Is it already basketball season ? Not quite yet, but the round balls will be broken out on college campuses around the nation this week.

Is it too soon ?

In my opinion, yes.

If I were Czar of College Athletics, basketball games would not be played until December when all but the playoffs for football would be over.

Playoffs ?

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Yeah, remember in this scenario I’m Czar of College Athletics. I would have a football playoff system if I were King of the World.

College baseball would be played April through August, too, but I digress.

The 2008-09 Razorbacks will hit the hardwood for the first time later this week and second-year Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey will be in for what stands to be the most challenging season of his coaching career.

Just like in football, expect the Razorbacks to be picked last by all prognosticators who seek to rate the Southeastern Conference West.

With the loss of six seniors including Sonny Weems as well as would-have-been junior Patrick Beverley, due to an undisclosed academic matter, from last year’s 23-12 that won the Hogs’ first NCAA Tournament game since 1999, Pelphrey is basically starting over from scratch just like Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino in many ways.

I wish I could give you a better forecast, but when a team loses 87 percent of its scoring and 77 percent of its rebounding from the previous season, you must anticipate tough times ahead.

Stephan Welsh and Michael Washington (6-9, 239 ) return for their junior years and Marcus Britt (6-3, 198 ) is back for his sophomore season, but that’s all that returns from last year. The Hogs must count on plenty of newcomers and freshman this year.

You will need a roster, just like me.

Springdale native Michael Sanchez (6-8, 236 ) is a redshirt freshman, but his bluecollar play in practice was helpful to the Hogs last year.

Freshman Courtney Fortson (5-11, 180 ) of Montgomery, Ala., is supposed to be a fine prospect at point guard, juco transfer Montrell McDonald (6-5, 181 ) of Fort Worth, Texas, is supposed to be a more slender version of Sonny Weems and freshman Rotnei Clarke (6-0, 184 ) of Claremore, Okla., is heralded as a dead-eye, long-distance sniper.

Freshman Jason Henry (6-6, 189 ) of West Memphis will come into the program well coached from Larry Bray’s excellent high school program, and the size of freshman Brandon Moore (6-9, 215 ) of New Orleans and red-shirt freshman Andre Clark of North Little Rock can’t be denied.

Pelphrey had a difficult task last year riding herd over a group of young men who were set in their ways. When the 2007-08 Hogs meshed and played selfless basketball, they could be a formidable team.

But as a team they never truly bought into the style and attitude of play that Pelphrey prefers.

Credit Pelphrey for adapting to the skills of the young men on hand and helping them have a good senior season. In fact when all was said and done, it was the best season Arkansas had had in nearly a decade.

Armed with a raise and a contract extension finalized in August, Pelphrey can build this squad from the ground up and mold it into a hardnosed up-tempo squad that takes no prisoners on either end of the court. Now, a Razorbacks team of that description may be two or three years down the road, but that is what Pelphrey is building toward.

Tickets for Sale For the first time since Eddie Sutton and The Triplets stamped Arkansas name on the national scene during the modern age of college basketball, the University of Arkansas is advertising season basketball tickets for sale during the preseason. From 1978 through 2003, Arkansas basically sold out of season tickets to donors and other fans who sought to buy tickets well prior to the season.

After two seating expansions, Barnhill Arena held 9, 000 fans until the Razorbacks moved into the 19, 500-season Walton Arena during the hey days of Nolan Richardson’s era as coach for the 1993-94 season.

While a number of Razorbacks basketball season tickets went unsold since the 2003-04 season, this is the first time the UA has advertised the sale of season tickets to the public.

In the past, there were likely too few to make advertising a worthwhile endeavor, or it may just be another policy difference between Frank Broyles and first-year UA athletics director Jeff Long.

While economic times are tough, if you would like season tickets for UA basketball, this is a good time to get on board if you have faith that Pelphrey is the man to turn it around.

Season tickets can be ordered by calling 1-800-982-HOGS or by logging onto ArkansasRazorbacks. com.

The Hogs do have an attractive home schedule this season with the regular SEC slate including a visit by Kentucky as well as games against Oklahoma on Dec. 30 and Texas on Jan. 6.

Red-White Games

Arkansas’ men’s and women’s basketball teams will hold their annual Red-White scrimmage on the same night, Oct. 24.

Gates open at 5: 30 p. m., followed by an autograph session with the men’s and women’s teams on the concourse from 6-7: 15 p. m. Scrimmages start at 7: 30 p. m. with halftime contests and entertainment taking place between the men’s and women’s scrimmages.

Personally, I think it’s a great idea to hold both Red-White games on one night. Though it would be tough to work out the logistics, It would be nice to see more men’s and women’s basketball doubleheaders in the future.

Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times