Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Mike Anderson has his staff in place at Arkansas. He has what appear to be commitments from current players and incoming freshmen to stick with the Razorbacks.

Now what?

What has to happen now for Anderson to get his system implemented? How can he maximize what will likely be a 100-percent inherited roster and get them to the NCAA Tournament and make them competitive in the SEC West?

It will be up to Anderson and his staff, of course, to communicate expectations and goals to the Razorbacks. Anderson's track record of six NCAA appearances in nine seasons at two total rebuilding projects suggests that won’t be an issue for him.

Anderson won’t give the Razorbacks much choice in the matter, honestly. Either they’re in or they’re out, and he won’t waver or cater to the players in the short term at the risk of sacrificing what he’s working toward long-term.

But there are two guys that could make Anderson’s job a whole lot easier.

Guard Rotnei Clarke and forward Marshawn Powell are the two most talented players on the roster. Heck, they’re arguably one of the better inside-outside duos in the league. They’ll have the edge in experience over the five incoming freshmen, no matter how talented those guys might be.

So it’s up to them to take ownership of the team and be an extension of what Anderson is trying to accomplish. Both are capable of that, but they’ll need to work hard to gain the trust of their new coach, their teammates and outsiders.

This is about more than what they do on game days, though both have shown proficiency there.

Clarke is second all-time in school history with 275 made 3-point shots. He was an all-SEC player after averaging 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Powell was an all-SEC freshman in 2009-10. He averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds as a sophomore, including a 22-point, 10-rebound gem in an upset of eventual Final Four participant Kentucky.

But leadership isn’t about dropping 22 and 10. It’s not about Clarke’s school-record 51-point game against Alcorn State in 2009.