By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke didn’t know Courtney Fortson was back until he got to the arena on Tuesday.

But when the sophomore found out, Clarke used only two words to describe his feelings.

“Just excited,” Clarke said.

Fortson returned to the lineup during Arkansas’ 96-85 loss to No. 2 Texas on Tuesday night after missing 14 games because of a suspension and undisclosed personal issues. He started, scored 19 points, handed out 7 assists and committed 6 turnovers in the loss.

Afterward he offered a brief statement.

“First off, I want to thank my teammates, my fans, the school, the administration for sticking behind me through this rough situation,” Fortson said. “Most of all, I want to thank Coach (John) Pelphrey, being just outside of basketball, just being in my personal life, (director of basketball operations Damon) Jones, Coach (Tom) Ostrom, my mom. I just thank you all for letting me come back and letting me be a part of the Razorbacks.”

Fortson left the interview room after his statement without taking any questions.

Arkansas announced Fortson’s return with a statement less than two hours before tip-off.

In the statement, Pelphrey said Arkansas was “pleased that Courtney has done the things necessary for him to incorporate basketball fully back into his life.” However, Pelphrey also said Fortson “must continue to meet the expectations of our athletic department to remain a member of the Razorback program.”

Pelphrey said after the game that Fortson’s impact on the court was obvious on the Razorbacks. He also said Fortson’s return was the result of the point guard following the requirements of a lengthy and detailed plan.

“We talked about all along it’s not really one thing,” Pelphrey said. “There’s a plan in place. There’s certain things he’s got to do whether it be academically. All along the way there was a point in time where he wasn’t practicing. We brought him back to practice and got him in with the guys. Obviously he had academic things that he had to accomplish. There’s been constant pieces of information that we were waiting on to get.

“There wasn’t just one facet for Courtney. It was a plan. It was a program.”

Sutton Speaks
Former Arkansas coach Eddie Sutton was the guest speaker at the Northwest Arkansas Tip-off Club meeting on Tuesday afternoon in Springdale.

Sutton was surprised when told about Arkansas’ sagging attendance, which has dipped well below capacity, in Bud Walton Arena this season.

“I didn’t realize it was that poor,” Sutton said. “I don’t ever look at the statistics, and I don’t get them. But I look at the score every time they play. But I would hope the fans would come back. The team certainly needs it.”

Arkansas’ announced attendance Tuesday was a season-high 12,865. However, it was 6,000 less than last season’s game against the Longhorns.

But Sutton offered some support for Pelphrey, who played for the coach at Kentucky and worked for him at Oklahoma State early in his career.

“I think he’s got to be given a chance,” Sutton said. “I hope that he can find a way to get the team back on track and winning games.”

No Nobles
Fortson’s return to the lineup bumped freshman Julysses Nobles from a starting spot for the first time this season. But it did even more than that against Texas — Nobles didn’t play.

Nobles was the only healthy member of the team that didn’t step on the court against the Longhorns. It comes at the end of a difficult stretch for Nobles, who has struggled.

Nobles entered Tuesday’s game averaging 5.4 points and 25.4 minutes. The Razorbacks went with Fortson and Stefan Welsh in his place.

“We all recognize the fact that if Courtney is eligible to play it’s kind of his spot,” Pelphrey said in response to Nobles’ absence.