Report: Mike Anderson won’t release Rotnei Clarke

Rumors have been circulating for months now that Razorback shooting guard Rotnei Clarke wants out of Arkansas, and it appears those rumors are trumors.

Arkansas radio personality Shawn Arnell confirmed Thursday that Clarke has asked for his release from the Arkansas program, and Clarke told CBS Sports reporter Jeff Goodman that new head coach Mike Anderson will not release him from his scholarship.

Clarke told CBS Sports that he has asked for a transfer on two separate occasions, and is frustrated by the fact that Anderson won’t grant a scholarship release to him. Anderson recently granted scholarship releases recently to former Razorbacks Glenn Bryant and Jeff Peterson.

“I love the school and the fans,” Clarke added. “But I just don’t feel as though it’s the best fit for me basketball-wise — and it’s tough watching guys like Jeff and Glenn be able to go somewhere else, where I’m not able to.”

Clarke has one year of eligibility left to play college basketball. If he were to transfer this year to another NCAA Division I school, he would have to sit out a season before playing his final year elsewhere.

He cited concerns about Anderson’s uptempo style as his chief reason for requesting the transfer.

“I have spent the last couple of months getting to know Coach Anderson, his staff and his system,” Clarke told CBSSports.com. “And I still feel as though it’s best for me to finish my career somewhere else.”