FAYETTEVILLE — Playing time wasn’t a problem for Jeff Peterson at Iowa.
Peterson, a 6-0 junior point guard, started 25 games for the Hawkeyes two years ago. He averaged 33 minutes to rank 11th in the Big Ten Conference.
It was the style Iowa played that convinced Peterson he needed to find another team, which turned out to be Arkansas. The Hawkeyes’ 13-19 and 15-17 records in his two seasons with them didn’t help the situation, either.
“That was part of it, that we weren’t winning,” Peterson said. “The style of play was the biggest thing, though.
“The Big Ten is a great conference. You’ve got great players and great coaches, but we played a lot slower tempo than we do here at Arkansas.
“I was used to pushing the ball up the court, and I wanted to get back to it.”
The Razorbacks, who play Florida Gulf Coast at 7 tonight in Walton Arena, are counting on Peterson to provide a steady hand and add experience and depth to their backcourt.
Peterson averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a sophomore. He’s been slowed in practice this fall because of a hamstring injury, but played 18 minutes in the Razorbacks’ 75-62 season opening victory over Grambling State last Thursday night and had seven points and two assists.
“Jeff ’s a really unselfish player with a a huge basketball IQ ,” Arkansas junior guard Rotnei Clarke said. “That’s why I’m excited to play with him. He can find people when they’re open.
“In practice, there have been times I didn’t think he could even see me, and he’s hit me in the corner for some shots. He makes everybody around him better.
“He’s a complete player, and he’s a really great person off the floor.”
Peterson, who redshirted last year in accordance with NCAA transfer rules, had 106 assists and 79 turnovers as a sophomore. His plus-1.34 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked 10th in the Big Ten.
“He’s the point guard we need, a pass-first point guard who will control the offense,” Arkansas senior forward Delvon Johnson said. “And he’ll be a vocal leader.”
Peterson isn’t flashy. He doesn’t figure to make eye popping plays like his predecessor, Courtney Fortson, who averaged team-highs of 17.9 points and 5.6 assists last season, but also averaged 5.2 turnovers and shot 36.1 percent from the field. Peterson shot 45 percent from the field as a sophomore.
“Courtney was always trying to make a play, and you can’t really fault that,” Peterson said. “Sometimes it would be the right play, sometimes it wouldn’t.
“We all make the wrong play sometimes, but I’ve got the mentality that if somebody’s open and he’s hot, I’m going to keep going to him as much as I can.
“If I’m not open, I have no problem with giving the ball up.”
Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey said Peterson got better while redshirting last year and has a strong overall game.
“I think Jeff is a liaison between the coach and the players on the floor,” Pelphrey said. “He plays both ends of it. He’s a high-energy guy.
“I know how coachable he is, and the way the guys feel about him.”
Peterson will share the point guard duties with sophomore Julysses Nobles, who started against Gramblng State.
“We complement each other well,” Peterson said. “That depth is going to do nothing but benefit the team.”
Peterson is from Springfield, Mo., but went to De-Matha High School, a traditional basketball power in Hyattsville, Md., a Washington, D.C. suburb. He played on Stags teams that were a combined 96-9 over three seasons.
“I was fortunate enough that my parents made numerous sacrifices for me to be able to go out there,” Peterson said. “It’s probably the best decision I made in my life, just because it opened up so many doors for me.”
Sports, Pages 13 on 11/22/2010