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Fortson to miss game against UK

February 12th, 2009 | Injuries, UK opponents |

Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey just dropped a bombshell. He announced that point guard Courtney Fortson has been suspended indefinitely and will not play against Kentucky on Saturday.

Fortson has been the starting point guard all season. Earlier this season, he recorded a triple-double, which reflects his importance to the Razorbacks.

At his customary news conference called to discuss the upcoming game, Pelphrey refused to say why he suspended Fortson.

“I think we deserve a disciplined program,” Pelphrey said. “I think the coaching we’ve had, the players we’ve had, the success we’ve had, it’s just what I believe.”

Fortson, a 5-foot-11 freshman from Montgomery, Ala., is the Razorbacks’ second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. He leads the team in assists (6.5 per game), minutes (32.4 mpg), steals (28) and turnovers (95). He’s also second on the team in rebounds (5.3 rpg).

Fortson recorded his triple-double against North Carolina Central on Dec. 10. He had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in that game.

Perhaps reflecting what Fortson’s absence means, Arkansas’ next leading assist man is Stefan Welsh, with 49.

Pelphrey did not name a player to take over the point guard duties.

“Do I have a lot of options?” he told reporterse. “… We’ll see. He will not practice (Thursday).”
Pelphrey noted the importance of soldiering on without the point guard.
“I expect the Razorbacks to get out there and play hard,” he said. ” I expect us to have an unbelievable attitude, to encourage our teammates, to understand what it’s all about to be a part of a team and to do your job . To handle adversity. I think we should act a certain way, whether we’re winning or whether we’re losing.
“Do I understand there’s going to be some challenges to that? I certainly do. I certainly do. Like I said before, I’m not perfect and neither are the young men I coach. That doesn’t mean we can’t work at it very, very hard and do the best we can.”
Like Rick Pitino, who coached him at Kentucky, Pelphrey tried to turn this negative into a positive. He spoke of how one player’s absence creates opportunity for others.
“What more of an opportunity could you have than to play for the University of Arkansas – noon game, CBS, I believe – against the winningest program of all time?,” Pelphrey said. “What a great opportunity.”
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2 comments ↓

#1   pennery on 02.12.09 at 5:54 pm

Sure wish John was our coach!

#2   tim on 02.12.09 at 6:04 pm

I will root for JP’s team in every game except this one. Good luck with the rest of the season but I think the Cats are gonna beat the breaks off yall this weekend John!

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