Fan Stop Central

Dana Altman, introduced as Arkansas’ new basketball coach on Monday, changed his mind less than 24 hours later and announced on Tuesday night that he is returning to Creighton, where he has coached the Bluejays the past 13 seasons.

Altman isn’t the first college coach to pull an about-face after accepting a new job. In 1993, then-Georgia Tech basketball coach Bobby Cremins signed a five-year contract to return to South Carolina, his alma mater, but then went back to the Yellow Jackets three days later. Cremins coached at Georgia Tech for seven more seasons.

Altman was believed to be at least the Razorbacks’ sixth target. Arkansas officials reportedly offered the job to Texas A&M’s Billy Gillespie, Kansas’ Bill Self, Southern California’s Tim Floyd, Memphis’ John Calipari and Marquette’s Tom Crean, who each turned the job down.

Now that Altman is out, it is up to Athletic Director Frank Broyles to restart the arduous process of looking for a head coach. Might he look a few hours north to Springfield, Missouri and Missouri State’s Barry Hinson?

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