Starters’ minutes pile up
Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE — It’s probably a good thing for the Arkansas Razorbacks that they’ve had nearly a week between games since opening with a 91-87 overtime victory against Southeastern Louisiana last Friday.
Three starters — junior forward Michael Washington and freshman guards Rotnei Clarke and Courtney Fortson — needed the break before tonight’s game against California-Davis.
Washington played 41 minutes, Clarke 39 and Fortson 37.
Late in the game, Washington, 6-9 and 239 pounds, was cramping up, though he scored seven of his career-high 30 points in overtime. He also finished with a career-high 14 rebounds.
Washington’s previous high for minutes was 27 against Oklahoma last season. He averaged 11. 3 minutes per game during his first two seasons.
“It’s tiring,” Washington said of going 41 minutes. “But you’ve got to be tough and play through it.”
Clarke said he had no problem playing 39 minutes.
“But with the game going into overtime, I was pretty sore the next day,” he said. “I came in and got treatment early that next morning. It took a toll on me, but it was probably tough for everyone.”
Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey said he doesn’t have a set number of minutes he’d like to play Washington, who is the team’s only experienced inside player.
“I’m not consumed with how many minutes Mike plays,” Pelphrey said. “We’ll make adjustments with any player based on foul trouble and fatigue.”
The Razorbacks’ other two starters, junior guard Stefan Welsh and redshirt freshman forward Michael Sanchez, each played 25 minutes, but likely would have played more if not for foul problems.
Sanchez fouled out and Welsh had four fouls.
Junior Montrell McDonald, 6-6 and a natural small forward, played at power forward when the 6-8 Sanchez wasn’t on the court.
McDonald (7 points and 8 rebounds in 27 minutes ) and sophomore guard Marcus Britt (5 points and 2 steals in 17 minutes ) were the only Razorbacks to score off the bench.
“We need more than seven guys,” Pelphrey said
Freshman guard Jason Henry played 10 minutes, but his only stats were a missed shot and turnover. Freshman forward Andre Clarke had a missed shot in four minutes and freshman forward Brandon Moore played one minute.
Junior guard Stephen Cox, a former walk-on, played the final minute of the first half so Welsh wouldn’t risk picking up his fourth foul.
Mistakes on defense, Pelphrey said, were the main reason some of the freshmen got so few minutes.
Pelphrey said it’s important Arkansas get more production from its reserves, especially playing a pressing, uptempo style.
“It’s going to help us get better, give us more weapons as a basketball team,” he said. “It’s a long year, and your bench is probably critical in winning four to five extra games potentially.”
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