HOT SPRINGS — Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey would not comment Saturday on a television report citing sources that sophomore guard Rotnei Clarke is “strongly considering transferring” from Arkansas.
Pelphrey declined comment to WholeHogSports.com Saturday afternoon in Hot Springs. Pelphrey was in attendance at the Class 4A state basketball championship at Summit Arena in Hot Springs.
KNWA, a television station in Fayetteville, reported Clarke was strongly considering a transfer from Arkansas on Saturday. No decision has been made, according to a source. Clarke is scheduled to speak with Pelphrey next week as part of a normal individual meeting scheduled at the end of every season.
Clarke was second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points this season. Clarke entered the postseason ninth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (42.7 percent).
Pelphrey is expected to speak to the media as part of a season-ending press conference next week.
Make sure to check out WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more coverage. You can also follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates with @bmarcello and @wholehogsports.
Don’t do it Rotnei! If we can get some players around him…it will be much more costly for defenses to pay so much attention to him. It will open up everything. This is something we really don’t need!
Well this is something that wasn’t expected, but nevertheless, it is another example on how these players either do not want to play for JP, or can’t play for him. Either way, it’s time for JP to go.
Not surprising at all. :-/
If this happens, it will be a real shame. Rotnei is one of the strongest character players on this team, a real blessing to have associated with the Razorbacks. He is a hustler and is a more complete player than just a shooter. If this starts another off-season of player departures, we are really going to be looking at another dismal season, for which Pelphrey must be responsible. The excuse of having to start from scratch with new players has already been used twice; it can’t be used to excuse a poor season again.
Rotnei, please don’t leave the Razorback family. You must do what is best for you, though. I’ll still be a fan of yours, whatever you do.
I hope he comes back, and i really hope JP can see we must have these kinds of players to win. I understand we must bring in more talent to keep and get players like him so lets see how these juco turn out for us.
This might be the only case where you should ask the coach to leave to keep a player. The U of A CANNOT LOSE PLAYERS WITH THE CHARACTER OF CLARKE. END OF DISCUSSION
MC greatly put, thats got to tell you something a player that works the hardest in practice an has the best attuide wants to leave a program thats a huge issue.
Maybe it’s who he plays with, not who he plays for. Just a thought.
It has become apparant to me, and hopefully the rest of Razorback Nation, that John Pelphrey is a really nice guy and a great former player, but that unfortunately he is also NOT the head basketball coach that most of us hoped he was. After three short seasons in Fayetteville, how many different players have fled the program?! To hear of even the possibility of Rotnei Clark transferring is pure insanity!!! DO NOT BE SURPRISED TO HEAR ABOUT FORTSON WANTING TO LEAVE EARLY NEXT!!! Pelphrey does not have a grip on this program or these players. I was content to give him another year to turn the team around, and have the best possible chance of signing those outstanding in-state players next recruiting season. But this news is the last straw.
PELPHREY HAS GOT TO GO!!!!!!!!!
The bad thing is, how will this effect the recruiting of Aaron Ross, Hunter Mickelson, and Ky Madden if Pelphrey gets the boot now, or after the end of yet another crappy & sub-par season next year?! It is unacceptable to lose those guys to rival schools, but it is even more unacceptable to lose key members of your current team, because the head coach isn’t respected.
FOR GOD’S SAKE…WILL SOMEONE IN FAYETTEVILLE PLEASE HIRE A QUALITY HEAD COACH SO THEY CAN TAKE OUR BASKETBALL TEAM BACK TO THE TOP 25 WHERE WE BELONG???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow both good points there maybe Rornie, is sick of the crap with all the other players, because he broke the record for three pointers at arkansas but who can remember that with all the bad drama. I AGREE HE DOES NOT HAVE CONTROL OF THE BASKETBALL PROGRAM IAM A HUGE FOOTBALL OF ARKANSAS HARLDY WATCH BASKETBALL BUT NOW IAM ALL GAME AND WANT A CHANGE PLAESE, THE ONLY YEAR HE DID OK WAS WITH STAN HEATH SENIORS.
