FAYETTEVILLE — As Arkansas’ basketball players gathered for their team picture Thursday in Walton Arena, a thought occurred to junior guard Mardracus Wade.
“It looks like a football team out here, huh?” Wade said with a smile.
Last season, the Razorbacks desperately needed a football player, Brandon Mitchell, to help provide depth on a roster depleted by transfers and injuries.
While Coach Mike Anderson has said he’ll gladly welcome Mitchell back to the basketball team after football season is over, there actually are enough basketball players now to play the Razorbacks’ up-tempo, pressing style in Anderson’s second year.
This season’s roster has 16 players, including 13 scholarship players. The Razorbacks were down to nine scholarship players two games into last season when forward Marshawn Powell suffered a season-ending knee injury. Only seven players were used in all 32 games as the team faded to an 18-14 finish after a 16-6 start.
“Everybody knew we were limited, then the injuries,” Powell said. “The coaches did a great job, and then we just ran into a wall.”
Sophomore guard BJ Young, who averaged a team high 15.3 points last season, said it’s fun to see so many bodies at practice.
“I know with the running we do and the way we do it, the bodies that are coming in fresh and the shape they will be in, it’s going to be hard for other teams to keep up hopefully,” Young said. “We’re going to run, run, run. That’s going to be our main focus - and getting stops.”
Powell, a redshirt junior, said he’s 95 percent healthy going into tonight’s practice and should be full speed for the regular-season opener against Sam Houston State on Nov. 9.
Powell, Wade, Young, sophomore guard Ky Madden, sophomore forward Hunter Mickelson and junior guard Rickey Scott return from last year. The recruiting class has junior forwards Coty Clarke and Alandise Harris, junior guard Fred Gulley, freshman guards Michael Qualls, Anthlon Bell and Dee Wagner and freshman forward Jacorey Williams.
“I like this team because you’ve got a lot of different parts,” Anderson said. “Now the key is putting those parts together to make it an effective team.”
Gulley, a transfer from Oklahoma State who played at Fayetteville High School, will be eligible to play in early December when the first semester ends. Harris, a transfer from Houston and former Little Rock Central standout, is seeking immediate eligibility for family reasons so he can be closer to his older sisters after his mother’s death two years ago.
Anderson said Arkansas is still awaiting a ruling from the NCAA regarding Harris’ waiver request.
Whatever happens with Harris’ case, Anderson said the Razorbacks have “more pieces to the puzzle” going into this season.
“Obviously, we wanted to address some of the concerns or some of the things we didn’t do well in Year 1,” he said. “That is to make sure we get some depth, get more guys that fit what we’re doing.”
Anderson said the Razorbacks were able to have competitive practices in August when they prepared for a tour of Italy that included four exhibition games. He’s seen the same intensity during workouts and conditioning drills.
“There’s no doubt in my mind we have what it takes to make it to the [NCAA] Tournament, but just having what it takes won’t get us there,” Qualls said. “We have to bring it in practice every day and keep pushing each other.”
Anderson led turnarounds at Alabama-Birmingham and Missouri before the former Razorbacks assistant returned to Arkansas last season.
“When you go in that initial year and try to build your foundation and style of play, it was frustrating at times,” Arkansas assistant T.J. Cleveland said. “But our guys, they were giving 100 percent. They just couldn’t do it, especially down the stretch, because this style of play is demanding.
Primetime at the Palace WHAT Opening basketball practices for Arkansas’ men’s and women’s teams WHERE Walton Arena, Fayetteville WHEN Tonight. The arena doors open at 8 p.m., when an autograph session with both teams will be held on the concourse. Practice will start at 9 p.m.
ADMISSION The event is free, but fans are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item for donation.
Sports, Pages 17 on 10/12/2012