Sports Talk With Bo Mattingly's Podcast

Corey Beck was the heart and soul of the Arkansas Razorbacks’ 1994 national championship team, and was beloved by fans for his toughness, grit and grind. But he also feels misunderstood. In Part 2 of our two-part story, we talk with him about his post-Arkansas playing days in the CBA (where he would run into Eric Musselman), the struggles he sometimes faced in his life after basketball, and how one terrifying night would lead to him turning his life around.

Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman and his wife, Danyelle, recently sat down for a Q&A session with fans on Instagram Live. In case you missed it, here's your chance to catch up and get to know the Musselmans—from what they love about Arkansas to lifestyle and everything in between.

When you think of the name Corey Beck, what comes to mind? He didn't win a lot of awards, but without him, there probably isn't a national title to celebrate. His toughness and competitive nature made him a fan favorite, but where did that grit and grind come from? It started with him growing up and playing ball in Memphis, and via a trip to the JUCO ranks, would end up with him finding the perfect match for him as a coach in Hall of Famer Nolan Richardson. Hard work would help his game flourish, as he became the unquestioned leader on the best Razorback team in history. In the first episode of a two-part story, it's how Corey Beck's early life helped Arkansas win the 1994 national championship.

In this bonus episode of The Hog Pod, Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman sits down with Razorback soccer coach Colby Hale, two standouts in their profession. Musselman has won at least 20 games in every season as a head coach, and Hale has guided Arkansas to four straight SEC Tournament championship games. The two of them converse on a wide range of topics, from leadership strategies to growing as a coach. What were their first jobs, and what did they learn from them? How are they constantly working to evolve and become better coaches? And what goes into being a good leader?

Being a career assistant coach in major college football gives Razorback head coach Sam Pittman a unique perspective. When you’ve spent you’re career learning from some of the best in the business, you’re going to have a great idea of what works and what doesn’t. And that extends into recruiting, an area where Pittman has had tremendous success throughout his career. And relationships with current players are just as important. Pittman is going to tell you what’s on his mind and how he feels. He’s transparent and honest, qualities that resonate in the state. In this conversation, we go inside Pittman's coaching mind to learn what makes him a great recruiter, why honesty is the best policy, and what being a "players' coach" really means.

The offseason came quicker for college basketball than anyone expected. But Arkansas and head coach Eric Musselman got right to work. From posting viral videos on social media and marketing, to statistical breakdowns and helping his guys improve, we go behind the scenes of building a program.

The first thing you notice about Earl Boykins is that he wasn’t your average NBA player. Standing at just 5-foot-5, he still ranks as the second-shortest player in NBA history—and has been fighting perception his entire life. Because of his height, Boykins wasn’t on the recruiting radar of major college basketball teams, but still managed to find some NCAA Tournament magic. How’d he do it? And how, despite doubts, did he manage to eventually carve out a role in the NBA? We cover it all in this episode, from getting his shot in the NBA to what he's doing now at Arkansas with Eric Musselman—the coach who gave him his big break in the league.

In high school, Kendal Briles was a QB, living the dream that is the Friday Night Lights of Texas HS football. His dad was a Texas coaching legend. You might think that Kendal would follow his dad's footsteps and get into coaching, but that's not what happened...at least not immediately. But he got a chance when his dad moved to the college ranks, and hasn't looked back. We chat with Kendal about his journey to joining Sam Pittman's staff at Arkansas, his offensive philosophy and what he's learned along the way.

Mason Jones is in the thick of the conversation for SEC Player of the Year. But getting to that point hasn’t been easy. In this episode, we talk with him about why he was overshadowed by his brother and sister—who would go on to win a national title at Duke and set assist records at Texas A&M, respectively. Mason tells us about why he struggled with weight as a kid, not getting major college offers and going the JUCO route. Now he’s setting records and leading Arkansas in scoring … and he’s not living in anyone’s shadow.

How do you get a player past the point of being scared to fail? Getting his pitchers to believe they have the stuff to succeed is Matt Hobbs' M.O. We chat with Arkansas' pitching coach and learn how he does just that, becoming known as one of the top coaches in the game when it comes to using analytics and technology. Hobbs takes us through his coaching journey, why he loves to learn and why working at Arkansas is the best baseball job in the country.

Alexis Tolefree was told she was too small to play in the SEC. Now, she’s one of the best shooters in the league. We get to know the senior standout, and talk about her love for collecting sneakers (3:15), as well as how she developed her work ethic and wouldn’t let her size define her (7:57). She tells us about her relationship with her mom and the sacrifices that went into having her basketball career (17:00). We hear the story of how she lost a ping-pong game to Mike Neighbors that helped seal her commitment to the Razorbacks (26:10), and the difficulties of transferring from a JUCO and adjusting to major college life (31:25). Finally, we get into what defines her and who she wants to be (35:17).

