[pmayjr]

Gillespie is an interesting hire. I think it could work, but I'm not quite convinced. The first few years he will have to make a big impact. It will help if they can capitalize on a somewhat weaker Florida team (Florida will still be good eventhough they lost everyone), and get in a big recruiting class going into 2 seasons from now.

The guy that I think has been flying under the radar all along, and I think could end up in Arkansas, is Lon Kruger (the UNLV coach). I think he could've been very good for Kentucky too. He almost seems to have a Parcells type of M.O. to him. At every COLLEGE program he's coached at, he's won. But more than that, he's resurrected each program he's coached.

What was Florida before him? Billy Donovan has taken Florida to new heights, but Lon Krueger put the program on the map in the early-mid 90s. Then when Illinois went in the dumps in the mid 90s (when Lew Henson retired... temporarily), he made them a powerhouse. He's the one who's started this 10-year run that Illinois has been on. He laid the ground floor for that. It wasn't Bill Self, it wasn't Bruce Weber, it was Lon Kruger.

Then Krueger made the mistake that Pitino, Tarkanian, Mike Montgomery, Tim Floyd, etc etc etc have made: They took the big NBA $$$ and failed. right when Illinois was about to become a big-time national powerhouse, he left to coach the Atlanta Hawks... and failed just like every other Hawks coach in the last 10-15 years.

But then he turned up at UNLV, and in 2 seasons has made them a formidable team again. Vegas isn't such a bad place to be, and he could make UNLV into a Mountain West powerhouse. Just like Rick Majerus and Utah in the late 90s. BUT THIS IS WHERE THE PARCELL'S COMPARISON COMES INTO PLAY: He resurrects down programs, and then doesn't stick around for the long-term success.

If UK would've given him a chance, I think he might've finally found his permanent home. I think Arkansas would be smart to give him a look. They have a core group coming back, and Krueger can build that team for the future as well.