|
 Another
year was another sign of improvement for the
Razorback basketball program under head coach Stan
Heath.
The most obvious examples are the win totals, which
have gone from nine in 2003 to 12 in 2004 to 18 in
2005.
A closer look at the numbers shows drastic
improvements in scoring, shooting, assists, turnover
margin, blocked shots and steals, among others.
From 2003 through last season, the Razorbacks have
gone from 12th in the SEC in scoring (61.6) to sixth
(71.6); from 12th in field goal percentage (.393) to
seventh (.457); from 11th in three-point shooting
(.310) to fifth (.372); from 12th in free throw
shooting (.609) to ninth (.663); from 12th in
assists (9.8) to sixth (14.5); from 12th in turnover
margin (-3.39) to second (+2.70); from ninth in
blocked shots (3.5) to first (5.2); and from ninth
in steals (6.5) to second (8.7).
In 2005, Arkansas won the Paradise Jam, a six-team
tournament at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands,
received votes for the top 25 for the first time
since 2001, and led the SEC in blocked shots (5.2)
and three-point defense (.309). Heath’s club also
recorded UA’s best shooting percentage (.457) since
1995 (.464) when the Hogs advanced to the Final Four
championship game, its best three-point percentage
since 1997 (both .372), blocked the most shots (156)
since 1998 (156), held opponents to their lowest
scoring average (62.8) since 1985 (61.7), limited
opponents to the second-lowest three-point
percentage (.309) in school history (.305 in 2001),
allowed the second-lowest opponent rebound average
(33.2) since 1989 (32.5 in 2003) and had the fewest
shots blocked (81) since 1997 (78).
The only number that didn’t go the way the Hogs
wanted was a 3-4 record in one-possession games.
After losing the first three, Arkansas won the next
three and then dropped the seventh. With one or two
more friendly bounces, the Razorbacks would likely
have been a postseason team.
Heath’s 2004 club was the eighth-youngest in the
nation, based on players contributing quality
minutes, but the Hogs took steps in the right
direction with the win total increasing by three.
The improved win total included a pair of wins over
ranked teams – No. 22 Vanderbilt, 70-62, and No. 25
South Carolina, 82-66.
When he became Arkansas’ 10th head basketball coach
on March 28, 2002, he inherited a team returning
just 25.1 points and 16.8 rebounds a game from the
previous season.
Despite an all-freshman backcourt, the Razorbacks
enthusiastically bought into Heath’s system and the
results were evident. Heath’s emphasis on defense
resulted in UA holding opponents to 66.5 points a
game, then the lowest total since 1988 (64.9). The
biggest difference was on the boards. After ranking
12th in the Southeastern Conference in 2002 with a
-8.7 rebounding margin, 10th with 8.0 offensive
rebounds and 11th with 32.1 boards per game,
Arkansas was the top rebounding team in the league
with 38.0. The Hogs were also first with 14.54
offensive rebounds a game and third with a +5.5
rebounding margin.
Heath’s coaching has a lot to do with those gains,
but his recruiting is also a factor as he and his
staff continue attracting several of the top players
from across the country.
The 2003 class, which included Ronnie Brewer, Olu
Famutimi and Vincent Hunter, was ranked No. 7 in the
nation in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index
and by Hoop Scoop, and No. 10 by CNNSI.com.
Heath and his staff earned praise in 2004 for
signing Al Jefferson, the top prospect in the
nation. Jefferson signed with Arkansas during the
fall recruiting period but was selected by the
Boston Celtics with the 15th pick in the first round
of the 2004 NBA Draft.
Even though Jefferson did not suit up for Arkansas,
his signing made inroads with other recruits
nationally and the 2004 Razorback class was ranked
No. 13 by Rivals.com and No. 16 by Hoop Scoop.
The 2003 class raised Arkansas’ overall athletic
ability. The 2004 class gave UA an inside presence
with size in the form of 7-0 Steven Hill, 6-10
Darian Townes and 6-8 Charles Thomas.
Heath came to Arkansas after a record-setting season
as the head coach at Kent State University. In 2001,
his first year as a head coach, he led the Golden
Flashes to a 30-6 record and to the Elite Eight in
the NCAA Tournament.
Before going to KSU, he was an assistant for five
years under Tom Izzo at Michigan State. He helped
the Spartans advance to the Final Four three
straight years (1999, 2000, 2001), win the 2000
national title, make another appearance in the Sweet
16 and go a combined 132-37.
On March 19, 2001, Sports Illustrated featured “five
college coaches waiting in the wings.” Heath was on
that list, along with assistant Leonard Perry of
Iowa State, Florida assistant John Pelphrey, head
coach Jeff Ruland of Iona and Hofstra assistant Jay
Wright.
A month later, he was the head coach at Kent State.
Under his guidance, the Golden Flashes won the
Mid-American Conference regular-season and
tournament titles, and came within a victory of
reaching the Final Four before falling to Indiana in
the South Region finals.
Along the way, Kent set school and MAC records for
wins (30), breaking the record of 29 set by Ball
State in 1989; became the first MAC team to reach
the Elite Eight since Ohio University in 1964;
recorded a league-record 21-game winning streak,
including a 17-1 mark in conference play; beat three
ranked teams in the NCAA Tournament, including No.
20 Oklahoma State, 69-61, No. 8 Alabama, 71-58, and
No. 9 Pittsburgh, 78-73 in overtime, before losing
to Indiana, 81-69; went 12-0 at home with an average
attendance of 4,928, Kent’s best since 1970; led the
MAC in scoring defense (64.0 ppg), scoring margin
(+11.9 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.418),
rebounding margin (+5.0 rpg) and assist-to-turnover
ratio (1.24) while also ranking second in
three-point field goal percentage defense (.326) and
turnover margin (+2.78); and suffered its five
regular season losses by a total of 15 points.
Individually, Heath’s 30 wins ties for the
third-most by a first-year head coach in NCAA
Division I history with John Warren of Oregon
(1945). Only Bill Guthridge of North Carolina (34 in
1998) and Bill Hodges of Indiana State (33 in 1979)
won more. The Detroit native was also voted the MAC
Coach of the Year and named the national Rookie
Coach of the Year by both CBSSportsline.com and
CollegeInsider.com.
Before going to Kent, the three-year letterman from
Eastern Michigan helped Izzo and the Spartans post
records of 17-12 in 1997, 22-8 in 1998, 33-5 in
1999, 32-7 in 2000 and 28-5 in 2001. In addition to
the three trips to the Final Four, MSU also reached
the Sweet 16 in 1998 and the second round of the NIT
in 1997.
Heath, who earned his bachelor’s in social science
from Eastern Michigan in 1988 and his master’s in
sports administration from Wayne State (Detroit,
Mich.) University in 1993, began his collegiate
career at Hillsdale (Mich.) College in 1989 as an
assistant. After one season, he moved to Albion
(Mich.) College where he was an assistant and the
junior varsity head coach for two years. He worked
at Wayne State in Detroit the following three years,
including serving as associate head coach in 1994
when WSU set a school record for victories (25-5),
helping the Tartars win two Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles with a
trip to the Division II Final Four in 1993.
After two seasons as an assistant at Bowling Green
State University, he joined Izzo at Michigan State.
He began his coaching career on the prep level,
working as assistant varsity and head freshman coach
at Lincoln High in Ypsilanti, Mich.
An all-state performer at Catholic Central High in
Detroit, he lettered in 1985, ’86 and ’87 at Eastern
Michigan.
He is married to the former Ramona Webb and they
have two sons, Jordan (13) and Joshua (10). |
