were filled with controversy. When he took over in 2006, the program was under NCAA investigation for allegedly paying players under former head coach Quin Snyder. The team went 18-12 in Anderson’s first season, but they missed out on the postseason after losing to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. Before the 2007-08 season, Anderson dismissed his starting forward Kalen Grimes for hitting a man with the butt of a shotgun. During the season, five players were suspended by their head coach for being involved in a nightclub altercation. The team finished the season 16-16 and did not make the postseason for the second straight year. In 2008-09, Anderson had arguably his best season as a collegiate head coach. He led his team to a career-best 31-7 record while making a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. His team went undefeated at home that season and won the Big 12 tournament. He was also one of 10 finalists for the Henry Iba Award, which is given to the nation’s top basketball coach by the United States Basketball Writers Association.<doc-sep>The Arkansas Razorbacks reportedly fired coach Mike Anderson on Tuesday, ending his eight-year tenure with the program. Anderson made it to three NCAA Tournaments in his eight years, and though he never had a losing record, this year’s late-season collapse amplified frustrations in Fayetteville. Now, the Hogs are on the hunt for a new coach, but there might be some transfers coming. After news broke about Anderson’s firing, players were none too happy with Anderson being shown the door. Several took to Twitter to express their frustrations, as you can see below: https://twitter.com/Dan_G33/status/1110642138323263489 how do you fire a man that has never had a losing record and has been to the NCAA Tournament 3 out of the last 4 years? i just don't understand — Khalil Garland. (@khalilgarland3_) March 26, 2019 y'all got what y'all wanted. a bunch of college athletes crying because we just lost our coach. i hope y'all fans are happy — Khalil Garland. (@khalilgarland3_) March 26, 2019 https://twitter.com/adriobailey/status/1110640681666707457 Bunch of Crying Kids , Y’all Happy Now ? Thats what Y’all Wanted Huh . Bet . — Gabe (@Go22_Lt) March 26, 2019 Based on this, the next coach may have a tough time winning over the locker room, as frustrations are high among the players right now.<doc-sep>
Arkansas is parting ways with coach Mike Anderson after eight seasons at the helm of the Hogs program, athletic director Hunter Yurachek announced on Tuesday. Anderson achieved a 169-102 record during his stint at Arkansas that included second round appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2017 and three NCAA Tournament appearances overall, but won 20 or more games in only half of his eight seasons. Arkansas ended its 2018-19 season with a second-round loss in the NIT and finished ninth in the SEC regular-season standings. "After a review of the program, including an analysis of the past eight years and a look forward, I have made a decision that a change in leadership will best position our men's basketball program for future success," Yurachek said in a statement. "In the past eight seasons, we have won a number of games and have made appearances in both the NIT and the NCAA Tournaments. However, in my evaluation, we have not sustained a consistent level of success against the most competitive teams in the nation to enable us to compete for SEC and NCAA Championships on an annual basis. That will continue to be the benchmark for our success throughout our athletic program." Anderson was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2004 as coach at UAB, and earned NABC Coach of the Year honors in 2009 during his time at Missouri prior to his hiring at Arkansas in 2011. Yurachek has ties to Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, a name that has been linked to the job. Yurachek previously served in athletics administration at Houston for nearly three years prior to his December 2017 appointment at Arkansas. Sampson has things rolling at Houston. The Cougars are a No. 3 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament and are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in the program's history since 1984.