Basketball

Mickelson Commits to Hogs

I know…it’s hard for some of you to get excited about basketball for any reason.  Nevertheless, we got a commitment from one of the top players in the 2011 class in Hunter Mickelson. His Rivals profile lists him as the #57 player, regardless of position and the #10 Power Forward.  He chose Arkansas over offers from Baylor, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Wake Forest.

He’s the second commitment from a top in-state recruit…with the other being Aaron Ross. Ross is listed as the #56 prospect of the 2011 class, so this class is shaping up nicely. Unfortunately, neither will be on campus this fall and we still need a big man.

Personally, I see this commitment as very good news, but understand that many may see this class saving Pelphrey’s bacon for another year or two. And those people are of the opinion that it doesn’t matter how good the players are, Pelphrey’s going to phail anyway. I think this season’s results will determine Pel’s fate more than a recruiting class. So for those folks, maybe we’ll lose enough to dump him, get a new coach, and have a good class coming in.

Me? I just want to be happy about basketball any way I can.

Oh, here’s the thread about it.

Go to woopig.net’s message board, and check it out. I’ll wait here. If you are perusing the site anywhere near the time of this writing, hockey threads and posts are all over “Razorback Discussion”. And that makes me happy. Woopig has raised money for the team, money it badly needs, as the athletes are footing the bill for everything. Also, the multiple threads have helped bring attention to the club program, and their quest for a national championship. All the way around, the focus on the Ice Hogs at woopig has been a positive. For woopig. And that hockey team. And Razorback fans in general. But the story isn’t always told on one level – in fact, in the real world, it rarely is.

What I’m about to say is presented as a hypothetical, because I don’t want to open any cans of worms. It is purely for demonstration purposes, so please don’t allow your mind to wander too far away.

For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume the most dire warnings related to man-made global warming are true. You don’t have to really believe it, but let’s stipulate it just for a practice in hypotheticals. I’m the kind of guy, I hate any temperature below 75 degrees or so. Hate it. I prefer the climate of Kuwait to the climate of Colorado. So, I am ecstatic at this time of the year, when temps start going back up. The first day the temperature crosses 80 is a holy day of the year for me. I’ve been told the Earth has warmed by 1.7 degrees or so in the last few years. Me? I’m down with an extra 1.7. Hell, make it 6.7. I would love it if every day was just a little bit warmer. The problem is, if you’re stipulating that the worst-case scenarios are true, there is a bigger concern than my own comfort. While I am very happy for the days that are a little bit warmer, the bigger picture is that those good days are warnings of catastrophes to come. The story isn’t always told on one level.

Go back and look at the message board again. Notice that people aren’t nearly as enthusiastic to talk about basketball as they are hockey. What conversation DOES center around basketball seems to fall mostly into one of two camps – the “Fire Pel Now” camp, and the “I just don’t care anymore” camp. There is a rising sea of discontent, and it threatens to drown a once-proud program – not waterlog it, or drench it, but drown it. As in “dead”. When club hockey becomes the emotional outlet for Razorback fans in the last days before the SEC basketball tourney, no matter how good that may be for those young men on skates, it is a dangerous warning sign for what was once the pride of the Natural State.

A few days ago, the basketball team played a game against Ole Miss. At stake was a .500 record in conference, a first-round bye in the aforementioned tournament for a weary team, and, perhaps, the long-term fate of the head coach. And no one really seemed to care – at least not until AFTER the team had collapsed in the last few moments, a perfect metaphor for the last 2 years of Razorback basketball. The concern is just not there. Actually, I don’t think that’s entirely true. The deluge of letters following the loss to Ole Miss shows that the people DO still care. Perhaps it is only hope that is no longer there. Perhaps it is easier to follow a team without the expectations. A team without the history, and the prestige, and the resources. After a decade that has left the fan truly convinced that the powers-that-be no longer care about matching the expectations to the history, prestige, and resources, who can blame him for no longer holding on to the hope that excellence will some day return? Maybe it’s easier at this point to just cheer for the kids who are playing for the love of the game.

