NWADG Basketball

2018

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Sunday, November 4, 2018 11 Northwest Arkansas Basketball Arkansas Razorbacks men's capsules ADRIO BAILEY CLASS Junior HEIGHT 6-6 WEIGHT 222 POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Camp- ti, La. H I G H S C H O O L Lakeview LAST SEASON Aver- aged 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds. THE SKINNY Bailey, a good athlete who runs the floor well, is the oldest player on the roster in terms of going into his third season at Arkansas. After averaging 14.2 minutes last season he'll need to play a much bigger role on the court and as a team leader. He's worked to improve his jump shot, but his strengths remain rebounding, de- fense and finishing around the basket. JONATHAN HOLMES CLASS Junior HEIGHT 5-10 WEIGHT 190 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Colum- bia, Ill. HIGH SCHOOL Co- lumbia LAST SEASON Aver- aged 1.4 points. 0.3 rebounds while playing 18 minutes in 11 games off the bench. THE SKINNY Holmes is a walk-on and a crowd favorite — fans know when Holmes comes into the game, the Razorbacks had clinched the victory — and he has the distinction of being the only player on the team who has hit a 3-point basket in an Arkansas uniform. Holmes hit 2 of 6 3-pointers last season. DANIEL GAFFORD CLASS Sophomore HEIGHT 6-11 WEIGHT 233 POSITION Forward HOMETOWN El Do- rado H I G H S C H O O L E l Dorado LAST SEASON Av- eraged 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocked shots. THE SKINNY Gafford was projected to be a first-round NBA draft pick after an impressive college debut in which he showcased his blend of athleticism and skill, but he chose to return to Ar- kansas for his sophomore season and gives the inexperienced Razorbacks a centerpiece to build around. Gafford averaged 22.6 minutes last season and Arkansas needs him to stay on the court longer — which means staying out of foul trouble. GABE OSABUOHIEN CLASS Sophomore HEIGHT 6-8 WEIGHT 221 POSITION Forward H O M E T O W N To - ronto H I G H S C H O O L Southwest Christian Academy LAST SEASON Aver- aged 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 20 games off the bench. THE SKINNY Despite ranking 11th among the Razorbacks in minutes played with 136, Osabuohien tied for first on the team in charges taken with 8. His willingness to give up his body and hustle for rebounds and on defense provided a spark during the SEC season. With such a young ros- ter, he should compete for increased playing time and his height and length should be a plus, especially on perim- eter defense. JALEN HARRIS C L A S S R e d s h i r t sophomore HEIGHT 6-2 WEIGHT 166 POSITION Guard H O M E T O W N W i l - son, N.C. HIGH SCHOOL Word o f G o d C h r i s t i a n Academy LAST SEASON Redshirted after trans- ferring to Arkansas from New Mexico. THE SKINNY Harris is a true point guard who should play plenty of min- utes. He had a good redshirt season by all accounts — improving his over- all game playing All-SEC guards Dar- yl Macon and Jaylen Barford — and should be ready to run the offense, push a fast tempo, and be a strong on-the-ball defender. Averaged 4.5 points, 2.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 20.6 minutes as a freshman at New Mexico, where he played in 31 games, including 18 starts. KHALIL GARLAND C L A S S R e d s h i r t freshman HEIGHT 6-5 WEIGHT 198 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Little Rock H I G H S C H O O L Parkview LAST SEASON Red- shirted because of an undisclosed medical condition. THE SKINNY Garland has been able to go through practice on a limited basis, but still hasn't been cleared medically to go full speed or play in games. It seems unlikely he'll play this season considering he's been on campus for more than a year without being cleared. He definitely has the talent to help the Razorbacks after averaging 12.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 as- sists as a senior at Parkview. MASON JONES CLASS Sophomore HEIGHT 6-5 WEIGHT 207 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN War- ner, Okla. JUNIOR COLLEGE C o n n o r s ( O k l a . ) State College LAST SEASON Av- eraged 15.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists at Connors State as a freshman. THE SKINNY Jones was a late signee in the spring when a roster spot in the backcourt opened after C.J. Jones transferred to Middle Tennessee State. He should provide solid 3-point shoot- ing after hitting 42.9 percent from be- yond the arc last season. He also is a good defender and rebounds well for his size. Playing even one season at the junior college level makes him one of the Razorbacks' most experienced players. IBRAHIM ALI CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-10 WEIGHT 244 POSITION Center HOMETOWN Abuja, Nigeria HIGH SCHOOL Mau- melle LAST SEASON Sat out to work on de- veloping his game. THE SKINNY Ali originally committed to Baylor, but never enrolled there and wound up signing with Arkansas last spring when a scholarship became available. He hasn't been playing bas- ketball long since moving from Nigeria to the U.S. and is a raw talent, but has good size. His first name is pro- nounced ee-Bra-heem, but he's nick- named Ibby. As a senior at Maumelle he averaged 4.