Arkansas Takes Chance on Heath

Stan Heath gave new meaning to the term “one and done” Thursday.

The former Michigan State assistant left Kent State after one season to become coach at Arkansas, replacing the fired Nolan Richardson.

It’s a reasonably good hire for Arkansas, which needed to recruit a minority coach after the racial questions raised by Richardson’s stormy departure.

Still, Heath is somewhat unproven.

He did persuade Gary Waters’ former players at Kent State to come around to his style of play in plenty of time to make another NCAA tournament run.

After a second-round loss last year, Kent State went all the way to the Elite Eight, where a lights-out shooting performance by Indiana and lock-down defense on Trevor Huffman kept Kent State from reaching the Final Four.

But besides his recruiting work for Tom Izzo at Michigan State and his impressive 30-6 season at Kent State with another coach’s players, Heath remains an unknown quantity--personable, but with a brief track record.

The smartest things Heath did were to contact Richardson before accepting the job, then pay him homage during his introductory news conference.

“I’d like to thank Coach Richardson,” Heath said. “He’s opened up barriers. He’s a leader.”

His charge will include leading Arkansas to higher graduation rates. NCAA statistics show Arkansas had a 0% graduation rate among African American players during one period in the 1990s.

Kent State lost Waters to Rutgers after last season and now must replace Heath, but Athletic Director Laing Kennedy didn’t sound bitter.

“You do not want to have coaches nobody else wants,” Kennedy said. “In my opinion, Arkansas is one of the top five jobs in America.”

Wonder which school among Duke, UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana and North Carolina he thinks doesn’t rate.

Knight Moves

It’s an interesting time for Bob Knight watchers, because Knight is in a fix.

This is his opportunity to show that loyalty--a quality he says is of utmost importance--isn’t a one-way street with him.

You can argue about whether he should speak to Coach Mike Davis, the former assistant who took the interim job without consulting Knight after Knight was fired.

The players are a different matter.

Todd Leary, a player on the Indiana’s last Final Four team in 1992 and now a color commentator on Hoosier radio broadcasts, said as much to the Indianapolis Star.

“If Bob Knight would just send a telegram to Indiana University and congratulate all those kids for what they’ve accomplished, he would be loved by 99% of the people in the state of Indiana,” Leary told the Star.

“But we all know that will never happen. I don’t know why I keep thinking that Coach Knight will take the high road because he never does. That’s what is most disappointing to me.”

Allow that Knight should defer from contacting the players until after the Final Four so he isn’t accused of interfering.

But if he doesn’t congratulate his former players next week, any future talk of loyalty should be met with skepticism.

Leary also took exception to remarks made by Knight’s son, Pat Knight--best man at Leary’s wedding--that Davis was disloyal by taking the job.

“What was Mike Davis supposed to do?” Leary told the Star. “They think he was disloyal because he didn’t pack his bags, take a year off and head for Lubbock? I think that’s crazy. I think if Pat had been offered that job, even as mad as he was that they had fired his dad, he would have had a difficult time turning it down.”

He also objected to Knight’s soliciting financial support for Texas Tech from former Indiana players.

“The one thing he used to say to us over and over was that we didn’t have names on the back of our jerseys because we were playing for Indiana University,” Leary said. “He’d say we weren’t playing for Damon Bailey University, we were playing for IU. He must have said that two million times.

“He said we should always be loyal to Indiana.

“So now I think he should be proud of us that most of us are continuing to be loyal to IU.”

Loans (Not Pay) For Play

The NCAA is moving toward a vote on whether to allow projected high draft picks to borrow up to $20,000 while still in school.

The NCAA management council is to vote on the issue later this month, after which it would go to the board of directors.

“I think there’s some positive legislation that would be there for our student athletes and eliminate some of the hypocrisies that we currently have and disenchantment with some of the rules we currently have,” said NCAA President Cedric Dempsey, who is retiring at the end of the year. “I have encouraged our presidents and our membership to support much of that legislation.”

Spit and Image

Superstitious Coach Roy Williams of Kansas is remembered for spitting in the Mississippi River for good luck before North Carolina played in the Final Four in New Orleans when he was a Tar Heel assistant in 1982.

“Somebody told me it was good luck to spit in the Mississippi,” Williams said. “So I did it that year and we won the national championship. So I did it again in 1993 when we were going through St. Louis and then did it again this year when we were in St. Louis.

“I really don’t go around spitting in every little puddle of water that you can find.”

He has other superstitions, however.

“I always know what the record of every coat and tie is. This year, being 33-3, I can tell you which three outfits I will not be wearing in Atlanta.

“But I do get them cleaned in between.”

Ankle Angles

All Indiana eyes are on the ankle of guard Tom Coverdale, who was injured against Kent State. He arrived in Atlanta wearing a boot but walking without the aid of crutches.

In Bloomington, Ind., his ankle was front-page news, and a hotel marquee pleaded, “Heal fast, ‘Cov.’”

His isn’t the only injury to watch, however.

Kansas guard Kirk Hinrich also has a sore ankle.

“He’s not 100% by any means,” Williams said. “I think his stamina is still in question. He gave me more tired signals in the Oregon game the other night than I have gotten from him the entire season, so we are trying to get him some extra time on the [exercise] bike and things like that because we don’t want to pound on his ankle this week.”

Sampson’s Strength

Oklahoma Coach Kelvin Sampson’s father, John “Ned” Sampson, is in Atlanta after flying from San Jose, where he underwent brain surgery last week before the West Regional games.

Sampson was hopeful but not yet certain his father will be able to attend Saturday’s semifinal game against Indiana.

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THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

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