Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Memphis Coach Josh Pastner respects Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson. Pastner recognizes the potential strength of the Razorback program.

And because of that, Pastner has no interest in ever playing Arkansas in basketball. Protecting the wealth of talent in the Bluff City is his No. 1 priority and that’s a difficult prospect if the two schools play, he said during a recent interview on "The Show," the morning program for Hog Sports Radio in Northwest Arkansas.

“As long as I am the head coach of Memphis, I will not play Arkansas. … Nothing against Coach Anderson, and nothing against the Razorbacks. Um, I’ve said this before, like I said, I have great respect for [former Arkansas Coach John] Pelphrey. Obviously I have great respect for Coach Anderson. I have great respect for the Razorback program. But, um, I don’t want to have to… I don’t want to play a team that wants to come in and try to recruit Memphis all the time.

“You say, ‘Well, coach, will that really make a difference?’ As a coach, as a coach, my whole thing is, you know, you don’t want to give anyone an advantage. My whole thing is if Arkansas wants to play Memphis so bad, then they should vote us in the SEC.”

Arkansas landed a commitment from the Memphis area -- shooting guard Anthlon Bell on Wednesday. Memphis did not offer Bell, but was recruiting him. The Razorbacks and Tigers are recruiting against each other for prospects, including 5-star power forward Jarnell Stokes (6-8, 250).

Preventing Arkansas more exposure to players like Stokes is Pastner’s motivation, which he outlines in the interview. (Never mentioning Stokes by name, of course.)

There’s more on the subject from Pastner, who uses the final two minutes of the interview to defend why he will not play Arkansas and other SEC schools. Pastner added that his program does face Tennessee, but he wouldn’t play the Volunteers if he didn’t have to play them.

Pastner, who touches on a number of topics including never having a carbonated beverage and expansion in college athletics, was asked about scheduling Arkansas at the 19:30 mark of the interview. It’s at that point the usually optimistic Pastner took, as he called it, a turn for the “negative side.”

Interpret Pastner’s stance how you will. His predecessor at Memphis, John Calipari, took a similar view of playing the Razorbacks.

“Not going to happen,” Pastner said to close his time with hosts Dave Barr and Jordan Stuckey.

Some folks will see it as savvy. Others will read into it that Memphis is scared.

Thoughts?