John Pelphrey Press Conference - Campbellsville

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 19 Arkansas plays host to Campbellsville in its second exhibition game of the season at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday. Following is a partial transcript of head coach John Pelphrey’s press conference.

“We’ve been working on getting organized and trying to get prepared for Tuesday. Sometimes players do not understand why we’re going as hard as we are. If they understood everything, they wouldn’t need coaches or teachers. There are still some things we need to work through, like shoot-around, and try to get that routine down. We’re working hard, and focusing on the love and respect we need to have for one another.”

Team shoot-around on game day:

“We’ll break a sweat. It will not be a full-scale practice, but we’ll do more than walk around. If we’re doing more than everyone else, then that’s good. Our practice (on game day) will not be like it is the day before a game. We will be taped and moving around.”

Campbellsville:

“(Head coach) Keith Adkins is a special guy to me. He was a teammate of mine in high school (Paintsville, Ky.) in both basketball and baseball. He’s a smart guy. I say that because he knew his job was to throw me the ball. He was a point guard and he was one year behind me.

“He has a good team. I think one publication had them ranked fourth (NAIA) in the nation. They play in a very competitive environment in Kentucky.

“This is not a normal scouting situation where we have a lot of video. We’re more focused on ourselves.

“We want to stretch the floor, not give up easy baskets or foul. Offensively, we want to play as a unit and keep our turnovers down.

“We may play some zone, we might not press as much, but we may press differently.”

Sonny Weems (strained groin):

“He will be fine. He practiced twice on Sunday. He should be okay.

“Gary Ervin is a high-energy guy. He has the potential to be very good defensively. Patrick Beverley and Stefan Welsh have the potential to be physical, guard people and pressure without fouling. Sonny is different because he’s 6-5 or 6-6, but his engine may run slower than those other guys. If we can get him revved up a little more, he has more God-given ability than most. His length on the perimeter is what makes him a different guy. He has to keep pushing himself mentally.

“I think he has more to give us from an effort standpoint. He knows he’s being pushed to go places he hasn’t been before. He’s going to be put in a situation where he can be a great player. That is the challenge for all of these guys.”

Nate Rakestraw (broken little finger on right hand):

“He’s still in a cast. He’s been running quite a bit. He will be fine.”

Levan Patsatsia:

“He’s a gamer. He plays better than he practices. He has a lot to learn. After his first two or three minutes in a true game, I thought he played pretty well. He’s got a chance. He can shoot the ball and he has great, great size. He played well.”