FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas ’ basketball team took a major hit with Friday’s announcement that Patrick Beverley will not play this season.

Beverley, a 6-1 junior guard from Chicago, would have been the Razorbacks’ leading returning scorer at 12. 1 points per game. Last season he averaged a teamhigh 6. 6 rebounds, becoming the shortest Arkansas player to hold that distinction in records going back to the 1952-1953 season.

Arkansas’ news release offered no explanation for Beverley not playing this season and stated its administrators and coaches wouldn’t comment because of student privacy laws.

Student privacy laws include academic information, as well as other student records, and Friday’s announcement regarding Beverley coincided with the last day of Arkansas’ second summer school session.

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It’s also notable the release didn’t state Beverley had been dismissed from the team or had decided to quit.

CBSSports. com reported Beverley won’t play for academic reasons, citing an anonymous source.

Beverley, who in his two seasons with the Razorbacks started 67 of 70 games and averaged 13 points and 5. 5 rebounds, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey didn’t return a call Friday seeking comment on how Beverley’s loss will affect the Razorbacks. Pelphrey said Thursday that “all indications are we had a great summer academically” when asked whether any players weren’t expected to return, but he wasn’t asked specifically about Beverley.

Beverley was on campus this summer attending classes and working out with the Razorbacks.

Pelphrey also said Thursday while talking with reporters that “our basketball team is only going to be as good as our three juniors,” referring to Beverley, guard Stefan Welsh and forward Michael Washington.

“We are excited about the young guys and what they are going to bring to the University of Arkansas this season and the future, but with first-year guys there is going to be an adjustment period,” Pelphrey said. “They are going to be a little up and down, that’s just the way it is. So those three juniors will have to lead us.”

The announcement of Beverley not playing this season came a day after Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long announced 34 courtside seats will be sold this season at a cost of $ 12, 000 per seat and with a five-year agreement for a total of $ 60, 000 from the 2008-2009 through 2012-2013 seasons.

Arkansas also recently announced it is raising ticket prices for its other seats from $ 20 to $ 25.

Before news of Beverley’s loss, Arkansas had lost six seniors from last season’s 23-12 team, which beat Indiana for the Razorbacks’ first NCAA Tournament victory in nine years.

Without Beverley and the seniors, Arkansas has lost 87 percent of its scoring and 77 percent of its rebounding from last season.

In addition to being the team’s top rebounder and tying for the No. 2 scorer last season, Beverley was second in steals (1. 3 per game ) and third in assists (2. 4 ).

Two years ago, Beverley was the SEC Freshman of the Year when he averaged 13. 9 points and 4. 4 rebounds. In his first game as a Razorback, Beverley scored 29 points against Southeast Missouri State. That remains his career high.

Arkansas has 10 scholarship players on its roster without Beverley, three fewer than the NCAA maximum.

The leading returning scorer from last season is now Welsh, who averaged 5. 3 points. Washington is the leading returning rebounder (3. 9 ) and the secondleading scorer (4. 3 ).

Arkansas is still awaiting word on whether two freshman signees, point guard Courtney Fortson and forward Jason Henry, have been certified as academically eligible by the NCAA clearinghouse by the start of the fall semester Aug. 25.

But Pelphrey said Thursday he didn’t anticipate problems with their eligibility and felt “good about them” playing this season.

Including Fortson and Henry, Arkansas’ six-player recruiting class has been highly ranked nationally, including 11 th by ESPN. com, 13 th by CBSSports. com, 16 th by Rivals. com, and 24 th by Scout. com.