Pelphrey gets warm welcome
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The cheering started as soon as Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey stepped onto the court and started walking toward the Razorbacks’ bench a few minutes before Saturday’s game against Kentucky.
Then Pelphrey, a former Kentucky player whose jersey was retired in 1992 after his senior season, got a standing ovation when he was introduced to the Rupp Arena crowd.
Not one boo could be heard from the 24, 371 fans who composed the fifth-largest home crowd in Kentucky history.
For Kentucky fans, the game turned out as most of them probably had hoped. Arkansas played hard and made it close, but the Wildcats won in the end, 63-58.
“I think just about everyone knows how I feel about this place,” Pelphrey said after the game. “It was a flood of memories as I walked back into the building.
“ I held my daughter’s hand as I went through the back door, and it was a very strange feeling.
“ I have to remind myself my kids are 11 and 8 years old.”
Pelphrey also was cheered by the fans when he went back onto the court to do his postgame radio show. Everywhere he walked throughout the building, fans and workers alike wanted to shake his hand and say hello.
Arkansas’ players obviously know about Pelphrey’s strong ties to Kentucky, but senior center Steven Hill said Pelphrey never spoke about it before or after the game.
“He just approached it like any other game,” Hill said. “He was focused on the game.
“ He’s the same Coach Pelphrey. He coached just as hard as he always does.
Pelphrey grew up in Paintsville, Ky., about 100 miles east of Lexington. His parents, Jack and Jennie Pelphrey, still live there. They were among the Arkansas fans sitting behind the Razorbacks’ bench Saturday.
But Pelphrey figures most of Paintsville was rooting for Kentucky to beat Arkansas.
“ Now I’ve got to listen to all the people back in Paintsville talk about who is better,” he said. Second-half Sonny Arkansas senior forward Sonny Weems scored 22 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, when he was 9 of 13 from the field. In the first half, he shot 1 of 7. “I just wanted to play within the offense today,” Weems said. “Whenever I had a shot, I took it. I didn’t do anything spectacular.”
Pelphrey pin A pin commemorating Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey’s return to Rupp Arena was a hot seller before the game. The 101 Club, a booster group that assists at Kentucky games as ushers and security personnel, sold the pins for $ 5 each to raise funds for the UK Basketball Museum. The pin had “Welcome Home John Pelphrey” written on it along with UK and Razorback logos with a silver basketball. It also listed Rupp Arena and the game’s date, Feb. 23, 2008. About 500 pins were produced and more than 300 had been sold two hours before tipoff. The 101 Club derives its name from the fact it began with 101 members in 1962. It now has more than 300 members.
FT difference Kentucky hit 20 of 27 free throws compared with 10 of 14 by Arkansas. The difference reflected the fouls called — 21 against the Razorbacks and 10 against the Wildcats. Arkansas never got into the 1-and-1 bonus at the freethrow line with Kentucky being called for five fouls in each half. “I thought it was very good,” Razorbacks Coach John Pelphrey said with a hint of sarcasm when asked about Kentucky’s ability to play such good defense without fouling. “To foul 10 times in 40 minutes is very good.”
Tough game Arkansas sophomore guard Patrick Beverley shot 1 of 8 from the field, including 1 of 5 on three-point attempts. “Patrick gets [defensive ] attention all the time,” Razorbacks Coach John Pelphrey said. “He’ll bounce back.” This and that Kentucky has clinched its 19 th consecutive winning season.... Arkansas trails 7-22 in its series against the Wildcats and is 2-10 at Rupp Arena.... David Hobbs, the former Alabama coach and Kentucky assistant, attended the game as a scout for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats. He still lives in Lexington.
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