John Clay's Sidelines

South Carolina celebrates walk-off win over Arkansas. (The State photo)

SEC links for Sunday:

• SEC assistants are some of the highest paid in college football, reports Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel.
• John Pelphrey will earn $180,000 as assistant at Florida, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.
• Rivals are united in grief over the death of Alabama lineman Aaron Douglas, writes Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Tennessee’s NCAA hearing figures to be intense, writes Andrew Gribble of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Tennessee wins SEC softball title, reports Kory Keys for the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Don’t count out Auburn football next season, writes Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Cam Newton trying to mitigate effects of NFL lockout, writes Brett Martel of AP.
• Alan Faneca should have bust at Hall of Fame, writes Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.
• Recruiting OK for Tennessee, reports Patrick Brown of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Wingo’s walk-off gives South Carolina a big win over Arkansas, writes Chris Dearing of The State.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Conference boasts high-paid assistant coaches’

(AP photo)

John Pelphrey is back in Gainesville. He would have no doubt preferred to stay in Fayetteville, where the Razorbacks new coach Mike Anderson welcomes in a stellar signee class that Pelphrey signed as Arkansas coach, but that was not to be. Relieved of his duties at season’s end, the former UK Wildcat is now re-united with Billy Donovan at Florida.

Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun writes that the Paintsville native is excited to be back with the Gators, even if it is in an assistant coach’s role.

An excerpt:

“I feel like I have ownership in the program already because I was here before the renovations to the O-Dome,” Pelphrey said. “I was here before the practice facility was built. I was here before the first run to the national championship game, so I feel like I’m a little bit invested.”

Walking through the practice facility, though, Pelphrey has recognized how much has changed since he left UF in 2002.

Continue reading ‘John Pelphrey excited to be back at Florida’

SEC links for Tuesday:

SEC TEAMS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT — Here’s the second-round schedule:

• Thursday, 2:45 p.m. — Princeton vs. Kentucky (CBS)
• Thursday, 4:10 p.m. — Richmond vs. Vanderbilt (TBS)
• Thursday, 6:50 p.m. — UC-Santa Barbara vs. Florida (TBS)
• Friday, 12:40 p.m. — Michigan vs. Tennessee (truTV)
• Friday, 9:45 p.m. — Georgia vs. Washington (CBS)

STALLINGS APOLOGIZES TO STATE –”Vanderbilt men’s coach Kevin Stallings apologized Monday,” reports John Pitts of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal, “for accusing Mississippi State of trying to deliberately step on the foot of an injured Vandy player in Friday’s SEC tournament game. ‘I simply misunderstood what my player told me about an incident that happened in the SE Tournament,’ Stallings said in the statement. ‘I have apologized to coach Stansbury.’”

BEILEIN A NEW PUZZLE FOR PEARL – Tennessee gets ready to play Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel, “Pearl’s No. 9-seeded Vols (19-14) are about to play Beilein’s No. 8-seeded Wolverines (20-13) at 12:40 p.m. Friday as they open the NCAA tournament in a second-round game in Charlotte, N.C. By then, UT hopes to be familiar with Beilein’s complicated, guarded – and highly successful – ways. Beilein, 58, is the only active coach to have achieved 20-win seasons at four different collegiate levels: junior college, NAIA, Division II and Division I.”

Continue reading ‘SEC: With Pelphrey out, is Tubby Smith on Arkansas list?’

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Tough night for Michael Gilchrist, writes Matthew Stanmyre of Star-Ledger.
• Amoeba defense gets the best of Gilchrist, writes Brandon Parker of ESPN Rise.
• A sweet moment for St. Anthony, writes Christopher Lawlor of Daily News.
• Memory of Georgia tornado still vivid at SEC tourney, writes Jerry Tipton of H-L.
• Twenty questions about the SEC Tournament, by me.
• Pelphrey says he’s building program the right way, writes Tipton.
• Martin Newton named AD at Samford, reports Daniel Pauling of Birmingham News.
• SEC tourney about seeding and pleading, writes Brett Dawson of the C-J.
• Joe Dean, Jr. picks Kentucky to win tourney, writes Larry Vaught of the A-M.
• Cats prepping for tourney time, reports Aaron Smith of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Lamb shifts his focus from scoring, writes Chandler Howard of the Kernel.
• Basketball reigns in Kentucky, writes Earl Cox for Voice Tribune.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Michael Gilchrist has an off night in big game’

Scott Stricklin

SEC links for Monday:

• Scott Stricklin, former UK associate athletics director, has negotiated a minefield in his first year as AD at Mississippi State, writes Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Pete Boone belies his dull image as Ole Miss athletic director, writes Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.
• The resilient Florida basketball team played like champions in Nashville, writes Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun.
• Ex-Alabama offensive lineman on national title teams has turned life around after drug abuse, reports Tim Gayle of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Georgia outfielder hospitalized after outfield collision, reports Seth Emerson of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
• Florida baseball sweeps Miami in matchup of college baseball powers, writes Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun.
• New college baseball bats have some schools making adjustments, reports Jim Kleinpeter of the Times-Picayune.
• Auburn assistant coach Jeff Grimes excited about task of rebuilding offensive line, reports Charles Bennett of the Anniston Star.
• Travis Sawchik of the Charleston Post and Courier does a one-on-one interview with ex-South Carolina basketball coach Eddie Fogler.
• John Pelphrey says he believes in what he is doing at Arkansas, writes Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey. (AP photo)

Yesterday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper included an advertisement urging Razorback fans to contact the school’s athletic department to voice their concerns about the school’s basketball program “before too much time passes.”

Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey wasn’t mentioned in the ad, but the intent of the ad was clear.

It came after Arkansas lost to visiting Mississippi State 88-78 on Tuesday night, thus clinching the No. 2 seed in the West for MSU.

At his press conference on Thursday, Pelphrey acknowledged the ad, but said:

“My focus is my task at hand. I’m the basketball coach at Arkansas. I wake up every day focused on leading those young men. Certainly, I know they were disappointed last night and a lot of those guys had family that saw them play for the first time in college and they wanted to win so bad.

“So, that’s where my focus is, to help us learn from that experience last night and try to get us prepared to go win at Oxford.”

Arkansas is 7-8 in the SEC and 18-11 overall heading into Saturday’s game in Oxford. The Razorbacks are averaging just over 12,000 per home game in 19,000-seat Bud Walton Arena.

ESPN’s college basketball blog has more on the critical ad.

A leaking roof abbreviated the Tennessee-Ole Miss women

SEC links for Friday:

• Florida beats Georgia to clinch share of SEC East title, reports Kevin Brockway of Gainesville Sun.
• Georgia stumbles to lose 71-62, writes Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph.
• Tennessee women beat Ole Miss 66-39 in odd game, reports Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• UT-Ole Miss women’s game shortened by weather and a leaky roof, reports David Brandt of the AP.
• Division is nice, but Gators want to win the entire conference, writes MIke DiRocco of the Florida Times-Union.
• No way Chandler Parsons was sitting this game out, writes Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun.
• Parsons provided the second-half spark the Gators needed to win, writes Rachel George of Orlando Sentinel.
• The NCAA tease continues with the Bulldogs, says Jeff Schultz of the AJC.
• NCAA committee will decide UT’s fate, reports Andrew Gribble of News-Sentinel.
• Kidney failure forcing Jack Cristil to retire at MSU, writes Brandon Marcello of the C-L.
• Auburn beats Lady Bulldogs 63-58, reports Roger Clarkson of Athens Banner-Herald.
• LSU beats South Carolina women in OT, reports Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Florida clinches; Rain shortens basketball game’

(AP photo)

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Pelphrey answers growing criticism, reports Robbie Neiswanger of Arkansas News.
• Florida could be without Parsons at LSU, reports Kevin Brockway of Gainesville Sun.
• Parsons could be out indefinitely, reports Mike DiRocco of the Florida Times-Union.
• South Carolina wins on Clowney Day, reports Barry Byers of the Rock Hill Herald.
• South Carolina students thrilled with choice, writes Jason Chisari of Rock Hill Herald.
• Clowney avoids father’s obstacles, writes Ron Morris of The State.
• Does South Carolina now own SEC East? asks Jeff Schultz of the AJC.
• Clowney exposes recruiting process, reports Thayer Evans for Fox Sports.
• Clowney’s impact stretches beyond field, writes Chris Low of espn.com.
• UT safety allegedly tried to strangle woman, reports Austin Ward of News-Sentinel.
• Defense wins close ones in SEC, says Mike Herndon of Mobile Press-Register.
• Injury keeps Goins out at Tennessee, reports Mike Griffith of the News-Sentinel.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Pelphrey answers growing criticism at Arkansas’

(AP photo)

Terrific story by Jason King of Yahoo Sports on how personal loss keeps Billy Donovan, Anthony Grant and John Pelphey connected.

I did a column on Donovan after his wife, Christine, lost their fourth child during pregnancy. But Jason ties that together with the losses experienced by two of Donovan’s former assistants, and how the three lean on each other for support.

An excerpt:

The text arrived two days after Halloween, well before Billy Donovan got to the cemetery.

“Thinking of you,” it read.

For almost a decade, it’s never failed. Every year, on Nov. 2, Arkansas coach John Pelphrey - along with Alabama’s Anthony Grant – have reached out to their former boss at Florida. A phone call, an e-mail, a card or text. Just something to remind Donovan how much they care. And how they can relate.

“No staff,” Grant says, “has ever experienced what we experienced. What happened with all of us … I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”

Long before they were all head coaches in the SEC — long before they became competitors – Donovan, Pelphrey and Grant helped Florida blossom into one of the country’s most dominating programs during the early and mid-2000s. Still, the moments the three of them remember the most — the three precise dates that spurred one of the strongest, most unique bonds in all of sports — have nothing to do with winning NCAA titles and conference championships.

Instead, they involve the loss of life, and the strengthening of friendship.

Tennessee

SEC links for Thursday:

• Scotty Hopson scores 18 to send Tennessee to NIT final, reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• LSU basketball whips Centenary 78-36, reports Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.
• John Pelphrey must overcome attedance apathy at Arkansas, says John Pennington of Mr. SEC.
• Mark Bradley of the AJC takes his annual look at Georgia and Georgia Tech fans.
• Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal gives thanks for a plate of SEC treats.
• Auburn is undefeated, and the underdog, writes Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Mississippi State leader has a vocal critic in his wife, writes Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Gus Malzahn’s main focus is perfecting the Auburn offense, reports Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Florida quarterback visits his namesake baby in hospital, reports Rachel George of the Orlando Sentinel.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Vols play big in Big Apple; Pelphrey problems’