Arkansas starts its best basketball player at one guard and its most experienced player at the other.

Yet guard is the position John Pelphrey sweats most, the new coach admitted on Tuesday’s Media Day advancing Friday night’s first preseason practice.

NCAA legislation has done away with the old Midnight Madness start to preseason drills, but the Razorbacks still plans a fan-friendly function. Pelphrey said Walton Arena doors will open at 7: 30 p. m. Friday with players and coaches available to fans for autographs and pictures until 9 followed by a brief practice and “ abbreviated scrimmage. ”

“ We want to be able to interact and have a little bit of fun before the season starts, Pelphrey said. ”

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The actual season will be a lot more fun, Pelphrey knows, if sophomore Stefan Welsh, and maybe true freshman Marcus Britt of Forrest City, provide backup help for sophomore off guard Patrick Beverley, last year’s SEC Freshman of the Year, and fifth-year senior point guard Gary Ervin.

“ That is going to be a big key to our team, ” Pelphrey said.

Not that Ervin isn’t a cause for some concern. Like those who have coached Ervin previously — Rick Stansbury at Mississippi State and former Arkansas coach Stan Heath last year — Pelphrey craves consistency from the senior who has fluctuated like bull and bear stock markets.

“ Gary obviously is tremendously talented and very experienced, ” Pelphrey said. “ We need a level of consistency from him. All these guys need to understand it’s great to be great, it’s not so good to be bad, but if we can get consistently good, that’s better than the highs and lows. ”

But even when running into trouble, Ervin has been there. Behind him are sophomore Welsh, recruited by the Heath regime as more off guard than point guard, the rookie, Britt, or moving Beverley to the point, a move both Pelphrey and Beverley dislike.

“ I didn’t get Freshman of the Year playing the 1, ” Beverley said. “ So I like the position I am at now. ”

Beverley has, and probably will, play a little point. He’s just reiterating a Pelphrey quote about where Beverley played most.

Having Beverley and senior Sonny Weems of West Memphis wing it on the wings frees them to score more than they would from the point.

So Pelphrey counts first on Welsh to keep the wings winging.

“ I’ve said before if Stefan can be the most improved player on the team, that’s really going to help our basketball team, ” Pelphrey said. “ I’m talking about going in a couple of different positions and be effective. More than anything, he has to give us minutes at the point guard spot. ”

Welsh gets the point.

“ I always have been a combo guard, ” Welsh said. “ So point guard really isn’t new to me, but this is the first time I’ve really been focused in on point guard. I’ve been learning stuff from Gary because he is a natural point guard. ”

Britt showed rookie inexperience when the Razorbacks prepped for Labor Day weekend Cancun exhibition game trip but also showed what even experience can’t always teach.

Call it want-to that’s “ Beverleyesque. ”

“ He struggled in some of those early practices, getting ready for Cancun, ” Pelphrey said. “ But the thing about Marcus I really like is he wants it really bad. Now I’m not saying he wants it like Patrick Beverley. We all know Patrick Beverley’s heart and desire may be his greatest assets on how badly he wants to be a player. But Marcus Britt, he is in the same neighborhood. He’ll be OK for us. ” Beverley concurs. “ I think Marcus Britt coming into a situation with a lot of upperclassmen is playing very, very well, ” Beverley said. “ I kind of took him under my wing and showed him different things. He’s a good friend of mine. It really relieves the pressure with other guards. And Stefan Welsh played really well in Cancun. ” Welsh said it’s not just meshing old and new, but especially meshing old and old on the Cancun trip he sees as the difference in this team over last year. “ Last year what we lacked the most was team chemistry, ” Welsh said. “ I think the trip to Cancun helped us bond as a family. The team does a lot of different things together and hangs out together. The biggest thing Coach Pelphrey has done is mesh our team as one. ”

Sonny’s hand Despite suffering a broken hand during August practices, senior forward Sonny Weems is expected to begin practice with the team on Friday. “ We anticipate him starting practice Friday, unless I get a bad report, ” UA trainer David England said.