by WALLY HALL , Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Over the past few years the media have become all too accustomed to breaking news being e-mailed at 4:59 p.m. Friday, making it difficult, if not impossible, to reach university officials for comment.

Last spring, for instance, the media got an e-mail on a Saturday night that Jason Henry was off the basketball team.

That type of covert action has led to distrust from the media and wild speculation among the fans via Web sites and radio call-in shows.

As coaches have closed practices and limited access to themselves and the players, the lack of communication has made the UA, always a powerful entity, seem more like a bully.

Then Gearhart takes a problem on face to face, answers questions honestly and openly, and the light at the end of the tunnel no longer seems like an oncoming train. The lack of denial and disassociation was downright refreshing.

Gearhart didn't spin it. He gave Coach John Pelphrey a resounding vote of confidence but also admitted there were some issues that Pelphrey was attacking head on.

One being that Pelphrey was behind in recruiting when he took the Arkansas job and was about to coach a team heavy with seniors (six).

Gearhart didn't say this, but perhaps Pelphrey, in his desire to win and get the Hogs back onto the national radar, has been forced to take players based purely on talent.

The current Razorbacks roster, including six newcomers for 2009, has five players who had to go to prep school because they were not academically eligible coming out of high school and two junior-college players who also didn't make the grades.

No statistics are available detailing the number of prep and junior-college players competing in major-college basketball, but Kentucky, for instance, has one prep player and two junior-college guys.

That's definitely not to say that guys who had to attend prep school or junior college are automatically troublemakers, but at Arkansas several players who went to prep school have faced suspensions. One was named in the FIJI house fiasco.

Last week, the subject of recruiting kids with character was discussed with a Razorbacks football coach on statewide radio. The conversation had nothing to do with basketball. That sport was not mentioned. It was in regard to finding 16 true freshmen being ready to play last season and 10 more this season.

The coach said quietly that you have to be prepared to say no to a great player if you have the feeling he can hurt the team in the locker room.

Honestly, the Razorbacks basketball team has a couple of loudmouths in the locker room.

Gearhart seems to grasp some of the challenges facing his basketball coach, and he has confidence that Pelphrey and vice chancellor/athletic director Jeff Long are going to look deeply into the situation and make the right decisions.

For the first time in years, fans who care about the program might also find out the truth.

Gearhart demonstrated Friday morning an honesty and dedication to telling the truth.

There was no cover-up, no spinning and, most of all, no running away at 4:59 on a Friday afternoon.

Chancellor Dave Gearhart seems to understand the fans want the truth, and that they can handle it.

This article was published 09/13/2009

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