Well, it appears there is more bad news for Arkansas’ basketball team.

  According to a report by 40/29, Arkansas guard Stefan Welsh has been suspended indefinitely from the team for an undisclosed reason.

  The news of Welsh’s suspension comes only four days after Arkansas coach John Pelphrey announced that troubled guard/forward Jason Henry has left the team and will not return. Henry became the fourth member of last year’s six-person recruiting class to leave the Razorbacks since December.

   I spoke with Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long early this afternoon, and I asked him about the growing problems within the basketball program and the displeasure some fans have expressed about the direction of the team under Pelphrey.

  Here is what Long said:

  “I would say that coach Pelphrey has my confidence and he understands the kind of basketball program we want to build and run. He and I are on the same page about that, so I think the future is bright for our men’s basketball program.

  “Are we going to win instantly? No, but we’re building for the future. We’re building a strong program on and off the court and one that we can all be proud of.”

  So, it was another eventful Sunday.

  Last Sunday, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino announced that troubled linebacker Khiry Battle would be dismissed from the football team following his second arrest in less than two months.

  And then today, Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey confirmed that troubled guard/forward Jason Henry is no longer a part of the team.

  I wonder what will happen next Sunday.

  Anyway, Henry’s departure ends a few months of speculation. The sophomore’s status always seemed to be up in the air because of academic issues, and when asked about Henry, Pelphrey would always say that the player was “day-to-day.”

  Despite Henry’s obvious troubles, it’s worth nothing that he’s the fifth Arkansas player to leave the team since the start of last season. Junior-college transfer Montrell McDonald quit in December after being suspended after getting into an argument with Pelphrey, and this offseason has seen forwards Andre Clark and Brandon Moore transfer and reserve guard Stephen Cox decide to leave so he can join Arkansas’ golf team.

  It’s hard for any team, especially one that’s hoping to get over last season’s dismal finish, to turn the corner when there are that many defections. There isn’t continuity. And Henry’s departure won’t be welcomed at a time when Arkansas’ basketball is in danger of losing scholarships because of its low APR score.

  That said, at least Pelphrey no longer needs to worry about having more players than scholarships. Before Henry left, the Razorbacks had 14 players vying for 13 scholarships.

  Maybe now things will quiet down for the basketball team. And maybe there won’t be another announcement to report next Sunday.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey and the Razorbacks got some good news a little while ago. Forward Marshawn Powell — a top 50 player according to Scout.com — has been cleared by the NCAA and will be playing for the Razorbacks next season.

Dudley Dawson has a story on Powell over at HawgsIllustrated.com.

What does this mean for the Razorbacks? A lot, actually.

Arkansas believes it now has someone who can team up with senior Michael Washington in the post, giving it some much-needed size and skill in the frontcourt. Powell averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks playing for The Miller School in Virginia last season. Powell, who said he can play both the four and five, is expected to be on Arkansas’ campus soon.

Powell’s arrival pushes Arkansas a little closer to resolving its scholarship crunch. As we’ve said several times, the Razorbacks have 14 scholarships going to 13 players for now. That means one returning player may not make it back. Or one signee won’t be arriving.

West Memphis’ Anthony Borden is still waiting for his test scores to know how he stands, according to Dudley’s story. Arkansas fans can catch a peek at Borden tonight, when he plays in a high school all-star game in Bud Walton Arena.

Check back for more info on Powell in The Morning News tomorrow.

One topic of interest that was discussed during John Pelphrey’s press conference this morning was his coaching staff.

The fact it’s June is a pretty good indication that Pelphrey has no plans to replace Rob Evans, Tom Ostrom or Isaac Brown for the 2009-10 season even though the Razorbacks turned in their worst finish in the SEC.

He provided some reasons why when asked about it in Bud Walton Arena.

“I like my staff,” Pelphrey said. “Those guys are all very hard working. They’re loyal. They love the University of Arkansas. I think we have an opportunity as a staff, because we have some continuity, to be better than we’ve ever been, too. Sometimes it’s hard to do when you’re changing pieces.”

