Henry leaves Razorbacks

Arkansas forward Jason Henry (6-6, 190) has decided to leave the Razorback basketball program after just one season.

FAYETTEVILLE – Jason Henry has left the Arkansas basketball program, the university's athletic media relations department said in a release Sunday night, ending a short - but troubled - stint with the Razorbacks.

“Throughout his time with our program, we have worked with Jason on a day-to-day basis to foster his growth as a student-athlete and a person," Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said in a statement. "While we are appreciative of the academic progress he made working with our academic support staff, it is in the best interest of our basketball program to move forward with student-athletes who have a long-term commitment to the University of Arkansas and the Razorback program on and off the court.”

Earlier Sunday a source close to the program confirmed the news to Hawgs Illustrated and The Morning News, calling the decision "a mutual agreement" between Henry and Razorback coaches. Repeated attempts to reach Henry's cell phone were unsuccessful.

Henry averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season as a freshman for the Razorbacks. He scored in double-figures 11 times in 23 games played, including career-highs of 27 points and 12 rebounds in an overtime loss at South Carolina on Feb. 21.

Henry's on-court performance was often marred by personal and academic problems off of it. He was suspended twice during the season for violations of team rules for a total of four games and wasn't allowed to travel with the team to the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Tampa Bay, Fla. He was also suspended for the team's Red-White scrimmage before the season.

He missed three more games - including Arkansas' wins over top 10 teams Oklahoma and Texas - following an arthroscopic knee surgery in late December of last year.

The departure has seemingly solved the team's scholarship situation for now. Arkansas had 14 players vying for 13 allotted scholarships next season before Henry's departure, though one of the newcomers has yet to qualify academically and another is finishing a required class at his current school.

Henry is the fourth Arkansas newcomer from the 2008-09 season to have already left the program. Junior College-transfer Montrell McDonald left the team in December and freshmen Andre Clark and Brandon Moore left following the season. Moore has since transferred to Florida International.

There was no immediate word on whether Henry would transfer to another school. If he were to enroll at another Division-I program he would have to sit out the 2009-10 season, per NCAA guidelines.

Ryan Malashock contributed to this report