Allegedly, new coach John Pelphrey’s Razorbacks begin practicing today to prep for a couple of exhibition basketball games over Labor Day weekend in Cancun, Mexico.

Actually, Pelphrey admits, the exhibition games are the means for 10 August practices getting a jump on official preseason drills commencing in mid October.

“ The practices are important, ” Pelphrey said. “ We want to do as well as we can in the games, but I’m not too concerned about what happens there. I’m more concerned about what happens here. ”

He doesn’t even know who they are playing the two games on Sept. 1 and Sept. 2, nor, pending Monday night Hurricane Dean’s direction towards Cancun and its eventual effect, if the games will be played.

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He just knows for now the Hogs get to practice. So the team, particularly seniors who, with the exception of second-year Mississippi State transfer Gary Ervin, have spent their major college basketball lives under former Razorback coach Stan Heath and Heath’s assistants, get a head start adjusting to a new head coach and a new staff.

“ Any time, ” Pelphrey said, “ there’s a coaching change, there’s got to be some anxiety on the ballclub, especially for our seniors. They understood their roles, what was expected of them, how things we were going to go. Now somebody new has come in, and they really don’t know. I’m sure there can be some trepidation there, some anxiety. I think with this trip, if nothing else, we’ll be able to get those things out of the way. They’ll be able to get a feel for what it’s going to be like for them, what to expect from us. ”

Heath inherits six seniors but one of them, Ervin, won’t be practicing today. The Brooklyn, N. Y. native is on leave because of the death of his grandmother. “ He’s back in New York with the family, ” Pelphrey said. “ Our thoughts and prayers are with Gary. He’ll be getting back to school soon. The rest of the guys are back here. ” The “ rest of the guys” include just last-week signed Levan Patsatsia, the Georgian, no not from near Atlanta, but the Russian Georgia formerly part of the Soviet Union. Pelphrey was asked if he expects Patsastia, recruited as a shooting guard or small forward, can help right away.

“ Everybody needs to help us, ” Pelphrey said. “ He can play the two or the three, but he’s probably more comfortable at the three. In our system, there’s not a lot of difference between the two and the three as far as the skill level is concerned. One is on the left side and one is on the right. ”

Both because of Ervin’s absence now and for possible alternatives in the future, Pelphrey was asked who else he would look at point guard.

Freshman Maurice Britt of Forrest City is the newest alternative and likely to get a chance along with sophomore Stefan Welsh as Pelphrey seems reluctant for now to play sophomore shooting guard Patrick Beverley, last season’s SEC Newcomer of the Year, or senior starting small for ward Sonny Weems of Memphis on the point.

“ We will try Stefan Welsh there, ” Pelphrey said, “ along with Marcus Britt. We may give Patrick a chance [on the point ] but with guys like Patrick and Sonny Weems, who are good scorers, we don’t want to bog them down. We’ll have to see how Gary [Ervin ] handles it when he gets back, in terms of style. ”

Pelphrey expects big things out of Beverley both from film of Beverley’s play last year, his firsthand observation of Beverley’s work ethic in the NCAA-allowed offseason individual workouts, and Beverley’s summer success playing for the U. S. A under 19 team in the World Championships that finished runnerup to Serbia.

However, the opposition that Beverley surprised as a freshman will be arming themselves against big expectations this time, Pelphrey said.

“ He will probably be” Pelphrey said, “ the No. 1 guy on our team people will talk about and focus on. He will have to adjust to that. ”