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots. REGGIE CHANEY CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-8 WEIGHT 222 POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Tulsa, Okla. HIGH SCHOOL Find- lay Prep, Henderson, Nev. LAST SEASON Aver- aged 13.8 points, 7.3 rebounds to help Findlay Prep to a 32-5 record. THE SKINNY Chaney already has the look of an SEC big man with his size and strength. He should be a phys- ical presence around the basket on offense and defense and fit well in the Razorbacks' system. Chaney will be needed especially for rebounding with the team's lack of experience inside. He's used to winning having played for Findlay Prep teams that were a com- bined 66-9 the previous two seasons. KEYSHAWN EMBERY-SIMPSON CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-3 WEIGHT 202 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Mid- west City, Okla. H I G H S C H O O L S Midwest City and IMG Academy LAST SEASON Aver- aged 13.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals as a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. THE SKINNY Embery-Simpson, a 6-3 freshman, can play point guard and shooting guard. He showed his scoring ability as a junior when he averaged 26.8 points at Midwest City High School. Should compete for playing time in the backcourt after Arkansas lost all of its schol- arship guards from last season's team. Was ranked the No. 1 player in Oklahoma by 247Sports and a four-start recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.com. ETHAN HENDERSON CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-8 WEIGHT 210 POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Little Rock H I G H S C H O O L Parkview LAST SEASON Av- eraged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots. THE SKINNY Henderson is an athletic big man who should contribute as a defender and rebounder. He helped Parkview win Class 5A state cham- pionships in 2016 and 2017 as a sophomore and junior and was a high school teammate of Khalil Garland. A second-team All-Arkansas selection by the Democrat-Gazette. Should pro- vide depth inside. ISAIAH JOE CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-5 WEIGHT 167 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Fort Smith H I G H S C H O O L Northside LAST SEASON Av- eraged 22.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 a s s i s t s a n d 2 . 9 steals. T H E S K I N N Y J o e s h o u l d p r o v i d e perimeter scoring Arkansas desperately needs with the loss of Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford from last season's team. He could be a starter at shooting guard. Joe showed his smooth release in hitting 9 of 14 3-pointers in the Red- White game. He needs to add weight and strength to his wiry frame, but that should come with time. He led Northside to the 2017 Class 7A state championship. JORDAN PHILLIPS CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-7 WEIGHT 209 POSITION Guard H O M E T O W N F o r t Worth, Texas H I G H S C H O O L S Grace Prep Academy (Texas) and Cedar Hill (Texas) LAST SEASON Played at Grace Prep Academy. THE SKINNY Phillips could help this season, but first he'll have to get back into shape after missing the first month of practice continuing to cover from knee surgery to repair a menis- cus tear. Arkansas Coach Mike Ander- son said he hoped Phillips would be able to practice by November. Phillips has the length to help with perimeter defense and has a good mid-range shot. As a junior at Cedar Hill (Texas) High School he averaged 21 points. DESI SILLS CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-2 WEIGHT 196 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Jones- boro H I G H S C H O O L Jonesboro LAST SEASON Aver- aged 20 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists. THE SKINNY Sills can play both point and shooting guard. He can hit jump shots, but is most effective being in attack mode on offense and slashing to the basket. The strongest part of Sills' game might be his defensive intensity. He can play the kind of in- your-face defense Coach Mike An- derson wants and which should help the Razorbacks create offense from turnovers. Sills led Jonesboro to back- to-back 6A state championships.

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