FAYETTEVILLE — Point guard Courtney Fortson’s Arkansas basketball career is over after two seasons.
Fortson has signed with an agent, Charles Briscoe of Atlanta-based BP Sports Management, which ends his college eligibility and means he’s staying in the NBA Draft.
Briscoe announced the Fortson signing on Wednesday night, and the news was confirmed by Arkansas officials.
“Courtney Fortson has decided to sign with an agent and we are appreciative of him keeping us in the loop as he and his family made decisions about his career,” Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey said in a statement released through the sports information office. “We wish him all the best as he follows his dreams of playing professional basketball and thank him for his effort over the last two seasons as a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks.”
Arkansas had announced Sunday that Fortson was declaring for the 2010 NBA Draft, but hadn’t signed with an agent, which at the time left open the possibility of returning to college for his junior season.
Fortson was suspended for the first 14 games last season because of undisclosed disciplinary reasons, then came back and averaged a team-high 17.9 points and 5.7 assists along with 5.2 rebounds in 33.3 minutes in the final 18 games. He also averaged 5.1 turnovers.
In 16 conference games, Fortson averaged an SEC-best 5.9 assists and his 18-point scoring average ranked third.
Fortson’s departure means junior guard Rotnei Clarke is the only player left at Arkansas from a six-man class of newcomers for the 2008-2009 season.
Read the Thursday edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more on this story.