It’s pretty common in this day and age to see programs make staff changes after struggling to a less-than-impressive year. The theory, it seems, is that someone has to take the fall. Why not an assistant coach?

But Pelphrey was pretty clear he doesn’t abide by that perception today. His plans are to keep the group intact.

“I’m not making any excuses,” Pelphrey said. “It’s the same group of guys that got bonuses for going into the NCAA Tournament the year before. All of a sudden they didn’t know what they’re doing? No.

“We’re not going to make any excuses. We’re going to work hard. We know who we are. We know the challenges that lie ahead of us. We’re all very, very excited about what we can potentially do with this basketball program.”

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey met with the media this morning for the first time in quite some time.

As we all know, a lot has happened in the past several weeks, too.

I’ve got tons of items to cover and not enough space to do so in the newspaper. Sorry I couldn’t get to the blog earlier to give you some highlights, but I was stuck inside Bud Walton Arena without my laptop while a huge storm was passing through. But thanks to Alex Abrams for covering for me while I waited and waited and waited.

One thing I did want to get up on the blog was Pelphrey’s reaction to what we’ll call the Patrick Beverley situation.

Pelphrey was cautious with what he said because of privacy laws. But he did acknowledge he still has a relationship with Beverley despite the fact the former guard indicated he and teammates cheated. Beverley has since backed off those comments.

“We have a relationship,” Pelphrey said. “I’m always going to try to encourage Patrick and the rest of those guys to do the right things, take care of themselves, protect themselves. do the right things.”

Pelphrey said he spoke with Beverley every seven to 10 days during the season. Something Beverley also told me during one of the times I have spoken with him the past few weeks. Pelphrey said he hasn’t spoken with Beverley in a little while, but continues to hear about his progress through others in the basketball program.

As for what Beverley did say? Well, Pelphrey indicated it’s a situation the Razorbacks just have to deal with.

“I think there’s a lot of things, our job sometimes, that makes it tough or gives us, something else to kind of have to deal with,” Pelphrey said. “I’m sure there are days that I feel like anybody else who is kind of in charge of something. … It comes with the territory probably.”

  Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey held a news conference this morning, and since it was the first time he has spoken to the media in awhile, there was plenty of sound bites to come out.

  Robbie Neiswanger, who was at the news conference, passed these items along. We’ll have more later.

  Pelphrey said there will be no changes to his coaching staff despite last season’s collapse. The Razorbacks are also one over its scholarship limit, and Pelphrey said there is time for that to work itself out. In other words, someone could transfer or a recruit could not become academically eligible.

  Pelphrey said guard Marcus Britt, who was suspended indefinitely following his arrest for driving while intoxicated, is very remorseful and still around the team. And despite Patrick Beverley’s recent admission that he had someone else writing papers for him at Arkansas, Pelphrey said he still has a relationship with the former Arkansas guard.

  And finally, Arkansas must add one game in early January to fill its schedule. At the moment, Louisville (and Rick Pitino), Texas and Baylor highlight the Hogs’ nonconference schedule.

  Again, Robbie will have more on Pelphrey’s news conference later on the blog and in The Morning News.

Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey has suspended junior Marcus Britt after his DWI arrest.

Here’s a statement from Pelphrey released by the university:

“Marcus Britt has been indefinitely suspended from all team related activities for a violation of team rules,” Pelphrey said. “He is a representative of the University of Arkansas and our basketball program, and needless to say, we are disappointed. He is still a part of our team, but the expectations of being a Razorback include meeting high standards on the court and off the court.”

  Some Arkansas fans have purchased the squares of sod pulled up from Reynolds Razorback Stadium, but why stop there? There’s a chance for fans to own another piece of playing surface that has an Arkansas connection.

