Blue Ribbon #7 UALR

You know there is not a lot to say when the write up starts out and talks about your coach having been at your school longer than any other active SBC coach.

In the SBC or any other mid-major basketball league you should never have the longest term coach. In a mid-major if your coach has not been fired or found a better job on average of 5 years then you have a coach like a live in one night stand that will not leave.

Steve is that guy for UALR. In the last 5 years UALR has won

23 games with ole miss transfers AND NO POST SEASON
8 games
19 games an a NCAA tournament with a 4 game win streak to close out the season
15 wins
17 wins

Looks ok for a mid-major until you look at this glaring fact about the last 10 years.

In the SBC tournament Steve has been eliminated 5 times in the opening game and 4 times in the 2nd game. Takeout the NCAA tournament year and Steve is 4 – 9 in SBC tournament place with 5 years of that being in Hot Springs, which is our back yard.

Steve is 164-143 at UALR but less than that if you remove the 2 non-d1 games a year. It is probably more like 154 – 143, so .500 ball. That’s how you end up with a program that is just running in place.

This year, UALR has its most talented team in ten years other than the 23 win ole miss transfer team.

Will Neighbor is a shooter with range out to about 28 feet. He can rebound and score with his back to the basket. He is a 3 time all conference player and was 5th in rebounding last year. Poor game planning and coaching kills this highly skilled players production.

James White is the next forward and has great raw talent. He is a live body 6-7 that reminds me of the type of kid that ULL and WKU gets that we never seem to land.

If we win, it will be in large part the 2 players above making it happen.


At guard it is a mix of a lot of kids.

The starting pg has moved to shooting guard this year and the other freshman pg transferred to Co St.

Enter stage left two more pg’s. Both from winning programs.

JT Thomas has very poor numbers but will play at pg for UALR.

DeVonte Smith played on the njcaa championship team playing 31 minutes a game and winning 36 games. I love kids from winning programs. The number are good. 7 ppf and 5.8 apg.

Oddly, of the Canada trip this summer JT came out looking better.

There is hope at the point and with the new rules it looks like we are going to have two pg’s on the court at all times.

Leroy Isler is the heart and soul of this team and is the defensive stopper. My favorite kid on the team.

Gus Leeper is the only serviceable center and he played really well in the ncaa tournament team from a few years ago. Numbers are poor but he can hit the mid range jumper and score in the post. Gets called for a lot of fouls.

UALR will not finish 7th. Steve will finish about 4th. Maybe higher. His conference record is always good. Sadly the tournament record and grinderball style of play is a fan killer.

On paper I would pick us 4th in front of USA and Tx St.

As a fan at the ten your mark, I should be saying we will win it all this year. Instead I am going out on the thin ice and saying we could finish mid-pack.

Judging from the Canada trip the summer I would say ulm and us will fight it out for last place. Kids could not throw it in the ocean.

Is this what 10 years of preparation gets?

In 10 years I can take your program to mid pack status.

wow. brutally honest report.

so you basically laid out that shields is dick nutt with a unibrow..

Shields = nutt = = troys old coach



Guys that have not produced and had their chance


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(10-30-2013 08:29 PM)dahbeed Wrote:  wow. brutally honest report.

so you basically laid out that shields is dick nutt with a unibrow..

Damn I'm gonna miss the right between the eyes dahbeed boil-downs next year.

(10-30-2013 08:13 PM)insideualr Wrote:  Blue Ribbon #7 UALR

You know there is not a lot to say when the write up starts out and talks about your coach having been at your school longer than any other active SBC coach.

In the SBC or any other mid-major basketball league you should never have the longest term coach. In a mid-major if your coach has not been fired or found a better job on average of 5 years then you have a coach like a live in one night stand that will not leave.

I'm not sure about that. Coach Cross is entering his ninth year, has elevated UTA to levels we aren't accustomed to consistently. He played here, graduated here, met his wife here and is a UTA guy through and through. It would take the most ideal situation for him to leave.

Of course, it helps that we have an AD that sees his value and compensates him as such.