UA Men's Basketball Notebook : Washington earns second SEC honor
Posted on Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Already these young 11-1 Razorbacks in this young season have matched one standard set by Arkansas' 1994 national championship team.
Now that junior forward Michael Washington of McGehee has been named SEC Player of the Week for a second time to go with an earlier SEC Player of the Week honor by freshman point guard Courtney Fortson, John Pelphrey's current Razorbacks have matched the SEC Players of the Week numbers of Nolan Richardson's 1994 Razorbacks.
Scotty Thurman logged that honor twice, and Corliss Williamson once for Richardson's Razorbacks of 1994.
Washington becomes Arkansas' first two-time SEC Player of the Week since former point guard Gary Ervin for former Arkansas coach Stan Heath's Hogs in 2007.
Big man Washington achieved his latest big honor in a big way. He duplicated recognition from the SEC Office, it was announced Monday in Birmingham, Ala., for his 24 points, 11 rebounds and seventh double-double of the season in last Tuesday's 96-88 upset over nationally fourthranked Oklahoma at Walton Arena in Fayetteville, and his career-high 34 points plus 11 rebounds double-double in last Saturday's 86-75 victory over North Texas at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock.
"Two big-time performances," Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said of Washington's 10 for 12 from the field and 4 of 7 from the line against OU and his 12 of 15 from the field and 10 for 12 from the line against North Texas.
"Obviously in Little Rock he didn't miss many shots at all," Pelphrey said. "Made his free throws. And we needed him, because we weren't playing our best at a lot of other players. That's a tremendous night he had - 34 points in 34 minutes."
Those successive doubledoubles, seven now by Washington so far, might quadruple Texas' attention when the eighth-ranked, 11-2 Longhorns stampede into Walton Arena for tonight's 8 o'clock ESPN2 televised game.
"That's one thing with playing well," Pelphrey said, "you're not going to catch anybody by surprise. He's going to have to continue to play hard, work hard, adjust, add stuff to his game. That's one thing with playing well, you're not going to catch anybody by surprise."
Does Pelphrey anticipate Texas coach Rick Barnes springing any special or gimmick defenses on Washington tonight?
"I'm not sure what they might do to him," Pelphrey said. "Certainly I think you can pressure the basketball more, you can try to limit his touches, you can double low post. I would say all of that is possible."
Oh, Henry!
Jason Henry was supposed to miss three weeks minimum of Razorback games following his arthroscopic knee surgery after last playing on Dec. 20 against Stephen F. Austin.
Now just three intervening games later and Pelphrey talks like Henry, the 6-6 freshman reserve guard from West Memphis, might even be available for spot duty against Texas tonight.
"It's kind of a day-to-day thing," Pelphrey said Monday. "I think we're a little bit surprised that there's a decision to be made, that he may play tomorrow."
What's caused the optimism Henry can beat the timetable?
"Just the fact that he's out there," Pelphrey said. " He's not just on crutches in the training room, with ice. We've seen him move. At one point in time he was just shooting free throws, the next thing you know he's in a drill. It's been a progression."
Henr y practiced both Sunday and Monday, Pelphrey said.
The coach said he had an inkling Henry would exceed medical expectations watching the freshman exhorting the Hogs from the bench during their Dec. 30 upset over Oklahoma.
"I thought there was a chance he might be OK when he left the floor, jumped on a seat and came back down the floor again," Pelphrey said.
The coach smiled.
"I couldn't get him to do that in preseason weightlifting," Pelphrey said.
Still unranked
Upending Oklahoma got Arkansas some Associated Press poll votes but not enough to crack the Top 25.
Wishing to be ranked doesn't rank a high priority with Pelphrey.
"I'm just not real consumed with it," Pelphrey said. "Certainly you'd rather be ranked than not ranked, make no mistake about that. But whether we are or aren't, it's not going to help us against Texas."
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