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#41 Arkansas
Razorbacks
Southeastern
Conference
2004-05: 18-12, 6-10,
4th West
2004-05 postseason:
none
By
Joel Welser
Arkansas once again
underachieved last year. They were young, but still a talented
group that only went 6-10 in conference. The frontcourt had to
depend on freshmen Darian Townes, Charles Thomas and Steven
Hill. That trio had to learn on the job last season and, along
with the return of Vincent Hunter, will provide a steady
frontcourt.
Who’s Out:
Olu Famutimi split Fayetteville after his sophomore season for
the professional ranks. Famutimi averaged 9.4 points and 4.2
boards in 29 starts. The 6-5 wing was a decent outside shooter
for the Razorbacks hitting on nearly 40% of his shots from long
range. Michael Jones started four contests and averaged 4.0
points per game.
Who’s In:
Point guard Sean McCurdy should
provide a solid option off the bench for a couple years. He has
a nice stroke from downtown and is as tough of a point guard as
you can find. Center Cyrus McGowan will add another quality big
man to the rotation. McGowan is talented enough to put pressure
on the returning starters. Vincent Hunter missed last season
with a dislocated shoulder. As a freshman two years ago, Hunter
averaged 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in nine starts. Hunter was
expected to start last year, but he may have lost his job to the
incoming freshmen. Either way, the return of Hunter makes this a
deep and talented, although young, frontcourt. Preston Cranford
played a total of 28 minutes as freshman before redshirting last
year. It is hoped that the 6-7 guard improved on his strength,
quickness and defense during the year off.
Who to Watch:
This is Ronnie Brewer’s team. Last
year he led the team with 16.2 points and added 3.4 assists and
4.8 rebounds. Despite the high assist numbers, the point guard
duties will be taken over by Eric Ferguson, although Brewer will
conduct some of the ball handling for the offense. The 6-7
Fayetteville, Arkansas product won’t light it up from beyond the
arc, but can hit the big shot.
Projected
Conference Rank:
This is a deep and talented squad
that has just run into a rut of underachieving. If Coach Stan
Heath can bring everything together, the Razorbacks can compete
with anybody in the SEC. They’ll hit some bad times and Coach
Heath will need to regroup his team in order to avoid the clumps
of losing streaks suffered last year. The down conference will
help Arkansas finish 4th overall in the SEC and that
should be good enough for the NCAAs.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Eric Ferguson, Senior,
Guard, 8.8 points per game
Jonathan Modica,
Senior, Guard, 9.6 points per game
Ronnie Brewer, Junior,
Guard, 16.2 points per game
Charles Thomas,
Sophomore, Forward, 5.5 points per game
Darian Townes,
Sophomore, Forward, 10.2 points per game
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