Arkansas does not extend Pelphrey’s contract

Arkansas has decided not to roll over the coaching contract of former Kentucky player John Pelphrey. It’s a decision Pelphrey said Tuesday he understands and supports.
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Pelphrey’s contract runs for four more seasons, through April 8, 2014. He had gotten one-year extensions after each of his first two seasons at Arkansas.
Pelphrey met with the media Tuesday to introduce new assistant coach Brett Nelson, the former Florida player. Before being asked about his contract, Pelphrey revealed that the deal would not be rolled over this year.
Pelphrey said that when he met with Athletic Director Jeff Long in March, he told Long he didn’t expect or want a contract extension because he didn’t feel it “was necessary at this point in time.”
The Razorbacks finished 14-18 last season, including 7-9 in the SEC. That was an improvement over their 2-14 SEC mark in 2009, but they were 1-7 in their final eight games last season, capped by a loss to Georgia in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Pelphrey said suspensions and injuries “certainly played into us not having the type of year that we wanted.” He also said he feels secure in his job because of the support he’s received from Long and Chancellor David Gearhart.
Pelphrey has a 51-46 record at Arkansas, including 18-30 in the SEC.
“When John and I met after the season, we talked about every aspect of the program,” Long said Tuesday night in a statement. “We discussed the high expectations we both have for student-athlete success on and off the court. During the course of our review and discussion, John indicated that he didn’t expect an extension of his contract beyond the current agreement and reiterated his commitment to build the program to those high expectations.”