The considerable maturity and level-headedness that Todd Day displayed as an Arkansas Razorback made it abundantly clear that this was a man destined to be a molder of young men. OK ... so maybe not.
However, as this Commercial Appeal article shows, he is just that these days. The Memphis native is the first-year head coach at the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences (MAHS) high school. According to the report, "Day, 40, a former Hamilton High and University of Arkansas star who played 8 1/2 seasons in the NBA, is attempting to build a high-school program from scratch with a varsity squad made up solely of freshmen and sophomores."
The article details his team's recent game against the Douglass Red Devils, coached by Ted Anderson, Day's stepfather and the man who coached him at Hamilton. It didn't go so well for Todd, as Douglass narrowly escaped with an 84-35 victory. The game was a true family affair, as Todd Day Jr. is a member of the MAHS squad.
We wish Todd the best of luck - and suggest that if he shows his young team any footage of the 1991 Arkansas-UNLV game, that he fast forward through this part.
• Hadn't had your fill of Day nostalgia yet? Then we suggest that you check out this January 1992 Sports Illustrated article titled "New Day Dawns in Arkansas." It details Todd's return from a two-month suspension that stemmed in part from his involvement in the infamous "dorm incident."
Here's the opening paragraph:
It's well known on the college basketball circuit that a trip to Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., can result in 40 minutes of hell. That's what the Arkansas Razorbacks pride themselves on giving their opponents; it's also what you might experience if you try to determine which of the many faces of swingman Todd Day, the team's blade-thin star, is the real one.
Somewhat inexplicably, the article doesn't mention this side of Day: the one who wears dark turtlenecks, loves French New Wave cinema, reads Camus and weeps gently when he contemplates man's inhumanity to man.