FAYETTEVILLE — Like some actors and actresses accepting Academy Awards, Mike Neighbors thanked the little people.
Unlike some Oscar winners, Neighbors obviously didn’t privately think them little nor publicly called them such.
Nor was this an apex-like Oscar occasion. For it appears where third-year Arkansas coach and Greenwood native Neighbors takes the Razorbacks women’s basketball program, bigger things await the remainder of this season and well into the future considering his recruiting prowess.
Yet, it was a momentous Thursday night at Walton Arena. For against the Tennessee Lady Vols, the bastion of women’s basketball under the late Pat Summitt and formerly 31-3 against Arkansas, Neighbors’ Razorbacks now sport consecutive victories. Arkansas prevailed 80-79 last season in Knoxville, Tenn., and 83-75 Thursday night at Walton. In their now 5-31 ledger against Tennessee, the formerly called Lady’Backs previously never won consecutive games.
More importantly for these now 21-5 overall nationally 22nd ranked Razorbacks, their SEC record stands a nearly program pinnacle 9-4.
“Nine wins is a number that only happened one other time in school history,” Neighbors said. “There was a 10-win season with Coach (Tom) Collen in 2012.”
And with three SEC games to play starting Sunday at Florida, opportunities knock to meet or exceed their SEC regular season history. For the first time they could earn double bye to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals and play that tournament “on house money,” Neighbors said.
Surely Arkansas’ first NCAA Women’s Tournament bid since 2015 already is well in hand.
For this season’s success Neighbors of course thanks his three stars, transfers Chelsea Dungee, Amber Ramirez and Alexis Tolefree, and the dirty work role players flashing occasional stardom while augmenting them.
But to get his program where these stars came to shine took all that Neighbors could build upon from the players he inherited from coaching predecessor Jimmy Dykes. Current seniors Jailyn Mason, redshirting because of injury, and backup center Kiara Williams are a present part of that past.
Past ones like Malica Monk, Devin Cosper, Bailey Zimmerman and Keiryn Swenson all part of that Neighbors, 3-13 SEC first team in 2018, realized they were building something. They knew they were building even finishing statistically about like the 2-14 SEC team in 2017.
Building they were into last season’s 6-10 SEC team going 22-15 overall, winning three SEC Tournament games reaching the championship game then delving three rounds deep into the NIT.
They are a part of these nine SEC wins, Neighbors said.
“That speaks volumes for the kids that stayed, the kids that came, everybody that contributed over the last three years to get us to this point,” Neighbors said.
That point sports confidence they don’t just belong with a Tennessee but should beat a Tennessee.
“I’ll be honest with you, our kids expected to win tonight,” Neighbors said. “And that’s a great place to be. That says a lot about a how bunch of people stuck together when they didn’t have to.”