The Arkansas basketball team held its media day on Monday in Bud Walton Arena, which smells like paint pretty much everywhere you walk because of the numerous renovations taking place there.

There will be a story and a notebook in tomorrow’s edition of The Morning News, where we’ll also have comments from athletic director Jeff Long about the progress of those renovations.

Here are a few media day highlights:

• Arkansas coach John Pelphrey, who lost six seniors and Patrick Beverley from last season’s 23-12 team, didn’t hide the fact that this is a rebuilding season. He said as much, commenting that it’s an understandable perspective anytime a team loses “80 percent from any offensive category you want to look at.” That said, Pelphrey said expectations wouldn’t be lowered for this season.

• Pelphrey did address the Beverley situation, admitting that his loss was a big blow to this year’s team. He also looked at the bright side of the departure, stressing that other players would just have to step it up in his absence.

• Because of Arkansas’ small roster (11 players), Pelphrey said the Razorbacks would hold walk-on tryouts tomorrow (Tuesday) at the HPER building. He said he hoped to add a couple of players but didn’t rule out adding as many as four.

• Pelphrey lauded the continued maturation of juniors Stefan Welsh and Michael Washington, who will both shoulder much of the leadership duties this season.

• Welsh said he didn’t once go home to Virginia this summer and added 10 pounds of pure muscle in the offseason. Washington said he put on 15 to take him to 240 pounds.

• Pelphrey singled out each of his seven newcomers at his news conference. Of note, he called freshman point guard Courtney Fortson a “tough, nasty point guard” and compared freshman combo guard Rotnei Clarke to a former Kentucky teammate — “Travis Ford on steroids.”

• Freshman Jason Henry and junior Montrell McDonald, both small forwards, each said the departure of Sonny Weems played heavily into their choices to come to Arkansas.

• Arkansas’ first practice will be on Friday. The Hogs will then practice twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday before taking one day off early next week. The Red-White game, the first chance for fans to see the Razorbacks, is the evening of Oct. 24 in Bud Walton Arena.

Updated 11:15 p.m.

Oh, and here’s a late addition I forgot to include earlier (this was pretty funny):

• Pelphrey was asked a series of questions about flying with the Blue Angels on Wednesday at the Air Force base in Jacksonville. Only problem: Pelphrey hadn’t told his wife, Tracy. Oops. Pelphrey said, “I’ll have to tell her now,” and went on to talk excitedly about the opportunity.