By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke said he isn’t going to transfer Monday night, refuting a local television report last week that indicated he was “seriously considering” a departure from Arkansas.
“It has never been my intention to transfer,” Clarke said in a statement, which was issued by Arkansas’ media relations staff after 10 p.m. “I am looking forward to working with (Arkansas) Coach (John) Pelphrey and the rest of my teammates this offseason to improve individually as well as a team for next year.”
Clarke’s announcement was a piece of good news for a program that has experienced plenty of defections during Pelphrey’s tenure and is fresh off its second consecutive losing season.
Clarke, who was second on the team in scoring as a sophomore last season (15.1 points), set the school record for points in a game (51) and 3-pointers in a game (13) during the opener against Alcorn State. Clarke also made 100 3-pointers last season, which was second on the school’s single-season list.
The news of Clarke’s intent to return to the Razorbacks came at the end of a busy day in which Arkansas also announced assistant Isaac Brown had been reassigned to an administrative role on Pelphrey’s staff. Arkansas also announced that assistants Rob Evans and Tom Ostrom would be retained. The contracts for all three assistant coaches are set to expire on June 30.
Clarke’s father, Conley Clarke, said last week he didn’t know where the report that his son was planning to transfer had come from. A local television station, KNWA, cited unnamed sources as saying Clarke was “seriously considering” a transfer.
At the time, Conley Clarke said he hadn’t spoken to his son about transferring. When asked if his son would be playing for the Razorbacks in 2010-11, Conley Clarke said he didn’t know.
“I’d hate to say something and then the next day it would be different,” Conley Clarke said last Saturday night. “That’s not our decision. That’s his. So we’re staying out of it and just let him decide what he wants to do.”
However, Clarke did confirm his son was scheduled to meet with Pelphrey as part of his season-ending meeting this week.
The meeting took place Monday afternoon and Clarke’s return was announced later.
“The University, coaches and fans have supported me since I came to Arkansas and I look forward to competing for the Razorbacks next season,” Clarke said in the media relations department statement. “My family plays a huge role in my life. With my sister attending the University as a member of the volleyball team and my family living close by, Arkansas has become home.”
