Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey and his staff got off to an early start for the 2009 recruiting class when power forward Marshawn Powell of The Miller School in Charlottesville, Va., orally committed to the Razorbacks on Saturday night without visiting Arkansas’ campus.

Powell, 6-6, 230, plays for the Boo Williams team during summer basketball. His summer league coach, Robbie Williams, said the Razorbacks’ style of play and Powell’s friendship with Razorbacks guard Stefan Welsh were key factors in choosing the Hogs.

“Basically, what he told me is that it had to do with style of play,” Williams said. “And he wanted to play in one of the major conferences. His style of play fits what Arkansas is trying to do. Coach Pelphrey likes to play fast, and he [Powell ] likes to get up and down the floor. He [Welsh ] is a good friend of Marshawn, and that had a lot to do with his decision.”

Williams said Maryland, Florida State, North Carolina State and Massachusetts offered scholarships to Powell.

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Powell averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds for the this past season.

Though Powell made his commitment public Saturday, he knew earlier in the week he was heading to Fayetteville.

“I had talked to Marshawn last week about Tuesday or Wednesday,” Williams said. “That’s when he kind of told me what he was planning to do. I know he and Stefan had been talking quite a bit over the last year.”

CBS College Sports national recruiting analyst Van Coleman, who ranks Powell as the No. 36 player in the nation for the 2009 class, said Arkansas is getting someone who’s physical, hard working and can shoot from 15 feet in.

“Very physical inside player who knows how to score on the blocks, who can step out and knock down the 15-footer,” Coleman said. “He’s plays very hard, very competitive, a guy that really has a nose for the basketball off the glass. He does what it takes to win ball games.”

Coleman sees Powell being a major contributor as freshmen and contending for a starting spot the following three years.

“He’s one of those kids I think that comes in as a freshman and gives them major minutes and then turns into a guy that could possibly be a three-year starter.” Coleman said. Oral commitments are nonbinding.

GULLEY PICKS COWBOYS Fayetteville point guard Fred Gulley orally committed to Oklahoma State over the weekend, spurning scholarship offers from Arkansas, Missouri and others. Gulley, 6-2, 180, averaged about 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals a game this season for the Bulldogs. Gulley said he and new Oklahoma State Coach Travis Ford instantly connected after they met. “It seems like we’ve known each other for so long,” Gulley said. “It was the best opportunity and the best position.” Gulley said Ford mentioned the possibility of coming in and contributing immediately. “He told me it was a rare situation for a recruit to be in,” said Gulley, who was Arkansas’ Gatorade Player of the Year. “The year I come in, the senior point guard will be leaving. So he pretty much said I would have the job from the beginning. He said whichever point guard he signs will have to be ready.” Gulley had Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Missouri, Stanford, California and Arizona State as his finalists.

UDOH UPDATE Sophomore center Ekpe Udoh, who announced he was transferring from Michigan in May, arrived on the Arkansas campus for a visit Sunday night and is expected to leave sometime today, according to his summer basketball coach, Mitch Malone of the Texas Blue Chips Elite.

Udoh, 6-10, 240, averaged 6. 0 points, 5. 0 rebounds and 2. 9 blocks last season.

Malone said Udoh, who signed with the Wolverines out of Edmond (Okla. ) Sante Fe, has visited Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor. He said Arkansas will likely be his last visit and that Udoh hopes to decide where he’ll enroll in the near future.

EX-HOGS LEND HANDS About 30 to 40 athletes from around the state were able to learn from three former Razorbacks on Saturday as Anthony Lucas, J. J. Meadors and Clint Stoerner conducted a free clinic for quarterbacks and receivers at Pulaski Academy. Lucas said he and Meadors focused on fundamentals during the clinic. “Looking the ball into the tuck, dropping your weight coming out of your route, catching the ball and securing the catch first, don’t run without the ball,” Lucas said. “And scoring after the catch, a lot of high school guys catch a couple of passes and they like to shut it down. You can’t get on ESPN if you shut it down after the catch. We’re showing them how to finish.”

Lucas said receivers Montez Peterson of Mills and Hot Springs Lakeside’s Ben Crumpton and Bailey Scott stood out.

Some of the quarterbacks at the clinic included Spencer Keith of Pulaski Academy, Griffin Kuhn of Little Rock Christian, Claude Johnson of Pine Bluff and Warren’s Hayden Smith.

Stoerner said he likes to pass along the coaching he received from Wade Wilson in the NFL, Joe Ferguson in college and Dick Olin at Baytown (Texas ) Lee High School to the young quarterbacks in the state.

“There’s more and more people throwing the ball in Arkansas now than ever before,” Stoerner said. “It all starts with the basic mechanics of throwing the football. I’ve been fairly blessed from a mechanics and coaches standpoint, so my goal is to pass it along to these guys and passing the importance of doing it right.”

MAKING MOM HAPPY When recruiting players, it’s imperative for college coaches to address the concerns of the parents, but more importantly, the concerns of the mother. Last week, Arkansas received an oral commitment from Caddo Mills, Texas, defensive end / tight end Ryan Calender after he and his parents made an earlier unofficial visit to Arkansas. Judging by the comments of Calender’s mother, Judy, the Razorbacks’ coaching staff reassured her that her son will be in good hands.

“As a mom, I have to say I was concerned about my son going so far away,” Judy Calendar said. “But it seems like the coaches and the personnel they have in place seem to really care about the student that’s coming there. They seem to be very interested in helping them succeed, and that’s a big plus for me because you don’t have mom and dad there to push you sometimes.”

Judy Calender liked the structure of the Arkansas’ academic program.

“They have some good guidelines they talked about that they were going to go by, which made me feel comfortable,” she said. “They have tutoring in place for the athletes, and they’re required so many hours of tutoring. They pretty much lay out their schedule and tell them where to be at what time. That makes me feel better because mom has done that in the past.”

The living accommodations and town also received her approval.

“The dorms were very nice; it looked like a nice, pleasant place for him to live,” she said. “We drove around the town itself, and it looks like a really nice neighborhood, very nice town. It’s a place I would feel comfortable knowing he’s there.”

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline. com