I don’t even know where to begin. I heard a statistic the other day that floored me. Arkansas has not won a western division title since 1995. For fifteen years we hoped that the next year would get better until eventually we settled for mediocrity. I long for the days of watching players like Moncrief,Delph, Brewer, Counce,Schall, Williamson,Day, Mayberry,and lot of others players in Arkansas history. I think Clarke is a great player but if Pelphrey can’t make the point guard deliver the ball to him he can’t put it in the hoop. I don’t know how many times Fortson has driven to the hoop without a hope of getting a shot off and instead of giving it to Clarke who is sliding to corner he throws up a prayer. I would be frustrated to if i were Clark. Fortson thinking about going pro….at least there is some humor in this situation.
I’ve thought about the fact that Clarke is frustrated with playing with his teammates and, if that is the case, I would plead with him to give us some time before making his decision. We know Fortson’s track record; he is likely to screw up off the court and either get suspended or kicked off the team completely. That would take care of that single problem. We need players with the talent and character combination of Rotnei, not Fortson.
if fortson leaves that wont be bad at all. julyesses nobles is really coming along well except for free throw shooting and the transfer peterson looks like he can be good.but if rotnei leaves that means we dont have an inside or outside force because washington leaves and powell is too small, then also we dont have the ouside force either because of rotnei leaving.so we’ll be lucky to win 10 games next year!
I think Gonzo hit the nail on the head.
Look at it from Clark’s shoes.
You run a marathon every game just to get open.
For the past 2 years your coach set no offense plays
to free you up for the 3.
Your point guard will not pass the ball, but will
jack up 3’s all day long.
Your the best free throw, 3-point, pure-shooter on the team.
You may not play in the NBA so your last 2 years is it !
You want to be part of a winning team.
Do you really want to take a chance that “Pel can change this team” …. ????????
Rotnei, Arkansas loves you and supports you, whatever your decision is.
I myself would leave and set out a year, as to repeat what looks to be another “below average” year at best.
Who he plays for is the guy who determines who he plays with.
Clarke’s a smart kid; the ship is well on its way to the bottom.
It is indeed telling when the unselfish, high-character, hard-working, successful guys want out.
Arkansas basketball is a rotting corpse.
34 losses in two seasons.
How many guys transferring out in that time?
How many arrests?
Please let John Pelphrey go!! He needs to come back to Lexington where he belongs. If Rod Strickland takes the job at Depaul there is a spot waiting for him and he can bring Rotnei with him. Go Cats!
I hope that Rotnei stays and truly believe that Pelphrey’s team will win a minimum of 20 games next season. If anyone should consider leaving, in my opinion, it is the hotdog who calls himself a point guard and “relishes” having all eyes on him, as quoted in a column earlier this year.
Ok, let’s not lose our minds and say a bunch of idiotic stuff. At the beginning of the year, Fortson was gone and this team sucked. When he came back, we suddenly became competitive. Clarke is a great shooter, but he barely plays defense at all and he hasn’t learned to create opportunities for himself. We need them both. Period. Both will improve on the off-season, and that combined with the players coming in should make for a much improved season next year. Oh, and you people who say we should get a “quality head coach” are not thinking very clearly. Name me one person in America who falls into that category who would actually consider coming here. You can’t because there isn’t one. Get over yourselves and get behind this team, or go watch Kentucky and stop pretending to be Arkansas fans. Fans stick by their team, no matter what.
We are all fans, and we are sticking by our team. No one here is talking about not being fans of the Hogs anymore; we’re all talking about how we can get Arkansas basketball back to the level of national respect we once had because we all love the Hogs. It is true that we won’t get someone of the caliber of Roy Williams, Mike K. (there is no way I’m going to try to spell that last name!), or Bill Self to come to Arkansas right now. I don’t want a coach with the character of John Calipari or Billy Gillespie. We don’t want a coach that will leave with us on probation. What Jeff Long is tasked with is to find the best way to correct all that is wrong with Razorback basketball, and he’s got plenty to correct.
Rotnei is a much more complete player than I thought he would be coming out of high school; he’s not just a shooter, although he is a terrific one of those. I don’t think this team needs Fortson’s style of ball. We need a point guard in the mold of Corey Beck or Lee Mayberry, who will efficiently run the show. We also need a real post player who can dominate the inside. Add those things to Clarke’s outside shooting and some role players who are willing to play within the team concept, and we will have a chance to win a lot of games. A true point guard is more concerned with defense and assists than he is points scored for himself. We won the national title in ‘94 with a team void of superstar NBA talent, but we were the best TEAM in the country. NBA is one-on-one basketball; college basketball is a TEAM sport. It’s ironic that one of the few true team players on this team may want to transfer.
