Gap Between 1994 Champs and Today May Be Narrowing

UA Athletic Director Reaches Out To Richardson

Last updated Sunday, February 17, 2008 6:34 PM CST in Columns

By Grant Hall
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS

Long asked if it would be all right if he came to Richardson's farm for a visit about several things, and Nolan said, "That would be fine."

Later, Richardson said he was impressed with Long.

Any remaining ice between Richardson and the UA seems to be breaking.

All-time leading UA scorer Todd Day, who played for Richardson from 1989-1992, will speak at the Tip-Off Club luncheon on March 4, and club organizer Wayne Stehlik hinted about possible future recognition for Day's era.

"There's been a huge gap between our time and the current team," said Thurman (1993-95). "I was 19 when we won the national title and now I'm 33. It would be nice to bridge that gap."

Others talked about the basketball continuum at schools like North Carolina and Duke.

Stehlik said the 1993-94 players still hurt as much as anyone when the current Razorbacks lose, and Corliss Williamson confirmed that.

"We want to do what we can to help coach (John) Pelphrey," Williamson said.

Both Thurman and Williamson said they were excited just to see everyone together again.

"You guys have no idea," Thurman told the Tip-Off gathering. "I was inducted into the UA Hall of Honor, but this is more special. I was driving 90 miles an hour to get here."

Williamson knew the feeling.

"Just to be together as a team -- I miss those days," he said. "Coach Richardson has done a lot for this university. Maybe this rift is going to be ending."

Arkansas athletic director emeritus Frank Broyles told the Downtown Tip-Off Club in Little Rock last week that he thought Long's friendly overture to Richardson was "wonderful."

One of the most impressive speakers Friday was 1991-96 UA walk-on Reggie Merritt, who earned his degree in 1996 and later added a master's in business from Webster University. He's the coordinator for school health for the Little Rock school district, for which he has worked 10 years. Merritt still plays basketball twice a week in an over-30 league, "to keep the cardio up."

Eddins (UA 2000-03) tried playing on a 3-on-3 men's league team with Thurman and former Hog Sunday Adebayo, but he said, "After I missed my first two shots, Scotty came over and said, 'Hey, man, why don't you just rebound and pass?' I think he made 23 3-point shots that night. I took two more shots -- both layups."

Eddins later joked that the absent Darnell "Tank" Robinson was perhaps "sitting by the phone, waiting for the NBA to call."

Clint McDaniel, who once had the same agent Robinson did, said he last talked to Robinson three years ago but knows he's still in Oakland, Calif.

McDaniel lives in Kansas City, where he works as a personal trainer to young players. McDaniel can share his NBA experiences as a player at Sacramento and Washington.

Thurman coaches his 13-year-old son, Scotty Jr., on an AAU team, when not working in real estate in Little Rock.

Williamson is an assistant coach at Arkansas Baptist College, a school he said is made up mostly of black males.

"Our enrollment has grown from 150 to 600 in one year," he said proudly.

Williamson earned his UA degree in 2003, a year or so after Thurman did.

Elmer Martin, after seven years as a Harlem Globetrotter, needs 12 hours for his degree and is looking into finishing it. Meanwhile, he runs Martin Family Painting in Fayetteville.

Memphis natives Dwight Stewart and Corey Beck were among the happiest reunion members. They loved seeing the fans.

Beck, with two daughters alongside, recalled losing to North Carolina in the 1993 NCAA East Regional and later realizing with his teammates, "That should be us out there, still playing."

Sure enough, the next year it was.

Thurman joked that if Stewart hadn't fumbled a pass in the final minute against Duke in the 1994 title game, he wouldn't have had to shoot his famous 3-pointer over Antonio Lang. Thurman's shot came with about a tick left on the shot clock, and put Arkansas up 73-70. The Hogs won 76-72.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," Thurman said, modestly.

Richardson was just happy Duke wasn't leading Arkansas by 10 points anymore.

"Even if Scotty missed, we were still tied," he said. "And I knew we'd get the ball back some way. Most of our guys came to us as thieves. When Clint left Tulsa, the crime rate went down."

Richardson summarized: "That team could run it, walk it, and they all talked trash, especially Scotty. The one that bugs me the most is 1995 (title game loss to UCLA). Corliss went to sleep and never woke up. McDaniel did it by himself. But we had a great time."

About this columnist

Reader Comments (No comments posted.)

The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.