After coaching at his alma mater for eight years, Mike's neighbor goes out in Arkansas. multiple Sources confirmed by SB Nation The neighbor and Arkansas have said goodbye, and Razorback officially framed his firing in resignation Tuesday afternoon.
Razorbacks owes a $1 million North acquisition to its neighbor. He returned to Fayetteville a year after taking him to Washington. WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum – First time in the Final Four. However, the neighbors were unable to reach that level of success with Razorback.
He ran three strong campaigns between 2019 and 2022, but the NCAA Tournament was cancelled in 2020, with pigs bouncing in the first rounds of 2021 and 2022. Arkansas was left on the wrong side of the Multimadness Bubble in 2023, with neighbors setting a 9-23 record in SEC play over the past two seasons.
Overall, the neighbors went 148-114 in Arkansas, ranked 10th in the AP Top 25 poll, generating two WNBA draft picks and went to two NCAA tournaments. However, this season, when Arkansas had a 10-22 record, the .313 win rate was the worst since 1981.
The neighbor was not employed in 2017 by Hunter Jurachek, the current Arkansas athletic director. At the time, Jeff Long was still in charge of Hoggs' track and field, but Yurachek handed him an extension in 2021 until 2028.
Since Arkansas fell to 79-74 in Georgia last Wednesday, Yurachek has been pondering about firing his neighbor last week. Multiple sources confirmed with SB Nation that Yurachek has already spoken to one potential candidate for Grand Canyon Molly Miller.
Miller is from Missouri and is now just a coach. ArizonaArkansas has money. The neighbor's annual salary made him the eighth highest paying coach in the SEC, making him more than both former Missouri and Arizona coaches, Robin Pingeton and Natasha Adair.
Miller, 38, is scheduled to coach Grand Canyon at the 3pm WAC tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday. She led the perfect 16-0 mark with a 29-2 overall record (two power four victories) in the regular season and a conference play. She went 114-37 in five seasons at Grand Canyon and went 180-17 as Division II head coach.
If Arkansas is unable to land the mirror, they could be in the next line.
Elena Lovato
Lovato, a longtime assistant to Vic Schafer in Mississippi and now Texas, is widely respected in his coaching circle and has many experience as a head coach and assistant at various levels. In addition to helping Schafer's team achieve a high level of success, Lovato was the head coach of Division II Arkansas Fort Smith, leading her team to the Division II NCAA Tournament in her second season. She also had a 113-8 record as a junior college head coach and won two NJCAA National Championships. Lovato knows the SEC and knows how to acquire and know recruiting areas around Arkansas.
Kelly Harper
It doesn't look like Harper will get a Missouri gig, but she may be suitable for Arkansas. Four Stops as Head Coach – Western Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri and Tennessee – Harper is on the sidelines for 60.2 wins, nine NCAA tournament appearances and five conference championships in five seasons. She took Missouri to the Sweet 16 and helped turn it into a mid-way powerhouse, leading Lady Vols twice in the madness of March second weekend. Arkansas has not been to Sweet 16 since 1998. Harper didn't meet her expectations in Tennessee, but she has consistently demonstrated her ability to win at a high level.
Ayla Guzzardo
This sounds like a long shot on paper, but in fact, the jump from Southland to the SEC is a big thing – there is a connection between Gzardo and Juracek. He was there as Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director when she was finishing her playing career at Akron. At least it's unlikely that they know each other. After Se Louisiana Lions lost a record in 22 of the last 24 seasons, Guzzardo led them to a campaign where they won in five straights. Additionally, Se Louisiana's only NCAA Tournament Birth posted her watch in 2023, and as the Southland Tournament begins, she is looking at her second bid for Big Dance this week. The Lions are the top seed after winning the regular season title.
