Pelphrey’s Contract To Be Extended To 2014

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas officials are in the process of finalizing the paperwork that would extend the contract of men’s basketball coach John Pelphrey from 2012 to 2014, Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long told The Morning News on Friday.

Long said he spoke with Pelphrey in June and informed the coach that his contract would be extended for another year.

University officials are also working on finalizing the paperwork for the one-year extension that Long agreed to give Pelphrey after he took the Razorbacks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament during the 2007-08 season.

Because of some delays involving attorneys, Long said the paperwork for last year’s extension hasn’t been completed.

“At the end of every season, the way coach Pelphrey’s contract is structured, I need to make a decision whether to extend him another year or let him know that he has not been extended,” Long said.

“This summer, as part of our process, I notify him that he’s being extended per his contract and that’s what we’ve done. We haven’t finalized the paperwork on that at this time.”

Long said Pelphrey’s new deal doesn’t include a raise. The extension agreed to last summer pushed the length of Pelphrey’s contract to 2013 and the new deal extends it to 2014.

“Going back with attorneys and whatever, that (first extension) never got finalized. But the agreement, the commitment, was there,” Long said. “So, this year when I made the decision to roll him over, we just decided we would handle both years with one document.”

On Thursday, Long expressed his support for Pelphrey, who has had to deal with a tumultuous offseason that has seen several players transfer, leave the team or get suspended.

Pelphrey announced Sunday that troubled guard/forward Jason Henry will not return next season. A source close to the program told The Morning News on Thursday that guard Stefan Welsh has been suspended indefinitely from the team because of academic issues.

In addition, forwards Brandon Moore and Andre Clark decided to transfer after last season, leaving the Razorbacks with only two players from last year’s six-man recruiting class.

But Long said the long-term deals that Pelphrey, Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino and baseball coach Dave Van Horn have further proves that “they have a commitment from the university and likewise we know that we have a commitment” from them.