Hogs have building blocks for future
Year of the Ox
Derek Oxford
Issue date: 3/11/09 Section: Sports
March Madness.
It's only two words, but they're some of the sweetest words in sports.
This Sunday, the brackets will be revealed for the 65-team tournament that will stretch over the next two weeks and turn every office worker into a basketball maniac.
And for the first time since 2005, the basketball Hogs likely won't be a part of it, unless they do the unthinkable and win four games in four days in Tampa at the SEC Tournament.
Crazier things have happened.
I won't sit here and tell you that I truly believe that at 8:45 p.m. tomorrow night Arkansas is going to go in and just handle Florida, but I will tell you that the Razorbacks have a chance if they play their game.
Arkansas has only won 14 games this year, but in the games it has won, it has been able to sustain its style of play for 40 minutes and forced the issue on the other team instead of the other way around.
It's hard to remember that the Hogs did in fact beat then-No. 4 Oklahoma and then-No. 7 Texas because those wins seem like eons ago.
What I'd like to remember about this season is that the Hogs never folded up the tent.
Yeah, it was hard gaining Marcus Monk and then subsequently losing him. It was difficult dropping the first four SEC games.
It was difficult going through injuries and suspensions, etc.
Nevertheless, Arkansas has persevered. The Hogs have set the tone for the incoming groups, that even if they're not as successful as people want them to be, they're not going to go down without a fight.
That kind of attitude will be rewarded when these players are seniors.
Arkansas coach John Pelphrey can hang his hat on the kind of effort and determination that a Courtney Fortson or a Rotnei Clarke puts forth.
He can also hang his hat on the kind of potential that Jason Henry possesses, and the positive attitude that hopefully Brandon Moore, Andre Clark and Michael Sanchez will show in getting stronger and bigger for next season.
Michael Washington may or may not go to NBA. It's up in the air right now as to what he'll choose to do. If he decides to take his game to the next level, fine, but the Hogs certainly would do much better with his senior leadership next season.
The same goes for Stefan Welsh. Even though Welsh maybe hasn't played up to expectations this season, he's still a solid player that Arkansas would undoubtedly use next year in the backcourt.
Heck, these guys may somehow mesh so well down in Tampa that they end up taking the SEC by storm and winning the crown, locking up that automatic bid.
If that happened, I could speak volumes about how much confidence that the team would have and especially the fans would then have.
The Hogs have been to the NCAA tournament three consecutive years. That's enough for fans to begin to expect that making the tournament is something that can be done every year.
I don't think that's an unrealistic expectation. The fans put forth a ton of effort to support the team, and therefore, that team should compete and play hard, and put itself with a chance to win every time it steps on the hardwood.
Yet if Arkansas' year does end tomorrow night with a loss to Florida, there will be much moaning and groaning, I'm sure.
Seasons like this one may be easy to laugh off and forget, but I think the foundation has begun to be laid for the resurgence of Arkansas basketball.
Derek Oxford is a senior staff writer for The Arkansas Traveler.
It's only two words, but they're some of the sweetest words in sports.
This Sunday, the brackets will be revealed for the 65-team tournament that will stretch over the next two weeks and turn every office worker into a basketball maniac.
And for the first time since 2005, the basketball Hogs likely won't be a part of it, unless they do the unthinkable and win four games in four days in Tampa at the SEC Tournament.
Crazier things have happened.
I won't sit here and tell you that I truly believe that at 8:45 p.m. tomorrow night Arkansas is going to go in and just handle Florida, but I will tell you that the Razorbacks have a chance if they play their game.
Arkansas has only won 14 games this year, but in the games it has won, it has been able to sustain its style of play for 40 minutes and forced the issue on the other team instead of the other way around.
It's hard to remember that the Hogs did in fact beat then-No. 4 Oklahoma and then-No. 7 Texas because those wins seem like eons ago.
What I'd like to remember about this season is that the Hogs never folded up the tent.
Yeah, it was hard gaining Marcus Monk and then subsequently losing him. It was difficult dropping the first four SEC games.
It was difficult going through injuries and suspensions, etc.
Nevertheless, Arkansas has persevered. The Hogs have set the tone for the incoming groups, that even if they're not as successful as people want them to be, they're not going to go down without a fight.
That kind of attitude will be rewarded when these players are seniors.
Arkansas coach John Pelphrey can hang his hat on the kind of effort and determination that a Courtney Fortson or a Rotnei Clarke puts forth.
He can also hang his hat on the kind of potential that Jason Henry possesses, and the positive attitude that hopefully Brandon Moore, Andre Clark and Michael Sanchez will show in getting stronger and bigger for next season.
Michael Washington may or may not go to NBA. It's up in the air right now as to what he'll choose to do. If he decides to take his game to the next level, fine, but the Hogs certainly would do much better with his senior leadership next season.
The same goes for Stefan Welsh. Even though Welsh maybe hasn't played up to expectations this season, he's still a solid player that Arkansas would undoubtedly use next year in the backcourt.
Heck, these guys may somehow mesh so well down in Tampa that they end up taking the SEC by storm and winning the crown, locking up that automatic bid.
If that happened, I could speak volumes about how much confidence that the team would have and especially the fans would then have.
The Hogs have been to the NCAA tournament three consecutive years. That's enough for fans to begin to expect that making the tournament is something that can be done every year.
I don't think that's an unrealistic expectation. The fans put forth a ton of effort to support the team, and therefore, that team should compete and play hard, and put itself with a chance to win every time it steps on the hardwood.
Yet if Arkansas' year does end tomorrow night with a loss to Florida, there will be much moaning and groaning, I'm sure.
Seasons like this one may be easy to laugh off and forget, but I think the foundation has begun to be laid for the resurgence of Arkansas basketball.
Derek Oxford is a senior staff writer for The Arkansas Traveler.
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