It's a special bonus episode of The Hog Pod previewing the 2020 Arkansas baseball season with Dave Van Horn! You heard some of our conversation with DVH earlier this week, but went long and are bringing you the best way to preview the Razorbacks as they look for a third straight trip to Omaha.

Dave Van Horn wants to win a national championship for his alma mater. In this episode, we go inside the mind of the Razorbacks head coach. We talk about building a winning culture (5:00), how he runs practice (18:44) and his relationship with umpires (23:38). DVH tells us about the role of analytics in his program (28:59) and how he game plans for an SEC series (30:44). Finally, we get into how he's changed in his time at Arkansas and his desire to bring home a national title (38:43).

Barry Odom is regarded as one of the best defensive minds in college football. So we sit down with him to tell his story, starting with how he found himself being the new defensive coordinator at Arkansas (2:13). We talk about what makes a good defense in today’s game (11:11), and about how he got into coaching and what his time at Missouri was like (17:00). Finally, he tells us what his vision is for building a defense at Arkansas (25:55).

Jimmy Whitt Jr. is not your typical college basketball player. We sit down with him to talk about everything from his play on the court to his journey off it, starting with how he ended up at Arkansas and what led to him transferring (2:13). He tells us how he ended up transferring back to the Razorbacks (7:55), and about his unique play on the court (15:00). We talk about what it’s like to play for Eric Musselman (19:14) and how he thinks his teammates would describe him (26:30). Finally, we get some thoughts from him on this year’s squad (28:05).

Sidney Moncrief is a Basketball Hall of Famer and a member of the legendary “Triplets” who led Arkansas to the 1978 Final Four. We start our conversation with the five-time NBA All-Star about what he’s most proud of in his career (3:25), what growing up in Arkansas was like and how he started playing basketball. We talk about how he ended up at Arkansas with Eddie Sutton (16:06), and how Sutton helped unlock the Triplets’ potential (23:40). Moncrief tells us what made him a great defensive player (37:35) and even shares a hilarious Michael Jordan story (40:16). Finally, we talk about what it was like to get the call that he was heading to the Hall of Fame (46:50).

Matt Zimmerman is all-Razorback, no matter what. We sit down with the current radio color analyst for men’s basketball games to talk about his life and career, starting with growing up in Arkansas and the difficulty of transitioning to his new role (5:56). We talk about how he became a student manager with the Razorback basketball team (20:09) and his role in the “Strollin’ with Nolan” game (28:34). He tells us about his time in the Army and becoming a high school coach, and how he ended up on Mike Anderson’s staff at UAB, Missouri and Arkansas (35:35). We get into his transition into his new role as radio analyst (47:38), and finally, he shares a must-listen story about finding a lucky penny (56:14).

Isaiah Joe is one of the best shooters in college basketball, and we sat down with him to help Hog fans get to know one of the Razorbacks’ stars. We begin our conversation with him always wanting to be a Razorback (2:04) and putting the work in to continually get better (7:30). He talks about what it’s like to play for Eric Musselman (11:52), and why he wants to be known as more than just a shooter (14:21). We get to know Isaiah a little better, talking about everything from favorite TV shows and movies to who he thinks is the best basketball player of all time (19:45). Finally, we get his thoughts on where he sees his future in basketball (26:53).  

Mike Neighbors’ dream has always been to be the head coach of Arkansas’ women’s basketball team. We start our conversation with how getting cut from the Razorback baseball team spurred him on to try coaching (2:49). We talk about why he’s eliminated “goals” from the program (7:50) and how he started his coaching career at the high school level (13:54). Neighbors tells us about how having his first heart attack changed everything for him (16:45), and how that journey led to him getting his first head coaching job at Washington (26:11). Finally, we get into how playing guitar helps him decompress (42:00), and how he’d describe himself as a coach (43:29).

Sam Pittman was recently introduced as Arkansas’ new football coach, and we sat down with the Head Hog to tell his story. We start with how he fell in love with the Razorbacks as a teenager (4:00), and how getting offered the head coaching job is one of the highlights of his life (9:10). We talk about what he looks like as a head coach (21:31), and how he plans to recruit at Arkansas (27:36). Finally, we get into how he wants to build a staff (36:07) and how he plans on making this his final coaching stop (39:29).