NWADG Basketball

12 2022 NWA COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW | 11.6.2022 RICKY COUNCIL IV CLASS Junior HEIGHT 6-6 WEIGHT 205 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Durham, N.C. HIGH SCHOOL Southern Durham HS LAST SEASON Averaged 12 points, 5.4 rebounds and shot 84.9% on free throws while playing 28 games for Wichita State. THE SKINNY Council was named the 2022 American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore after scoring the league's most points among reserve players. He led the Shockers in scoring 10 times in 2022, including in eight of the team's final 12 outings. Council had the team's second-most steals (32) and scored 10-plus points in 17 games. As a freshman, he was teammates with former Razorback forward Trey Wade at Wichita State. TREVON BRAZILE CLASS Sophomore HEIGHT 6-10 WEIGHT 212 POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Springfield, Mo. HIGH SCHOOL Kickapoo HS LAST SEASON Averaged 6.3 points, 5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while starting 22 games at Missouri as a freshman. THE SKINNY Brazile transferred to Arkansas after playing for Missouri as a freshman, where he was third in the SEC in blocked shots. He recorded a blocked shot in 20 of the 24 games he played in, with a career-high six against Illinois. As a freshman, he began to look stronger as the season progressed, posting a season-high 15 points in the team's SEC Tournament game against LSU. He has the ability to stretch the floor and shoot the three as well, going 2-of-3 against Kansas from behind the arc last season. NICK SMITH JR. CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-5 WEIGHT 185 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Jacksonville, Ark. HIGH SCHOOL North Little Rock HS LAST SEASON Averaged 26.5 points, 8 rebounds and 7.3 assists as a senior at North Little Rock HS, powering the team to the Arkansas Class 6A state championship. THE SKINNY Smith is rated the No. 1 high school prospect in the 2022 class by 247Sports, and a consensus top-3 recruit from major outlets. He is a McDonald's All-American, two-time Arkansas Democrat- Gazette All-Arkansas Player of the Year (2021 and 2022), member of the 2022 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team, and was 1 of 5 finalists for the 2022 Naismith High School Boys Player of the Year. He also played in the Jordan Brand Classic, which he was named co-MVP of after scoring 27 points. Smith is one of the three highest-rated recruits to sign with the Razorbacks, joining Corliss Williamson and Al Jefferson. DAVONTE DAVIS CLASS Junior HEIGHT 6-4 WEIGHT 185 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Jacksonville, Ark. HIGH SCHOOL Jacksonville HS LAST SEASON Averaged 8.3 points and was second on the team with 102 assists while playing in all 37 games as a sophomore. THE SKINNY Davis began the season as a starter for the Razorbacks in 2022, but over time began to flourish coming in as a reserve. Arkansas was 14-3 in games and he was the first player to come in off the bench en route to reaching the NCAA Elite 8. Davis scored a season-high 26 points during a neutral site loss to Oklahoma. He is one of two returners with significant playing time. Davis hit a game- winning jumper against Oral Roberts as a freshman in the NCAA Sweet 16. JOSEPH PINION CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-5 WEIGHT 190 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Morrilton, Ark. HIGH SCHOOL Morrilton HS LAST SEASON Averaged 24.3 points, 9 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.1 blocks as a senior at Morrilton HS. THE SKINNY Pinion is a sharp-shooting, 4-star recruit out of Morrilton HS, where he was twice named to the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette All-Preps first team (2021 and 2022.) He was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior, a year in which he increased his points per game average from 17.2 to 24.3, while shooting at an 88% clip on free throws. Pinion was named to the Class 4A All-State team as both a junior and senior. JALEN GRAHAM CLASS Senior HEIGHT 6-9 WEIGHT 225 POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Phoenix, Ariz. HIGH SCHOOL Mountain Pointe HS LAST SEASON Averaged 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while starting in 22 games at Arizona State. THE SKINNY Graham transferred to Arkansas in the offseason by way of Arizona State, where he played his first three years of college. He was a second-team All-Pac 12 selection as a junior after ranking second on the team in rebounds and posted 14 games with double-figure scoring. As a sophomore, Graham was third in the Pac-12 with 1.62 blocked shots per game. His best performance as a Sun Devil was during a triple-overtime upset win against No. 3 UCLA, a game in which he scored 16 points, had 10 rebounds and dished out a career-best six assists. BARRY DUNNING JR. CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-6 WEIGHT 195 POSITION Guard HOMETOWN Mobile, Ala. HIGH SCHOOL McGill-Toolen Catholic HS LAST SEASON Averaged 25.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks as a senior at McGill-Toolen HS, which he guided to the 2022 Alabama Class 6A semifinals. THE SKINNY Dunning was rated a 4-star by ESPN, and the top player in the state of Alabama. He was twice named the Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year (2021 and 2022), and as a senior was chosen as Alabama Mr. Basketball. Dunning was a McDonald's All-American nominee after three times being named a Class 6A first-team All-State selection. JORDAN WALSH CLASS Freshman HEIGHT 6-7 WEIGHT 205 POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Desoto, Texas HIGH SCHOOL Link Year (Mo.) Academy LAST SEASON Averaged 15.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a senior at Link Year (Mo.) Academy. THE SKINNY Walsh is a consensus 5-star recruit in the 2022 class, and one of three Razorbacks who were McDonald's All-Americans as a senior. He is rated the 11th-best player in the class by ESPN, and the fourth-best forward of the cycle. Walsh is the top prospect out of the state of Texas according to ESPN and he played in the Jordan Brand Classic. He played his final varsity season at Link Year (Mo.) Academy, where he helped the team to a runner-up finish in the GEICO Nationals. ARKANSAS MEN'S PLAYER CAPSULES BY CHIP SOUZA

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