HawgBeat - People are paying attention to Arkansas basketball
The Arkansas basketball brand is as strong as ever, and that's saying a lot.
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Before Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman took over in April 2019, the Razorbacks had never seen a one-and-done player come through the program.
After four full seasons as the head coach in Fayetteville, Musselman has produced four one-and-dones, three of which were selected in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday.
Freshmen Anthony Black (No. 6 overall to Orlando Magic) and Nick Smith Jr. (No. 27 overall to Charlotte Hornets) were both first round selections, bringing Arkansas' all-time total to 15. Fellow freshman Jordan Walsh was selected by the Boston at No. 38 overall in the second round after the Celtics acquired rights to the pick in a trade with the Sacramento Kings.
As a former NBA head coach, Musselman already has that notch in his belt to pitch to recruits. Following the draft, the Head Hog has made Arkansas even more of a destination school for top talent across the country. Having three one-and-dones in a single draft is something that Musselman said speaks for itself.
"I don’t think you have to sell it," Musselman said Monday. "You would hope that people are paying attention, and organically there becomes a heightened interest in playing here because of that.
"So I don’t think we necessarily have to sell. We’ve had four one-and-dones, and two lottery picks, a first-round, an early-second rounder … Those guys got drafted because they’re really, really talented coming in through the door, and then obviously walking out as well."
The amount of times the Arkansas basketball brand was talked about not just on draft night with countless fans watching several broadcasts from home, but it was also talked about from the moment these high-level players stepped on campus.
Smith, Black and Walsh were all highly-coveted McDonald's All-American recruits that were being projected in mock drafts before they made it to Fayetteville. Throughout the season and pre-draft process, the trio were heavily talked about not just among the Arkansas media corps, but around the nation daily.
"When there’s a limited number of sporting events happening on that particular day at this juncture of the sporting season, Arkansas’ name was really mentioned a lot," Musselman said about the draft. "So I don’t know what the ad value is for Arkansas or the Razorbacks, but I promise you there is value from a national standpoint for sure. What that is, I don’t know. But I certainly know it’s pretty powerful."
It's no secret that Arkansas was a sleeping giant ever since the Nolan Richardson days and it took Musselman being hired by Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek to awake that giant.
"Right now, I think Arkansas is really heavily talked about in the college basketball landscape," Musselman said. "Part of it is NCAA Tournament runs. Part of it is guys going in the NBA and being part of the draft. I think there's a lot of reasons. We're sold out. I think there's a lot of interest in the program when you look at game slots we have from a television standpoint."
Musselman has a point. The Hogs aren't just putting guys in the NBA — something he's done every year he's been with Arkansas — but they are having success on the court, too. Three straight Sweet Sixteen appearances and two Elite Eights are another part of the pitch when selling the Razorbacks to recruits.
"I think nationally we are in a really good spot," Musselman said. "When you talk to agents and people in our industry over the last month, we've gotten a lot of calls about our own guys.
"When you have four players that are potential draft picks, that's a lot of phone conversations and dialogue and other people in the NBA might want to ask about other players in the league."
Another part of the sell is playing in the SEC, which is as good as any conference in America from a talent perspective. Night in and night out, you're going up against at least one or two guys that will play in the NBA. That was especially the case for Arkansas' opponents, as the three draft selections were tied with UCLA for the most of any team.
"I know that our conference is known for football, but I think it’s become quite obvious in the last couple years, the talent in this league, especially the players … It’s not the first NBA Draft the SEC has led the conferences," Musselman said. "It’s happened quite often the last three or four or five years. So not a surprise there with the league. I think it means a lot, as I’ve stated, for our own guys as well.
"Even in-state now, with Nick and Moses both being two first-round draft picks after only playing here for a year. I think it helps in a lot of areas certainly. But not a shocker with our league. I mean, every night you play a league game, you’re going against at least one NBA talent-level player."
Musselman was able to attend the draft at the Barclays Center in New York, where he sat with both Black and Smith to eagerly wait for their names to be called. That's a situation Musselman said he anticipates to be in again next summer.
"Words can't describe the parties that happened after the draft and leading up to the draft the anticipation, the nervousness of families and staff members," Musselman said. "It's really cool, and yes, I hope to be back there next year. I hope we have another player sitting in the green room next year, and I don't have any doubt that we will."
As for now, the Razorbacks are currently going through summer workouts with a new-look roster that Musselman said is the best team conditioning-wise that he's had in his eight years as a college head coach.
"Great from a conditioning standpoint," Musselman said. "We've added a tremendous amount of things from an offensive standpoint. We're running some of the things that the Milwaukee Bucks ran two years ago, their five-out spread offense.
"We're a veteran team that has a very mature approach to practice and the individual skill work. I have no idea how the season is going to unfold, but it's a group that is very mature and really comes in with a mindset to try to get better. We've had great practices, we really have. And they've had great skill work, as well."
