Hogs improve as Ervin improves

During his time at Arkansas, Gary Ervin has been a player you wanted to watch because, for better or worse, he always made something happen.

Of late, Ervin’s made some very good things happen for the Arkansas Razorbacks, who are on a three-game winning streak. In the Hogs’ victories over LSU, Mississippi State and Florida, the 6-0 senior guard from Brooklyn has scored 29 points, hit 13 of 14 free throws, collected 11 rebounds, made three steals, and passed out 20 assists against just three turnovers.

Those are excellent numbers. Good enough, perhaps, for Arkansas coach John Pelphrey to make Ervin a starter?

Yes and no. Ervin is playing well enough to start, for sure, but Pelphrey prefers him coming off the bench as a spark plug to ignite the Hogs’ offense.

“Gary’s an important component of our team and he has been playing well,” Pelphrey said. “Coming off the bench, he gives us composure and stability and he can score. He’s an important player for us whether he starts or comes off the bench the rest of the way.”

Filed under: Arkansas Basketball by Terry Wood. Posted on: February 8, 2008 at 8:59 am