Someone said above not to be surprised if C.F. left too; I’d bet that if he did leave, Clarke would stay. Fortson has been much more of a cancer to the team concept than he has a team leader. You cannot do the things CF has done and gain respect from teammates. It don’t work that way.
Jeff Long says he backs Pelphrey. Pelphrey says things are “improving”.
They seem to come out of the same camp. If they are talking about basketball they both are losers.
Long should have made it clear after the dismal performance last year to Pelphrey – find a way to win in 2009-2010. They haven’t and in some ways were worse in the way the team flat failed in the end.
It’s obvious Pelphrey does not coach – he simply watches and hopes his players will find a way to win and he misuses the talent that he does have.
Since Long won’t replace Pelphrey and Pelphrey continues his losing ways, they are both complicit in our losing and crumbling basketball program.
Now, things are getting much worse. Public rumors of players desiring to leave the program which will harm our recruiting, right when we MUST improve
our recuiting or we will not catch up with the rest of the SEC. Significant recruits will not come to the UA with such a reputation. Pelphrey had problems with this last year.
Long has done nothing, but make comments like he was still behind Pelphrey – what for? The basketball program is in shambles. Then, Long and Pelphrey say that there are things happening in the program they can’t tell us about? The only thing we have to know is that the present prgram is totally disorganized and non-performing.
Why doesn’t Jeff Long go for instant player recruiting and reputation improvement by simply looking in his own back yard and ask Nolan Richardson to step in and make it happen and boy would he make said instant improvement. Nolan would even have the players for it what with the new recruits coming in.
Jeff Long – If you are too hard-headed to make a truly significant move to bring back a failed basketball program and if UA is not playing politics against bringing back Richardson, then maybe it’s time to bring in someone to make athletic decisions whom can make decisive decisions, which everyone else can see, to make the UA basketball prgram at least competitive. if not a real winner, again.
It’s ALL up to you and your reputation as AD, Jeff Long!
How small, dismal, ignorant, and incompetent the UA basketball program looks to other SEC teams, POTENTIAL recruits, and the rest of the basketball world, with it’s coach and the AD sitting and making no correction.
@basiclogic you are spot on. It’s funny how some of you are dogging CF. Had he not came back when Pel saw fit to bring him back do you really think we would have won the games we won? NOT! I’d hate to see RC transfer but if he thinks that what he needs to do then so be it. For someone that reporters claim spend countless hrs shooting 3’s b4 and after practice you’d think he’d be a bit more automatic when he does get open. He doesn’t have the speed, size or strentgh to get open but he can be deadly. I just hope he waits til next year because he has help coming in Ricky Scott. The kid can flat out play and will help open up opportunities for him.
UA absolutely needs a new, effective, knowledgeable and dynamic COACH for the basketball program.
It just occurred to me – since Jeff Long has said there were things that he couldn’t tell us about the defunct status of the basketball team – I wonder if the real problem with Long in making the needed change to the Coach of the team has more to do with finances.
AD Long does a good job of raising money, but he likes to spend it on HIS favorite growth programs. Maybe he has taken his eye off the ball – he’s the ATHLETIC DIRECTOR – his first directive should be to make all the athletic teams under his control more viable.
The basketball team has been miserable for several years. But, maybe Pelphrey is the cheaper way to fill a position where UA athletic department has more money to spend on other things. If this is the case, Mr. Long, we are now at a critical point.
Is this the problem, AD Long?
Maybe now, rather than not telling us things you know (but decide not to tell us, as you told us) it’s time to man up.
Correct the basketball program mess NOW, AD Long.
AD Long, you can bet the other SEC teams LOVE your decision not to put in an a quality basketball coach. Every team in the SEC knows that they have some easy victories because our team has no direction
which wastes the talent that we have.
