Neighbors: Blair Meant More to Women's Basketball in State Than Just Hogs

Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors on Gary Blair's importance to girls' basketball in Arkansas

Arkansas women's coach Mike Neighbors first got wind of something changing at Texas A&M on social media Wednesday night.

"I thought it might be a chance," he said leaving practice Thursday about Blair's announcement he would be stepping down at the end of the season. "The timing was surprising, though."

But he wasn't expecting it and he talks to Blair fairly regularly.

Blair coached the Razorbacks from 1993-2003 and had a 196-120 record. He coached the Hogs to a Final Four appearance in 1997-09 and won a Women's NIT title the next year.

"He legitimized the program on the move to the SEC and made it important," Neighbors said.

Neighbors was bouncing around at the high school level, but wanted to be on Blair's staff at Arkansas. He finally made it.

"He gave me a shot," Neighbors said. "He made me his first director operations."

Texas A&M coach Gary Blair's announcement came as surprise to Hogs coach Mike Neighbors / Andy Hodges

More importantly, Blair got girls interested in playing basketball across Arkansas and built a huge fan base that Neighbors is working to get back to that high level where Bud Walton Arena is packed for women's basketball.

"The fan base we have is largely from what he started," Neighbors said. "He made it important and connected with the high schools all across the state."

Blair won't get to make a final trip to Fayetteville. The Hogs play the Aggies on Feb. 3 in College Station.

"I'm glad he's getting to finish out like he is," Neighbors said. "We can't get him here to give him a rocking chair or whatever.

"But we will have something for him on the plane when we go to College Station."

Arkansas' women's team will open play with an exhibition game against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday, Nov. 5, at Bud Walton Arena in a game starting at 6 p.m.

The regular season will get under way Wednesday, Nov. 10, with a 7 p.m. start at Bud Walton.

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