Razorbacks’ Powell, Young considering their options

Arkansas junior Marshawn Powell and teammates celebrate with fans following their 73-62 win over Texas A&M on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Arkansas junior Marshawn Powell and teammates celebrate with fans following their 73-62 win over Texas A&M on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

FAYETTEVILLE - Marshawn Powell and BJ Young, who were selected by league coaches to the All-SEC second team Tuesday, were on the minds of the Arkansas student section last Saturday.

In the Razorbacks’ home finale, the students chanted “One more year! One more year!” on several occasions and held a banner with the same sentiment directed toward Arkansas’ top players. The fans made it clear they would love to see Powell, a third-year junior, and Young, a sophomore, return for another year.

“It means a lot, to be honest,” Powell said. “The students want to keep me here, but I’m not really dwelling on it. Everybody asks me about it. Am I coming back or not? I’m just not really thinking about it, to be honest.

“If you ask me in a couple of weeks, I’ll probably tell you something.”

Young said it was nice to see the banner across the way during the Razorbacks’ 73-62 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday at Walton Arena.

“I love Arkansas and will always have a home in Arkansas,” Young said.

As for his decision on whether to return for his junior season or declare early for the NBA Draft, Young said he’d wait until the season was over.

“I haven’t even thought that far yet,” he said. “I’m just trying to get these wins for this season right now. I know we can do that and then it’s going to look good for everybody.”

The Razorbacks (19-12, 10-8 SEC) open SEC Tournament play Thursday as the No. 7 seed against No. 10 seed Vanderbilt (14-16, 8-10).

The “one more year” chants came during a game in which neither Powell nor Young started - Coach Mike Anderson described the move as a coach’s decision initially but referenced academic requirements in the same breath - and produced Young’s lowest scoring output of his career (2 points on 1-of-3 shooting).

“I’m 100 percent ready to go in this next game, and I know all hands will be on deck to win this next game,”his shooting percentage fall from his freshman season, but Coach Mike Anderson said Young has played a more well-rounded game this year.

Young said.

Powell, who rebounded from major knee surgery that knocked him out of all but twogames last season, ranks ninth in SEC scoring (14.5 points per game) and tied for third in field-goal shooting (49.3 percent). Young is sixth in scoring (15.1 ppg) and ninth in assists (3.4 per game).

Both were part of the nine-member All-SEC second team chosen by league coaches behind an eight-man first team.

“That speaks highly of Marshawn with what he had to go through, and I’m not talking about just the injury from last year,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to remember, the freshman year, the sophomore year, he has always had some major injuries. That plays on your mind, and it played on his mind even as he worked to get back.”

Young’s shooting percentage fell to 44.8 percent from his freshman season (50.4), but Anderson said Young displayed a more well-rounded game this year.

“He tried to be a leader more from a standpoint of being a distributor, knowing that he was going to get a lot of attention,” Anderson said.“And a lot of attention he has gotten this year. People have cut that lane off and he hasn’t shot the ball as well as he is capable of doing.”

Powell called his All-SEC selection a big deal.

“It’s a big honor to me to have my game be recognized by league wide coaches, but I can’t really dwell on it too much,” he said. “Got to go to the SEC Tournament with the mind-set of trying to get a victory.”

Young said it’s always an honor to be selected as one of the top players in the conference.

“You can’t be sad about that,” he said. “Wish I had got first [team], but I am always thankful.”

Young said he tried to focus on his total game this season.

“I got better in every aspect,” he said. “I went through a slump, but I think my confidence stayed in order and I was able to make shots when called upon. That counts more than percentage.

“I think I’m going to be fine, and I’m going to keep working to get better.”

Sports, Pages 23 on 03/13/2013