The fortson haters are losing there minds!! He is one of our best players! We would not have even won close to the amt of games we did without him. The guys effort is almost unmatched and he clearly wants to win as much as anyone. It’s sad to see all the bashers coming out and throwing him under the bus. Everyone loved him when we were winning! Can everybody just chill out for a bit! The guy had some issues early in the season then by all accounts has put in the work and change to rectify the situation. Has he had tunovers, yes. But jeez he’s a sophmore who has had to try and put the team on his back, unfortunately when you try to do to much that will be the result. But a guarantee the last thing this team needs is for him to leave! If we could just go through an offseason without people jumping ship we could actually have a chance to improve. But all the people critizing and spouting off ignorant remarks about the players sure as heck isn’t helping that! And it’s definately not encouraging any recruits to come this way to face your constant critisizing. Relax hog fans. Please your killing us!
Fortson is not the glue that holds this team together. He shows flashes of great play, but he is too much out of control. Do you think Mallett would remain the starter at QB if he threw 7 interceptions a game? Fortson is too out of control with his turnovers. A point guard should be concerned with defense and assists (and not turning the ball over), not scoring. If Fortson would concentrate on those things, this team would be better. Until he stays under control more, we will be an inconsistent team at best.
Everyone’s idea of fixing the problem seems to be replacing the current coach with a high powered high dollar coach but those people fail to tell the rest of us where the money is going to come from to pay for this new coach, it won’t be the foundation, they’re broke.
I hope Clarke stays. I think he will have some relief next season. If he decides it’s in his best interest to go then I will him well and thank him for being a nice young man and spending his time with us.
Everyone’s idea of fixing the problem seems to be replacing the current coach with a high powered high dollar coach but those people fail to tell the rest of us where the money is going to come from to pay for this new coach, it won’t be the foundation, they’re broke.
I hope Clarke stays. I think he will have some relief next season. If he decides it’s in his best interest to go then I will wish him well and thank him for being a nice young man and spending his time with us.
HIRE TUBBY SMITH!
Clarke is Canon Whidby (I know I spelled that wrong) with more hype. He cannot get open against any legit team and he cannot guard any legit players. He is too short, too slow, and just too bad to be a go to Division I star. He should be coming off the bench, if he is hot he can shoot until he stops being hot. But if he wants to transfer……I will quote my high school coach Mickey Johnson: “The door is right over there. Don’t let it it you on your way out!!!!!!”
Rotnei, hope you stick around, we need leaders on the team with your character and moral standards.
I agree with Basic Logig, withotu Courtney you guys would’ve been crying months ago, before we had our 6 game winning streak. I do however agree, Courtney has to learn to dish the ball when he’s among the giants. Granted, he’s good at driving, but there were a lot of times that he should’ve dished it to wide open players. Another thing to note is that, it didn’t take coaches long to realize we only had one outside shooter, Rotnei…they guarded him and our coach didn’t make plays to get him open. Our team doesn’t set picks or nothing to get Rotnei open. I don’t want Rotnei to leave, but I sure as heck don’t want Courtney to leave…if they both leave, be prepared for another losing season. If they both stay, I think we will do well. Oh yea, let’s not forget that Michael Washington (supposedly NBA talent), didn’t show up at all this year.
Why would he want to stay?? JP has zero offense, no one sets screens for him to get open. I don’t blame him for wanting to leave. I hate to see him go.. UA needs to open the checkbook, swallow their pride, and bring Mike Anderson back here where he belongs. If they continue like this, the program will never be winning again.
I can’t blame Clarke. He needs to go where they will use his talent, not have him on the bench. This year we did nothing to screen, block and pass off to him when he was open.
Our program is completely broken. We did not play as a team. I was at the SEC and it was apparent noone including Pel wanted to win. I don’t know what it would take to fix our program. But financially we cannot afford not to revamp. We will miss enough ticket sales, foundation donations, etc. to pay whatever it takes to fix things.
I want to support our team but almost 10 years of a sad and embarrassing program, enough is enough!!!
When Fort-son first came back in play, i thought this guy will leave after this year[turn pro] That won’t happen/he is not good enough. It will be a big loss if we lose Clarke. I could very easy be on the boot Fort-son bandwagon, Then, i think now he realizes he needs experience/ If we lose Clarke, we need to send Coach Pel back to Kentucky. He is not a coach for this team. He is overpaid/ He can/t make plays/ He’s a loser/ why keep him / Williamson was there, can we still get him? He couldn’t do any worse
Fire CJP now. Please do not wait.
Please do not wait. Kindly let CJP go now.