Ronnie Brewer

LITTLE ROCK — With a population of nearly 2.9 million and only one elite college basketball program, Arkansas doesn't produce as many NBA players as many bigger states. Still, it ekes one out every couple of years, and those that make it become part of a small fraternity of sorts. The following are members of that fraternity, most of whom look to play a part in the 2009-10 NBA season, which began Tuesday night.

NBA ARKANSANS:

The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

Patrick Beverley, Miami Heat

The Chicago native has certainly racked up plenty frequent flyer miles since leaving Arkansas after his sophomore year. He developed his point guard skills while starring in the Ukraine, averaging 16.7 points 6.9 rebounds 3.6 assists 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks a game. He was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2009 Draft. He was then traded to the Miami Heat, who already have a similar player in Mario Chalmers at point guard. He now plays in the Euroleague, for Olympiacos Piraeus.

Jannero Pargo, Chicago Bulls

It appears Athens-based Olympiacos Piraeus, one of Europe's most illustrious basketball teams, just can't do without those 6-2, Chicago-born Arkansas Razorbacks on its rosters. Preceding Patrick Beverley was Pargo, who played for the Reds last spring after a stint in Moscow. Since going undrafted after college in 2002, Pargo has also played NBA ball in Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago and New Orleans.

The sharpshooter returns home this year, though, where the Bulls hope he can help replace some of the 4th-quarter heroics of recently departed Ben Gordon.

Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

Arkansas' best pro basketball player in the 21st century, Johnson finds himself at a career crossroads. He has one year left on a contract that will spit him out onto the most gloriously stacked free agent class of all time, a summer 2010 bonanza including the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Amar'e Stoudemire. Since going to Atlanta in 2005, the Little Rock native has shouldered the young Hawks' demands admirably, leading them to year-by-year improvement from 13 to 47 wins. But there are doubts whether Johnson, twice an All-Star, can ever be the superstar his team needs to enter into legitimate contender status.

If Atlanta can make that step this season, by likely upending Orlando, Boston or Cleveland in the playoffs, look for Johnson to stay. If not, he'll likely become the final piece in the championship puzzle of a better team.

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz

Like the Hawks, the Jazz are considered second-tier conference title contenders. Also, like in Atlanta, an Arkie is firmly ensconced in the starting shooting guard spot.

Since leaving Arkansas after his junior year in 2006, Brewer has burrowed into the Jazz backcourt, provided length, defensive intensity and athleticism on a roster short on players with such attributes. His shooting, though, is hampered by a childhood injury that left his form pretty gnarly-looking. Improving on last year's 26 percent. 3-point shooting and 70 percent free throw clip is the next step in his development. Still, his rangy defense and opportunistic fast break point production helped distinguish him as one of 25 rising NBA players invited to last summer's USA Basketball Men's National Team mini-camp.

Sonny Weems, Toronto Raptors

Like Pargo and Beverley, Weems has taken a circuitous route to his current NBA team. Unlike those guards, though, Weems' criss-crosses have stayed within the United States since being drafted by Chicago in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft. He was then traded to Denver, where he suffered injuries that landed him in the NBA Development League. This summer, Weems was traded to Milwaukee, and then Toronto, where he had been averaging 22 minutes through seven preseason games. I would pay money to watch Weems, Arkansas' best dunker since Brandon Dean, engage in an impromptu dunk-off with high-flying teammate DeMar DeRozan during practice.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers

Fisher has been so consistently good, for so long, for such good teams, that it actually bores me. Drafted by the Lakers in 1996, the plucky point guard helped steer a team full of massive egos toward consecutive championships in 2000-02. Time and time again during that run, young Fisher proved his grit with timely shots and stout defense. He then went all Prodigal Son on the purple and gold by playing with the Warriors and Jazz before returning to the Lakers in 2007, where he has started every game the last two seasons.

And just when it looked like the Little Rock native was getting too old, too slow last summer, he goes out and averages 11 points while shooting 44 percent on threes to knock off the Magic in five games of the NBA Finals. Yawn.