Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/11/2010 at 2:22pm

It's been one of the worst kept secrets among people who, on the record, wouldn't be quote and was speculated for months on local message boards, but Scotty Thurman is indeed joining the Arkansas Razorback basketball staff.

The UA announced the hiring of Thurman as director of student-athlete development, while also adding Sean Dwyer as the video coordinator. Thurman's position was originally planned for Isaac Brown, who was switched from full-time assistant to head coach John Pelphrey after the 2009-10 season, but Brown left the staff to take an assistant's job at Arkansas State in Jonesboro.

Thurman, whose 3-point basket with 50.7 seconds left gave Arkansas a lead it never relinquished in beating Duke 76-72 for the 1994 national championship, most recently was coaching middle-school level basketball and working in marketing for Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock. Thurman spent several seasons playing professional basketball overseas. He left Arkansas for professional basketball following his junior season, when the Hogs finished runner-up in the 1995 NCAA Tournament.

It's been speculated that Pelphrey, who has suffered through back-to-back losing seasons while the program has seen a significant drop in support, was urged by higher ups (re: athletic director Jeff Long) to hire a familiar name from the Razorback past for his staff.

Arkansas could not announce Thurman's hiring until the position had been advertised for 30 days, and no one inside the athletic department, at least on record, was speaking about Thurman's return to Fayetteville.The hints, however, were there.

Thurman becomes the second member of the 1993-95 run of Razorback greatness to land a college job in recent months. UCA hired Corliss Williamson, the Most Outstanding Player in the 1994 Final Four and two-time All-American for the Razorbacks, as head coach following last season. Williamson previously had been an unpaid coach at Arkansas Baptist College, which operates a two-year junior college-type athetlic program.

Here's the press release issued by the University of Arkansas on Wednesday afternoon:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas Razorback men's basketball program added two to its support staff on Wednesday including one that Razorback fans are quite familiar with Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey announced. Former Razorback Scotty Thurman joins the staff as Director of Student-Athlete Development and Sean Dwyer has assumed the role of video coordinator.

Thurman, who played for the Razorbacks between 1993 and 1995 and hit what is widely considered the most famous shot in Arkansas basketball history, was an All-American his junior year and ranks 10th on Arkansas' all-time scoring list with 1,650 points. He continues to hold Arkansas' single season record for three-point baskets in a season with 102 and ranks second on the career three point chart with 267, but it was his three pointer at the buzzer of the 1994 national championship game against the Duke Blue Devils that secured the Razorbacks' national title which he is best known for.

"I am very excited to bring Scotty back to Fayetteville to be a member of our staff," Pelphrey said. "He is a quality individual who will quickly develop a strong relationship with our players. He has had a chance to play not just at Arkansas, but also on the professional level, earn a degree and make a life for himself, all things that we expect our current and future players to do. Scotty has been able to transition from a player at the highest levels to a professional and has had success in all aspects of his life. I am excited about the perspective that he will be able to provide."

In his position as Director of Student-Athlete Development, Thurman is tasked with assisting the student-athlete development program, designing and implementing programs that focus on off-the-court development as well as mentoring student-athletes. Thurman's assignments also include assisting with the planning and execution of community service projects and implementing a program that will keep former Razorbacks connected with the men's basketball program.

"As the director of student-athlete development, Scotty will have an opportunity to help mentor student-athletes in our men's basketball program," Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. "This is another step in our continued commitment to student-athlete development. We are excited to bring back a former Razorback who can bring an informed perspective to our student-athletes and help equip them with life skills through our student-development program."

Prior to joining the Razorbacks, for the second time, Thurman was working in Little Rock as a teacher and coach at the Episcopal Collegiate School. He was the head coach of the sixth grade boys basketball team and assisted with the eighth grade and high school teams. His second stint with the Razorbacks is his first experience as a collegiate coach or administrator.

After leaving the Razorbacks following their national runner-up finish in 1995, Thurman went on to a very good 11-year professional basketball career overseas in Lebanon, Greece, Cyprus and Italy.

Dwyer comes to Arkansas after a year with the Florida basketball program as a graduate assistant and assistant video coordinator. In that capacity he organized the Gator's scouting video and library, analyzed film and created edits for the coaching staff as well as helping with the Florida basketball camps. Prior to joining the Gators, Dwyer was a student manager for Michigan State where he contributed to the video preparation of the Spartans and assisted with team practices, organized player ticket requests and team meals and helped with summer individual workouts.

"In Sean we add another extremely qualified individual who has worked with two of the best programs in college basketball, Michigan St. and Florida" Pelphrey said. "He is young and energetic and will continue to help us develop the video portion of our program. For both coaches and players this is the biggest tool, outside of practice, to improve our performance."

A native of Saginaw, Mich., Dwyer graduated from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State in 2009 with a degree in finance. He was also a part of Michigan State's runner-up finish at the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Tagged: Jeff Long, John Pelphrey, Scotty Thurman