Arkansas' Elite camp was a beneficial one for basketball Coach John Pelphrey.

The camp, held this past weekend in Fayetteville, helped place power forward Marshawn Powell back into the fold for Arkansas.

Powell, 6-7, 220, from The Miller School, Charlottesville. Va., made an oral commitment to the Hogs in May but reopened his recruitment because he had not visited the campus and wanted to check out his options.

Powell received a scholarship offer from Virginia a few days before attending the camp, but Powell liked what he saw over the weekend, recommitted to the Razorbacks and said he was done with recruiting.

Powell, who is rated the No. 36 player in the nation by Van Coleman of CBS College Sports, showed a very refined offensive game. He knows his strengths, using his body and banging inside along with utilizing a very nice shooting touch from 10-15 feet. He's very smart with the ball and doesn't try to do too much. This is a very good pickup for Coach Pelphrey.

ADVERTISEMENT

Approximately 40 other athletes made their way to Fayetteville for the camp, which is a showcase of players - on the radar of Arkansas coaches - who have also expressed interest in Arkansas. Prospects from the 2009, 2010 and 2011 classes were on campus, getting to know the coaches and learning more about Arkansas, while being coached by Pelphrey and his assistants.

Little Rock Hall point guard A. J. Walton and power forward Clarence Trent of Henderson, Nev., excelled at the camp during pickup games. Walton, 6-1, 170, demonstrated the skills necessary to be a top-flight point guard on the college level. He used his quickness to penetrate the paint with ease while scoring or dishing off to an open teammate in games that also included current Razorbacks.

Walton, who plays summer basketball for the Arkansas Wings, is a physical and aggressive defender and Pelphrey is making it no secret he would love to land Walton in the 2009 early signing period in November. Walton plans to decide between Arkansas, Baylor, Marquette and Kentucky in the next few weeks.

Very few forward prospects in the nation can match the athletic ability of the 6-8, 230-pound Trent. I believe his upside is tremendous once he gets on a college campus and is able to be a part of a weight program. Trent, who plays in the summer for the Arkansas Hawks, already looks good physically but probably has the potential to put on another 10-15 pounds of muscle and still keep his 39-inch vertical and quickness. If he does that and continues to make steady improvement in his overall game, the sky is the limit. He and Powell had a must-see duel Saturday night when they were paired against each other in a pickup game. Though they are good friends and talk often, the competition was intense with a little back-and-forth jawing. Powell did most of his scoring inside, while Trent scored most of his points from the three-point line.

The most impressive 2010 prospect was Mardracus Wade, 6-3, 165, a combination guard from Mitchell High School in Memphis. He showed well in pickup games, including one that featured he and four other campers against five current Razorbacks. Wade impressed the coaches with his defense and showed good offensive moves while going against Stefan Welsh, Marcus Britt and Patrick Beverly. He has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Massachusetts, Memphis, Ole Miss, Missouri and Tennessee. Though it's early, he said he favors Arkansas, Ole Miss and Missouri.

The 2011 class featured talented athletes at every position, and the Arkansas staff had to be all smiles with the number of prospects who showed up. Combination guard LaQuinton Ross, 6-8, plays for the MBA Hoops out of Jackson, Miss., and is easily considered one of the top five players in the class and already has about 20 offers, including one from Arkansas. Ross is one of the most prolific scorers in the nation regardless of class.

Point guard Deville Smith, 5-11, also plays for MBA Hoops and has an offer from the Hogs along with numerous others. He was most impressive in the Saturday night pickup games, using his tremendous speed and quickness up and down the court. Yet he played under control while penetrating and dishing out assists along with showing a nice outside shot. I really liked his game and how he operates at the point.

The Arkansas Wings trio of swingman Aaron Ross, guard Ky Madden and forward Hunter Mickelson impressed the coaches and the media on hand. Ross, 6-7, 205, showed he can score inside as well as outside while playing with the maturity of someone much older. Ross orally committed to the Hogs in March. Madden, 6-4, 170, of East Poinsett County penetrates the paint well and has the athletic ability to shine in an up-tempo game. Mickelson, 6-9, 175, of Jonesboro Westside runs the floor very well and can face up or play with his back to the basket while scoring inside and outside the paint. Both Madden and Mickelson have offers from the Hogs. Small forward Adonis Thomas, 6-6, 190, of Memphis Melrose possesses a very good first step that allows him to fly by the defender. He is more of a slasher right now, but with an improved outside shot, he could elevate his game even more. He has more than 15 offers, including one from the Hogs.

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline. com