Those who were around in those days seem to consider Wimp Sanderson as one of the better coaches we have had in Little Rock, having led the Trojans to the NIT. He was the coach in both the 1995-96 and '96-'97 seasons.
Malik Dixon was our second-best all-time scorer, his total points being eclipsed only by James Scott. He played in both the '96 and '97 seasons.
Muntrelle Dobbins is the second-leading rebounder in Little Rock history, behind only Larry Johnson. He is also 8th on the all-time points list. He played on both of those teams.
In both the 1996 and 1997 seasons, we had one of our better coaches, our second-best all time scorer and our second-best all-time rebounder. Yet in 1996 we were 23-7 and went to the NIT and in 1997 we were 18-11 and did not go to post-season. Why the drop-off, considering what we had coming back? The answer? In 1996 we had Derek Fisher, and in 1997 we did not.
Derek Fisher is without doubt one of the best players in program history, if not the best. His absence left a BIG hole in the program. We were still pretty good, but no better than that. Josh Hagins might not quite have equalled Fisher's impact on the program, but he was pretty close. His stats were comparable, and his leadership was outstanding. Last year we had the best season in program history, this season we have been mediocre at best. Quite a drop-off.
My point is that you cannot lose an all-time great from your program without it having a profound affect on the team. Wimp had two of the program's all-time great players returning in the second of those two years, and still had a five-win drop-off, with no post-season. The fall was more drastic this season, but then Wes Flanigan did not have Dixon and Dobbins to help break the fall. Should some of the blame fall on the coach? Certainly, but even a very good coach cannot by himself always close the talent gap.
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