I’m not a “little Ol Arkansas” guy. I don’t believe that this state is so small, poor, rural, and/or geographically remote that it cannot put forth contenders in the major sports. I do believe that these goals are impossible if the state is not together. There are those who would tell you that the examples of the message-boards don’t really tell us all that much – that message boarders aren’t the best representation of the average fan. And I agree with the sentiment somewhat, though not for the boilerplate reasoning behind it. Message boards are a pretty accurate cross-section of the society they draw from, in my experience. I have met several fellow message boarders, and the range of occupations, personalities, politics, etc. has been every bit as diverse as anything you will find at Razorback Stadium on a Saturday in the Fall. I count among my message board “friends” a principal, several attorneys, several vets and current military members, salesmen, tech guys, Arkansas media members, Razorback lettermen from various sports (including the 3 big ones: baseball, basketball and football), hell, even mayors and ghost hunters. Where message board posters diverge is in their dedication to the program. This may rankle some, but the most diehard fans this University has are people like the ones you see posting on woopig. And they don’t care about basketball anymore. They would rather watch hockey, a game many of them freely admit they know little to nothing about. If we’ve lost them, where do we think the casual fan is by this point?

The song of the canary is a beautiful thing. The focus on and support for the hockey team has been a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, Razorback basketball has been poisoned with discontent and apathy, and I’m afraid Mr. Long is mistaking the last desperate cries of the canary for attention with that of a creature expressing its passion for life. I wish nothing but the best for the hockey team, and hope that the support continues well on into the future. This doesn’t mean we can ignore the dangerous message that lies beneath. The mine that is Razorback Basketball is on the verge of closing. It’s time to excise the poison, and allow the air to clear.

Form letters to fan outrage is not the answer. The answer is in the outrage. It’s a funny thing, passion. You either do what you can to harness it, or you become its prey. It’s time for Jeff Long to decide whether he will be made great by the moment, or if he will allow it seal his own tomb.

http://www.breastfedmoonshine.com/home/2010/03/10/canaries-on-ice/

Ratliffe is generally considered to be the #1 JUCO prospect in the country and he’s coming to Arkansas for his first official visit.  At 6′9″-240 pounds, he would definitely fill the physical void left by the departing Michael Washington.  His current list of offers are Arkansas, Alabama, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida, Missouri, and South Carolina.  Those are programs that we can compete with for his services.

Some of the bigger programs are interested but haven’t extended an offer.  One really big thing we have going for us is he has said that as an incoming junior, he doesn’t have time to sit on the bench and he’s going to go somewhere that he can play immediately.   As a high profile recruit, he will get the chance to do that.

Ratliffe is currently averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds a game. He’s not just another player that dominates underneath the boards.  “He’s extremely effective around the basket. Really strong and really skilled,” said Central Florida Community College Tim Ryan, noting that Ratliffe can also step outside and hit the three at a 40 percent clip.

Ratliffe is a good friend of and a former teammate of Marshawn Powell.  Seeing what Powell has done this year as a true freshman should drive home the point that he has a great shot at a significant amount of playing time. Think about two of them on the floor at the same time.

So if you’re going to the Ole Miss game on Saturday, make a sign with his name on it and show him some love.  The Hogs could really use him.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Tasmin Mitchell scored 16 points and LSU avoided going winless in the Southeastern Conference for the first time since the second World War with a 65-54 victory over Arkansas on Wednesday night.

LSU (10-17, 1-12 SEC) raced to an early double-digit lead and went up by as much as 22 when Zach Kinsley’s fast-break dunk made it 50-28 with 9:06 to go. Courtney Fortson scored 18 points for Arkansas (14-14, 7-6), which played without 6-foot-9 senior forward Mike Washington. Washington did not make the trip because of an apparent ankle injury.Without him, Arkansas settled for outside shots and made only 34 percent from the field (18 of 53), including 9 of 28 from 3-point range (32 percent).

Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. – Tay Waller scored 29 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead Auburn to a 92-83 win over Arkansas on Saturday night.

The Tigers (13-14, 4-8 Southeastern Conference) shot 61 percent, made 11 of 19 3-pointers and put five players in double figures.The Razorbacks (14-13, 7-5) dropped into a first-place tie with Mississippi State in the SEC West after making only one basket in the final 3 minutes.Waller made 7 of 10 3s and hit four in the game’s opening 7 minutes. His jump shot from the free throw line with 2:45 left broke a 79-79 tie and started a 7-0 run.Auburn made 13 of its last 18 shots and was 28-of-46 in the game. Frankie Sullivan hit four straight free throws in the final 34 seconds to seal the win. DeWayne Reed added 17 points and Lucas Hargrove had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Tigers.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas responded to its only loss in the last 25 days by getting back into the win column.

