2008-09 Arkansas Basketball Preview: #108

Arkansas Razorbacks

Overall Rank: #108

Conference Rank: #10 SEC

2007-08: 23-12, 9-7, 2^nd West

2007-08 postseason: NCAA

Over the last couple of years Arkansas has failed to live up to their lofty expectations. The silver lining now is that second year coach John Pelphrey gets to pretty much start over with the departure of six key players. That might not be a good thing this season for a team that has made the NCAA Tournament in both years they underachieved, but the fresh start will help rebuild confidence in the program.

Who’s Out:

Who’s In:

The newcomers have plenty of talent and they will have to show it off right away. Point guard Courtney Fortson has the ability to make the offense run. He can get down the lane and find his teammates extremely well. How well he can make that work as a freshman is a question, but he could be starting very soon. Rotnei Clarke can run the point too, but the 6-0 Claremore, Oklahoma product is much more known for his high scoring outbursts. For now, he will be a potentially explosive scorer off the bench. Small forwards Jason Henry and Montrell McDonald are both great athletes. Henry is a superb scorer and will get to the basket with ease and can hit the outside jumper with relative consistency. McDonald, a junior college transfer, will not score like Henry, but he is a great defender and his experience will come in handy on this young team. Andre Clark, Brandon Moore and Michael Sanchez will help replace all those senior big men who are now gone. Sanchez, who redshirted last year, has the most potential. His versatility will make him a match-up nightmare for most opposing defenders and, along with his ability to rebound and defend, that should be enough to earn him a starting role.

Who to Watch:

Final Projection:

The lone returning player up front is Michael Washington. He only averaged 13.4 minutes per contest, but Washington could have a breakout campaign now that he will be given the opportunity. And the Razorbacks could use some consistent scoring and rebounding in the paint. Suddenly the focus will be on the Arkansas backcourt, not the frontcourt. There is enough talent to make a run at the postseason, but it is probably a year too early. The 2009-2010 season will be a different story.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five: