FAYETTEVILLE — Judging from how junior forwards Coty Clarke and Marshawn Powell played during the Arkansas basketball team’s tour of Italy earlier this month, the Razorbacks will get a nice front court boost this season.

Clarke, a 6-7 transfer from Lawson State Community College in Birmingham, Ala., averaged 14.3 points and team-best 8.3 rebounds in helping Arkansas go 4-0 against Lithuanian and Italian pro teams.

Powell, 6-7, played limited minutes and sat out one game for precautionary reasons, but he showed progress as he continues his comeback from a knee injury that sidelined him for all but the first two games last season after he averaged 19.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the Razorbacks’ 2-0 start.

Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson held Powell out of the Italian tour’s third game after the Razorbacks had played the previous two days but brought him back for the fourth game three days later.

“It was good to have Marshawn on the floor,” Anderson said Tuesday while reviewing the tour. “I thought he kind of got the cobwebs out. The last game he started really exerting himself.

“Sometimes when you’re playing, mentally there’s that thing in the back of your mind, what can happen? I thought he kind of let loose, so that was very valuable.”

Clarke was the Razorbacks’ top rebounder in all four games. He averaged 16.2 points and 13.5 rebounds as a sophomore at Lawson State.

The way Clarke played in Italy, Anderson said, is a carryover from how he has performed during the Razorbacks’ summer workouts and the practices leading up to the tour.

“He’s been a guy that is getting double-doubles each and every day,” Anderson said. “He’s always around the basketball.”

Anderson said Clarke reminds him of former Arkansas forward Lenzie Howell, a 6-4 transfer from San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College who averaged 14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds and 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Razorbacks during the 1988-1889 and 1989-1990 seasons to help the Razorbacks win two Southwest Conference titles and advance to the 1990 Final Four.

“Coty has toughness, too,” Anderson said. “That’s what I like about him. He’s always where the action is.

“He plays the game the right way. He plays to win, so he’s a guy that’s going to be a stat stuffer. He’s going to have assists, he’s going to have steals, he’s going to have deflections.”

Most important, Anderson said, Clarke can rebound. Arkansas ranked last in the SEC in rebounding margin at minus-3.8 per game last season.

“Whether it be on the defensive boards or the offensive boards, he keeps a lot of balls alive,” Anderson said.

Junior guard Mardracus Wade, who averaged a teamhigh 15.8 points during the tour, said Clarke is humble and quiet.

“He doesn’t say much,” Wade said. “He just goes out there and gets it done. He blocks shots and gets an offensive or defensive rebound. He has good hands. He’s athletic. He knows the game. He brings a lot to this team.”

Sophomore guard BJ Young, who averaged 15 points on the tour, praised Clarke for his ability not to give up on a play.

“He’s gritty, and he’s not just a one-chance guy, he’s a third- or fourth-chance guy,” Young said. “Like Coach ‘A’ says, he likes those guys that keep working and keep going after the play. I think he’s a stick-to-it type guy.”

Young said Clarke also handles the ball well for an inside player.

“He can bring the ball up the court if he gets the rebound off the glass, which helps our team start the break early,” Young said. “He can run and catch it and look down the floor for other guys.”

By the time Arkansas starts regular-season play in November, Powell should be closer to going full speed and helping Clarke, 6-10 sophomore Hunter Mickelson and 6-8 freshman Jacorey Williams on the inside.

“Mentally, getting him back on the floor, I thought that was huge for [our] team,” Anderson said. “Our guys actually fed off of that.”

Young said he can see Powell returning to the form he showed early last season before tearing knee ligaments and undergoing surgery.

“He had some pretty good spurts, some good moments.” Young said. “He didn’t really play a lot, but he did some good things for the team. He rebounded well and he scored. He’s looking good.

“That’s one person I’m not really worried about, because he works hard. I’m sure he wants to get back on the court and show everyone he can come back from an injury.”

Sports, Pages 19 on 08/22/2012