John Pelphrey is entering his third season at Arkansas, but for the first time has an experienced group of returnees who are accustomed to playing in his system.

His first season, in 2008, he inherited a veteran club featuring six seniors, but they had to learn Pelphrey's style on the run. Last year, Pelphrey and staff started from scratch with a roster featuring seven newcomers.

This year, the Razorbacks return six lettermen from last year, including all five starters, while welcoming six newcomers who will immediately provide depth and competition for playing time.

Pelphrey, who is beginning his eighth season overall as a head coach, set a school record in 2008 for wins by a first-year Arkansas head coach after taking the position on April 9, 2007. In the process, he became the first first-year coach to lead Arkansas to a post-season tournament appearance as the Hogs advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas went 23-12, finished second in the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, advanced to the finals of the SEC Tournament and won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. The Razorbacks were ranked as high as No. 18 during the season and ended the year receiving votes after going 6-2 against ranked teams with a win over No. 24 Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Pelphrey's 23 wins easily set a school record by a first-year head coach, topping the 19-7 mark of Eugene Lambert in 1943. Arkansas' best win total since 1999 (23-11) was achieved with improved offense and rebounding.

The 2008 squad averaged 74.1 points, its best since 2002 (74.9); shot .468 from the field, its best since 1994 (.488); made 514 free throws, its most since 1995 (609); had 1,274 rebounds, its most since 1998 (1,306); averaged 36.4 boards, its best since 2003 (38.0); and limited opponents to 32.2 rebounds, its best defensive average since 1985 (27.5).

In 2009, he had just one starter and three lettermen back from the 23-12 club. Despite returning just 14 percent of the team's scoring, 17 percent of the rebounding, 13 percent of the field goals and free throws, 21 percent of the assists and 19 percent of the steals from 2008, he kept the Razorbacks competitive as they finished 14-16. The roster featured seven newcomers and little depth, but the Hogs posted wins over No. 4 Oklahoma, 96-88, and No. 7 Texas, 67-61, and won the championship of the Jim Thorpe Classic.

Pelphrey is a former standout at Kentucky for Eddie Sutton and Rick Pitino (1988-92), and he has learned from some of the best as an assistant under Sutton and Billy Donovan.

In 2006, he led South Alabama to the biggest turnaround in the nation, a Sun Belt Conference West Division title, the conference tournament title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In five years at USA, his teams went 14-14 in 2003, 12-16 in 2004, 10-18 in 2005, 24-7 in 2006 and 20-12 in 2007.

His 2007 squad replaced its top three scorers from 2006, but USA went 20-12 and won the Sun Belt regular season title at 13-5 before falling at Syracuse, 79-73, in a first-round NIT game.

Pelphrey's final USA team led the Sun Belt in turnover margin (+2.53), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12) and three-point defense (.325), and was second in steals (7.22) and scoring defense (67.3). The Jaguars also made 272-of-749 three-pointers, an average of 8.5 per game, while scoring 71.3 points.

The 2006 team, which lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual national champion Florida, 76-50, led the league in scoring margin (+8.1) and three-point defense (.300), and was second in steals (8.52) and scoring defense (65.6). USA hit 267-of-728 threes, an average of 8.6 per game, and scored 73.6 points a game.

In making the biggest turnaround in the nation, USA improved from 62.3 points in 2005 to 73.6 in 2006, from a .416 field-goal percentage to .453, a .646 free-throw percentage to .703, a .351 defensive three-point percentage to .300, 16.0 turnovers to 13.4, 11.0 assists to 14.1, 13.9 turnovers forced to 16.8, 7.6 steals to 8.5 and 207 made three-pointers to 267. 

The Paintsville, Ky., native went to South Alabama following six seasons as an assistant under Donovan at Florida from 1997-2002. He was also an assistant under Donovan for two years at Marshall in 1995 and '96.

The 2006 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year began his coaching career as an assistant to Sutton, who he played for at Kentucky, at Oklahoma State in 1994.

In his six seasons at Florida, the Gators went 124-65 with a then school-record four straight NCAA Tournament bids after one trip to the NIT. Florida reached the national championship game in 2000 and the Sweet 16 in 1999.  

As an assistant under Donovan at Marshall, the Thundering Herd went 18-9 in 1995 and 17-11 in '96 after going 9-18 the year before they arrived.

Under Sutton at OSU in 1994, the Cowboys were 24-10 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Pelphrey began his coaching career following one season playing professionally in France and Spain.

He played two years under Sutton and three under Pitino at Kentucky. After redshirting in 1988, he lettered from 1989-92 and was a team captain in 1991 and '92. He averaged 1.7 points as a freshman under Sutton.

In Pitino's first year in 1990, with Donovan as an assistant, Pelphrey improved to 13.0 points as a sophomore. As a junior in '91, he averaged a team-high tying 14.4 points on a 22-6 squad, earning honorable mention All-America and first-team All-SEC honors.

In 1992, he was second on the team with 12.5 points, helping the Wildcats go 29-7, win the SEC Tournament and end the year ranked No. 6 in the nation. Kentucky advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, falling to Duke, 104-103 in overtime, in what is often regarded as one of the best college basketball games in history. Duke won on Christian Laettner's buzzer-beating jumper. Pelphrey was one of four seniors on that squad known to UK fans as "The Unforgettables."

Inducted into the Kentucky Hall of Fame in 2005 and named UK's Student-Athlete of the Year in 1989, his jersey number (No. 34) was retired in 1992. Over his UK career, he started 90 of 114 games and finished with a career scoring average of 11.0 points.

The son of two teachers, he served on UK's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from 1990-92 and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1990. He graduated from Kentucky in 1992.

Named Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky as a senior at Paintsville High in 1987, he scored 2,477 points and claimed 1,316 rebounds for his career.

Pelphrey is married to the former Tracy Lyon and they have a son, Jaxson Hamilton (13) and a daughter, Grace Donovan (10).