HawgBeat - Freshman Layden Blocker earned minutes at Battle 4 Atlantis
Layden Blocker led Arkansas in steals and was second in scoring as his role increased in the Bahamas.
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For the third consecutive game, Arkansas freshman guard Layden Blocker set a career-high in minutes played, and he's made starts in each of the last two games.
During Friday's loss to North Carolina, Blocker set a career-high with 11 points and he added three steals, two rebounds, one assist and one block in 28 minutes of action.
"I thought he played with confidence," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said after the North Carolina game. "He got minutes - obviously we only had two double-digit scorers tonight and he was one of them."
His increased role in Thursday's loss to Memphis and the loss to North Carolina was a result of playing strong defense with high intensity during Wednesday's win over Stanford.
Blocker had the team's highest +/- performance against Stanford with +11, and throughout the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, he was second on the team in offensive rebounds with seven.
"I feel like the things I did well was just bring energy," Blocker said after the North Carolina game. "I tried to make the hustle plays, do the little things to try and bring life, and just play defense. Just being a dog on defense and being active."
The Little Rock native accomplished that by leading the team in steals with three against North Carolina and playing physical on-ball defense whenever he was on the court in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
With Blocker stepping up his game and playing more minutes, there might be a developing battle for the starting point guard spot as the season progresses and the rotation slims. His counterpart, Louisville transfer El Ellis, played just 17 minutes and scored zero points against North Carolina. Ellis played 13 minutes against Memphis and was also held scoreless. Blocker averaged 10 points per game between the two.
Blocker's defensive performance, effort, and scoring ability and efficiency on the offensive end should have him in prime position to keep increasing his role in his true freshman season.
It's back to the drawing board for Arkansas, as the Razorbacks lost two straight games in the Bahamas to drop their record to 4-3.
The Hogs' next matchup will be a showdown with the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN.
