By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas point guard Courtney Fortson’s impact was undeniable earlier this season.
The sophomore came back from a 14-game suspension and instantly seized control of Arkansas’ efforts on both ends of the court. He broke defenders down off the dribble and got in the lane for layups or assists, led the Razorbacks on the break for easy buckets, and showed a knack for getting to the free-throw line.
But Fortson hasn’t had much success in Arkansas’ past three games. And it’s no secret the 5-foot-11 point guard’s struggles are one reason the Razorbacks are suffering through a late-season slide.
Fortson turned in his worst offensive outing of the season during the 89-72 loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday, scoring eight points on 3 of 15 shooting. He wasn’t made available to talk about it Monday, but coach John Pelphrey said it’s obvious Fortson’s ability to bounce back from the woes will be critical when the Razorbacks (14-15, 7-7 in SEC) play at No. 16 Tennessee (21-7, 9-5) on Wednesday night.
“I think he understands that he’s going to have to continue to grow and get his game better and adjust. Make adjustments,” Pelphrey said. “Late in the season here, everybody understands who everybody is and there’s going to be gameplans and things talked about, try to take these away from somebody. Make them do something else. I think he understands that.”
Fortson had built himself into one of the Southeastern Conference’s most dangerous floor generals earlier in the conference season. He was averaging 19.6 points on 69 of 182 shooting (37.9 percent) with 6.1 assists and 4.9 turnovers during his first 12 games with the Razorbacks.
But Fortson is averaging 14 points, 5.6 assists and 6.1 turnovers in the past three. He’s also shooting just 29.2 percent (14 of 48) from the field.
Another glaring statistic: He has taken only 12 free throws — an average of four a game — during the Razorbacks’ three-game slide. Fortson was averaging nearly nine free-throw attempts in his first 12 games.
Why the discrepancy? Pelphrey pointed to several possibilities. He said defenses have obviously made it an emphasis to keep Fortson out of the lane thanks to his ability to impact a game. He said opponents have done so, too, without fouling the guard much lately.
“I would not say it’s one thing,” Pelphrey said. “I’d say it’s a number of things. But the end result for us right now, the unfortunate thing, is that he’s not getting as many free throws as he normally does.”
Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings chalked up Fortson’s struggles against the Commodores to being a bad day.
However, there’s no doubt SEC teams are well aware of Fortson’s value to the Razorbacks. So finding ways to cut off his ability to make plays off the dribble has been priority No. 1 for defensive gameplans. And it has worked in disrupting Arkansas’ offense.
“You just have to try to guard him with as many people as it takes,” Stallings said. “He’s that good.
“He’s so good at getting in your lane and drawing fouls. … You’ve got to stay in front of him and try not to let him turn the corner.”
When he does, Fortson can win games for Arkansas.
He proved it during the five-game win streak earlier this season, which included four come-from-behind wins. Fortson turned in a 35-point performance against Mississippi State, then scored 27 and 24 in wins against Georgia and Auburn, respectively.
But turnovers have been far too frequent in the past two weeks. The layups and jump shots he knocked down earlier in the season haven’t been falling down the stretch. His decision-making has been erratic, too.
“He’s going to have to do a better job of reading defenses once he gets in (the lane),” Pelphrey said. “Do I shoot? Do I pass? Sometimes players try to avoid the contact and that gets them in trouble. So you’ve got to go get hit first. Then you change your shot.”
Even though he struggled, Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke believes Fortson still had an impact on the Vanderbilt game despite the loss. He handed out five assists before the break, getting teammates involved on possessions even though he wasn’t making shots.
“They did a good job of containing,” Clarke said of Vanderbilt. “But he made plays for other people.”
It’s clear the Razorbacks need their point guard to snap out of his recent offensive slump, though, and find ways to score down the stretch. Pelphrey said Fortson hasn’t taken many bad shots, but wouldn’t mind seeing more of his attempts falling Wednesday as they Razorbacks try to snap their three-game slide.
“You’d like to see him shooting a higher percentage,” Pelphrey said. “There’s no question about that.”
