With program running Hog wild, Pelphrey needs to pile up wins

No Arkansas basketball players will be charged with rape.

That's good for John Pelphrey.

But the mere news that three of his student-athletes were accused of raping a woman at a fraternity house late last month was enough to garner negative headlines across the country Wednesday, and the fact that the story broke on the opening of a 27-day recruiting period couldn't have simplified the Arkansas staff's visits with prospects and their families.

Imagine ...

Arkansas coach: Thanks for meeting with us. We'd love to tell you about the University of Arkansas.

Prospect's parent: That's great. But first tell me about this rape allegation.

John Pelphrey has 11 SEC wins in two seasons as coach of Arkansas. (US Presswire)

There's no good way around it. Doesn't matter that prosecutor John Threet said there was "insufficient evidence" to bring charges against players, doesn't matter that deputy prosecutor Dustin Roberts said the sex between the players and the 18-year-old Arkansas student "seems to be consensual." By the time those statements were made, the damage was done. The words "Arkansas" and "basketball" and "rape" had already appeared on every relevant sports website, and how much more do you think it'll take for Pelphrey to ram his head directly into a brick wall?

Or for the Arkansas administration to do it for him?

Let me be clear: Pelphrey is a good coach with a good background. I was for the hire when it happened. I still think he can make it. But there's no denying that the former Kentucky star has been dealing with what seems like a never-ending stream of bad publicity lately. And though it's difficult to pin any of the problems directly to Pelphrey, at some point the head coach is held responsible for the stains on his program.

That's the way college athletics work.

And, I tell you, there sure are a lot of stains.

There have been an unusual number of suspensions and/or dismissals, two drinking-and-driving incidents, a dreadful APR report, a former player admitting he had a paper written for him while in school, and a letter from the NCAA alleging possible recruiting violations in Mississippi.

Now there are also rape allegations against three players.

And on top of everything else, the team is coming off a lousy season.

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Remember, the Hogs won but two SEC games in Pelphrey's second year. So it was a terrible season followed by a terrible offseason, and the only way for Pelphrey to turn it around is to do what Missouri's Mike Anderson did to quiet his critics, i.e., avoid any additional off-the-court issues and start winning big.

There's no other way out of this mess. Pelphrey either has to recruit better kids into the program or cross his fingers and hope his bad kids don't act badly anymore. One of the two. And then he has to win, and soon. Because the standard coaches often apply to players is the same standard Arkansas officials will inevitably apply to him.

That standard: Are you better than your problems?

When you are, it's easy to survive.

(See: Urban Meyer)

When you aren't, it's hard.

(See: Billy Gillispie)

So the number of wins must go up and the number of embarrassments must go down.

Otherwise, things at Arkansas are going to get ugly.

Or uglier, I should say.

And a coach's once-promising career could be derailed because of it.