Freshman Marshawn Powell scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the first half as the Razorbacks defeated South Carolina 92-79 on Wednesday night. Courtney Fortson added 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Sam Muldrow scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds for South Carolina, which lost for the third time in four games. Devan Downey scored 28 points for the Gamecocks (14-11, 5-6 Southeastern Conference), but the 5-foot-9 senior needed 28 shots to get them.The Razorbacks (14-12, 7-4) led 40-33 at halftime after shooting 52.8 percent and used a 17-1 run early in the second half to pull away. The Razorbacks have scored more points in a game only once this season — in a 97-94 home loss to Morgan State on Nov. 24.

The Arkansas Razorback basketball team used a five-game winning streak to ascend to the top of the Southeastern Conference West Division Standings, but the streak came to an end on Saturday when the Hogs fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide 73-68. The Tide held Razorback guard Courtney Fortson to one field goal in the second half, and that was made with 6.9 seconds left in the game. It was Fortson who was instrumental in the Razorback streak, and the Crimson Tide found a way to shut down the shifty guard.

The Razorbacks jumped out to a quick lead which they held throughout the first half including a 24-17 and 34-23 leads. Fortson started quickly too, hitting three three-pointers before the ten minute mark. Fortson had 12 points at half, but the Crimson Tide made adjustments at halftime.

It was Alabama who came out swinging at the start of the second half. The Tide went on a 16-3 run in the first five minutes taking the lead with 12:57 left in the game 48-47. The Tide pushed the lead to five points at the ten minute mark, but the Razorbacks began to fight their way back into the game.

With Alabama leading 64-41, Senior Michael Washington drew a charge giving the Hogs possession for another run at the lead. Freshman Marshawn Powell responded when he took a dish from Fortson to the pull the Hogs within one point with 2:29 left in the game. [Read More]

Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Starting guards Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke combined for 33 points Wednesday night as Arkansas defeated LSU, 87-52.

The Razorbacks posted the largest margin of victory over the Tigers in the 49-game history of their series. The 35-point win also represented the school’s third-largest conference victory since entering the Southeastern Conference.

Fortson led the way with 17 points and Clarke added 16.

Arkansas (13-11, 6-3) tallied the first 10 points of the contest and led 43-21 at halftime.

Tasmin Mitchell scored 15 points to lead LSU (9-15, 0-10), which has lost 10 straight games. That’s the longest losing streak for the Tigers since a 12-game slide to end the 1997-98 season.

Arkansas has now won five-consecutive SEC games for the first time since 2006.

Arkansas took a one-game lead over Ole Miss in the SEC Western Division with the victory.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sophomore point guard Courtney Fortson was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday afternoon by the league office in Birmingham, Ala., after leading the Razorbacks to a pair of SEC victories and averaging more than 25 points per game.

Fortson tallied 27 points on the road against Georgia on Wednesday night and returned to Bud Walton Arena to score 24 including 10 in overtime to lead the Hogs past Auburn.  On the year, Fortson is averaging 20.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  He has three double-doubles and five 20-point games.

“Courtney is playing very well for us right now and is a big part of our success of late,” Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey said.  “He has a knack for scoring and getting fouled and his hard work practicing his shot in the off season has really paid off.”

This is the second Player of the Week award and third SEC honor for Fortson in his career.  He was named the SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 15, 2008 and the SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 22, 2008.  Fortson becomes just the fifth Arkansas player to earn two SEC Player of the Week honors in his career and the first since Jonathan Modica earned one in each of the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

With Marshawn Powell’s SEC Freshman of the Week honor just seven days ago, this is just the third time in Arkansas history that Razorback players have earned SEC weekly honors in consecutive weeks.  Along with the Powell-Fortson tandem, Fortson earned freshman and player of the week honors during the 2008-09 season and Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman each earned player of the week honors in Feb. of 1995.

The Razorbacks host the LSU Tigers at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.  For more information regarding Razorback men’s basketball or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–He’s atop a list all too familiar to Arkansans.

University of Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino ranks as the highest paid state employee for 2010.

Petrino earned $2.7 million dollars.

Razorbacks basketball coach John Pelphrey is the second highest paid employee at $1.245 million a year.

However, both report incomes of much more because of coaches shows and endorsements.

Arkansas reported a jump of workers earning more than a $100,000, mostly from higher education.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences accounts for 925 of the $100,000-or-more employees. That’s up by 56 from a year ago.

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