  The  Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia will close this year, and crews began this week cutting up the hardwood that – along with many other things – was where Christian Laettner hit a buzzer beater to shock Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament and lead Duke to the 1992 national championship.

  Current Arkansas coach John Pelphrey was one of two Kentucky players trying to defend Laettner on the play, but the rest is history. Laettner caught the deep inbound pass from Grant Hill, dribbled, spun and hit perhaps the most famous shot in college basketball history. 

  Pelphrey looked stunned, standing near the free-throw line when the shot fell.

  (If you look closely at the photo, Pelphrey is the Kentucky player to the left of Laettner, looking up as the shot comes out of Laettner’s hands.)

  The Spectrum court will be cut up into 3 by 5-inch and 10 by 10-inch pieces that will be mounted in commemorative frames and sold to fans (here is the link to be buy a piece of the court).

  Pelphrey has talked at length about what it was like to be on the losing end of such a famous moment in sports. The question is: Will he buy a piece of the court where it all happened? My guess is heck no.

Arkansas has issued a press release regarding APR scores for all 19 sports teams. In it, Jeff Long and John Pelphrey were quoted in regard to the basketball team’s score of 888.

Here is what they said:

Long — “We have been closely monitoring our APR situation in our men’s basketball program and know that we still face some challenges ahead. Certainly, we are disappointed that we have subjected ourselves to potential penalties. However, our athletic department administration and academic support staff continue to work closely with the coaching staff to help ensure that our student-athletes have every opportunity to meet their academic responsibility and succeed academically.”

Pelphrey — “As a basketball program, we are committed to the development of student-athletes academically and athletically. Our current APR score is a reflection of many factors including a significant amount of transition in the time period evaluated. Just as we have taken steps to lay the groundwork for an even stronger team on the court, our coaches and academic support staff have worked with our student-athletes to help them enhance their academic progress. I am optimistic that our continued emphasis and proactive approach will result in an improved team APR rating.”

The media will have a chance to speak with Long in a little bit via teleconference. I’ve been told this is the only quote we’re going to have from Pelphrey today. So we’ll let you know when we hear more.

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long was part of a big announcement on Arkansas’ campus a few minutes ago. The announcement: The athletic department is contributing $1 million to the school. That’s a pretty big deal.

But it also was a chance to talk to Long about the direction of the basketball program.

As we’ve found out, coach John Pelphrey’s signature is on a two-page letter to Arkansas’ season ticket holders explaining the growing pains the program underwent last season. It’s a letter that has created quite a buzz this week, but one Long said is no big deal.

“I think maybe sometimes people read too much into things,” Long said. “That letter was simply to kind of update the fans on where we stand. That the coaching staff is working hard. That we understand how important basketball is to our fans. John is committed to building our program. That’s really what it was, was just a direct communication with our fans about their support and that we’re working very hard to improve our program.”

Long said it was the product of several conversations the two have had since the end of the season. Long said Pelphrey loves being Arkansas coach and loves the support of fans. They came to the conclusion that the best way to let fans know they’re working hard on righting the program would be to communicate with them directly.

It’s one of several things they’ve talked about since the end of the season. In that time, Michael Washington has declared for the NBA Draft without hiring an agent, Andre Clark and Brandon Moore have left the team and a handful of new players have been signed to scholarship papers.

Most of those things haven’t necessarily been Pelphrey decisions, but Long said he is happy with the steps the coach has taken to trying to right the ship in the past few months.

“I have every confidence in John and support him with the moves he made,” Long said. “We’re buidling a program. I can’t over emphasize that. We want to build a strong, solid program with the right kind of young people in our program that are growing academically and athletically. We want to help them get to the NBA if that’s their desire and they have those abilities. We also want to help them get their degrees and leave the University of Arkansas as better people.

“Winning is very important. But I think it’s important that we run our program the right way as we win. John’s steps he’s taken are right in line with what I’d hoped he’d do. And we’re on the same page.”

Check back later. I’ll have more on the basketball program.