Forston cleared to play for Hogs

By ArkansasOnline

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Razorback signee Courtney Fortson received the all-clear from the NCAA Clearinghouse and is academically eligible play at the University of Arkansas this season.

The 5-11 player is widely considered one of the country's best point guards. He has been training with the Razorbacks in the off-season this summer.

His mother told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he will be on the campus Sunday and will be ready for the first day of classes for the fall semester next Monday.

“We are very excited about Courtney as a student-athlete. This is great news, but we never really anticipated any problems," head Coach John Pelphrey said. "There was a process he had to go through. It took some time, but he and his family did all the right things. We are looking forward to having Courtney as a Razorback.”

Fortson averaged 25 points per game during his high school career at Jefferson High School in Montgomery, Ala., and The Patterson School out of North Carolina.

The Razorbacks announced earlier this month that top returning scorer Patrick Beverley would not be playing for the team this year. The reason was not given, but speculation has run the gamut from the 2007 SEC Freshman of the Year opting to pursue a professional career to an NCAA violation to academic issues.

Read more about Fortson from The Recruiting Guy here.

Originally published 03:59 p.m., August 19, 2008
Updated 03:59 p.m., August 19, 2008

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