
| Posted: Friday March 2, 2007 11:09AM; Updated: Friday March 2, 2007 11:09AM
It appears that Stan Heath's run at Arkansas will end after this season. The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, citing an anonymous source close to the men's basketball program, reported this week that Heath needs to coach the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournament to keep his job. The entire SEC West has to be worried, knowing the only certainty of getting an NCAA bid is to win the conference tournament. Alabama's victory over Mississippi Wednesday night gives the Crimson Tide some hope. Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer downplayed Thursday the fact that he wouldn't be getting a raise for a second straight year and said his interest was making sure that his assistant coaches were rewarded. Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton announced in a release Thursday night that Fulmer's contract would be extended two more years through 2013, but that his salary would remain at $2.05 million. Rich Rodriguez and his West Virginia Mountaineers staff plan to make some changes this spring to a defense that generously allowed 32 points per game over the final half of the football season. Rodriguez maintained he is sticking with the 3-3-5, Odd-Stack formation that the Mountaineers have used since his 2001 arrival, mostly with statistical success. Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey has given new offensive coordinator John Bond the freedom to rework the passing game, which must be more diversified now that Calvin Johnson is headed to the NFL. Bond has proven he can build a multiple offense. His last three units at Northern Illinois were ranked No. 14, No. 16 and No. 23 nationally. Beginning with the start of spring practice, Florida State defensive ends coach Jody Allen will take on a new responsibility, special teams coordinator, a role that's believed to be a first in the Bobby Bowden era. Pitt starting forward Levon Kendall did not go through a full practice yesterday because of a nagging turf toe injury, and his backup Sam Young is struggling with tendonitis in his knees. Both are expected to play tomorrow night against Marquette. South Carolina guard Tre' Kelley is a candidate to be the SEC's Player of the Year, yet somehow the senior wasn't named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All-District 5 Team. Wow, did that tick off Gamecocks coach Dave Odom. "I think it's despicable," Odom said Thursday on the SEC coaches teleconference. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||