Arkansas’ 2011 basketball recruiting class was upgraded to No. 2 in the nation last week when ESPN updated its rankings.
The Hogs would drop one spot after Duke added a verbal commitment, but achieving a top-5 ranking is no small feat for a program with one NCAA Tournament win in the last 11 years.
The Razorbacks have to play the 2010-11 season before B.J. Young, Hunter Mickelson and Co. can save the program, though. That almost got lost in the Final Four reservations being booked, contract extensions being drawn up and season tickets dusted off.
John Pelphrey’s version of the “Fab Five” recruiting class will help rejuvenate the program and the fan base, but they won’t be able to do it alone.
Arkansas has some good pieces in place on its current roster, but the general consensus is the Razorbacks don’t have enough talent to get the program back on track this season.
Sophomore forward Marshawn Powell was the Hogs’ most consistent player last season and should be a force once he gets back in shape after missing two months with a broken foot.
Junior guard Rotnei Clarke is one of the top shooters in the country. The Verdigris, Okla., native can be deadly if surrounded by enough playmakers.
Freshmen guards Rickey Scott and Mardracus Wade can impact both ends of the floor and are long, athletic players.
Junior Michael Sanchez and sophomore Glenn Bryant are solid role players in the frontcourt. Sanchez does the little things and understands the system, while Bryant is freakishly athletic and provides rebounding and shot blocking.
The Hogs could have a pretty good roster in the 2011-12 season. Young and Ky Madden – if he decides to sign – can run the show. Aaron Ross is a big, fundamentally sound small forward who gets the job done. Mickelson is long and skilled, while Devonta Abron can bang down low.
The recruits could form a very talented team when added to the returning players from the current roster.
That’s the mentality of Arkansas fans.
The current Razorbacks aren’t expected to do much.
The Hogs aren’t big in the front court and there is uncertainty in the backcourt. Courtney Fortson is gone and Pelphrey doesn’t have a clear cut replacement. Sophomore Julysses Nobles and junior Jeff Peterson will likely split time at point guard.
Neither player has the same playmaking ability as Fortson, but Pelphrey has preached the Razorbacks won’t have to be a one-man show this season.
The fourth-year coached has repeatedly emphasized Arkansas will rely on strength in numbers to overachieve.
Whether that is his way of saying the Hogs don’t have an elite player remains to be seen.
No one is giving the Razorbacks a good chance to make their first NCAA Tournament trip in three years. Several players have said the Hogs bonded during the offseason, forging togetherness which led to workouts and attitudes Pelphrey said he hadn’t previously seen at Arkansas.
The players know no one expects a trip to March Madness, much less a Western Division championship or a Sweet 16 berth. That has to be motivating.
Don’t be surprised if the Hogs surprise with an “us against the world” mentality.
If they don’t, the expression, “There’s always next year,” has never been truer.