Rotnei Clarke, left, and Michael Sanchez did not play Wednesday in Arkansas' 76-51 win over Alabama State. Clarke sat out because of tendonitis in his left knee and Sanchez sat out because of a flare up with his ongoing foot problems.
Photo by Michael Woods
FAYETTEVILLE — An eight-day break between games, including five days of rest, wasn't enough for Rotnei Clarke’s left knee.
The sophomore has battled tendonitis since the end of Arkansas’ loss to Oklahoma on Dec. 2, and it flared up again late last week. He rested five of the last six days, gave his knee a try in the shootaround before Arkansas’ 76-51 win Wednesday night over Alabama State but changed his attire to street clothes on the bench.
He cheered and watched on as Arkansas (5-5) struggled at times and showed some promise from its young stars. At the center of it all was Michael Washington, who re-emerged underneath the basket with a game-high 22 points.
Still, the off-the-court issue that sprouted this week was the big question.
Was the change of clothes and Clarke’s seat near the end of the bench in any way connected to his participation in a photo shoot with a local magazine that led Arkansas officials to self-report a secondary violation to the NCAA?
“No,” Coach John Pelphrey said without hesitation.
This wasn’t Arkansas’ version of placing window dressing on the multitude of problems surrounding the basketball program. For once, the answer to this question was plain and simple — Clarke was hurt.
So as Arkansas officials requested “Celebrate Arkansas” magazine to stop distribution of its December issue and remove it from store shelves, the basketball team was attempting to move forward and go back to something more familiar.
“Our focus is always to go inside and try to get Mike and Marshawn (Powell) established, but tonight was even more so with (Rotnei Clarke) being out,” Pelphrey said.
Washington was the answer inside, connecting on 9 of 14 shot attempts. Meanwhile, Alabama State (1-7) showed its ineptness inside the 3-point arc and failed to hit a two-point shot in the first half.
The Hornets connected on 16 of 59 (27.1 percent) of their attempts from the floor.
Powell chipped in 13 points and a couple of steals, a dunk and provided some much-needed energy in the starting lineup as an estimated 6,109 watched on from their seats in Bud Walton Arena.
Powell, admittedly, started slow and shook off some rust from the Hogs’ eight-day break from the court.
“It just took me a while to get back into it,” said Powell, who picked up two early fouls before settling into his role. “... I just had to get my mind right.”
Marcus Britt, luckily for the Hogs, provided some help in the starting lineup with Clarke on the bench. He scored 8 points, handed out 4 assists and forced a turnover.
“Britt played very well,” Powell said, before chuckling. “It surprised me, to be honest.”
Meanwhile, freshman Julysses Nobles struggled at guard and committed five turnovers. It wasn’t uncommon for this young Arkansas team Wednesday night. Jemal Farmer showed flash, scoring six of Arkansas’ eight points during one crucial run in the second half. But he also had problems on the floor, as did Glenn Bryant with a couple of turnovers.
Still, Bryant had the best game of his young career with 11 points.
“It's probably not the best thing for me at times,” Pelphrey said of inserting three newcomers in the starting lineup. “For them, they’re going to have some experiences at a very young age that sophomores and juniors may not have had.”
The uncertainty of the future at Arkansas, coupled with off-the-court issues, still remains the hot topic. Sophomore point guard Courtney Fortson will not make his season debut Saturday against Stephen F. Austin, stretching his indefinite suspension to an 11th game, Pelphrey revealed.
But the coach did shed some light in the darkness for the first time this season.
At least one aspect surrounding Fortson’s suspension is connected to the classroom.
And there is hope for his return as progress has been made, Pelphrey said.
But just not enough for Fortson to return Saturday.
“Certainly we'll see when grades come out and what the rest of the plan looks like,” Pelphrey hinted. “We'll see.”
We’ll also see if Clarke’s knee can hold up for a return to the starting lineup Saturday.
Brandon Marcello is the online editor for WholeHogSports.com. He can be reached at bmarcello@wholehogsports.com.
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