To be more precise, let's call it 16 months of off-the-court "developments" ... here is an April 2015 to August 2016 look at the men's basketball roller-coaster ride, including recruiting, at Arkansas ... get your popcorn and your 3-D glasses ready ... lots of highs and lows ... it was a wild one ...
* April 2, 2015 ... Hogs' Nick Babb announces he is transferring from the UA.
* April 12, 2015 ... former Hog Nick Babb announces he is transferring to Iowa State.
* April 14, 2015 ... Hogs' Bobby Portis announces he is forgoing eligibility and entering the NBA Draft.
* April 15, 2015 ... Hogs' Michael Qualls announces he is forgoing eligibility and entering the NBA Draft.
* April 23, 2015 ... 2015 recruit Ted Kapita (who committed to the Hogs in February) inks his NLOI with the Hogs, joining 2015 early-period signee Jimmy Whitt as the Hogs only 2 signees for the 2015 class.
* May 1-3, 2015 ... Colorado transfer Dustin Thomas visits the Hogs and at the conclusion of his visit announces he will transfer to the UA, meaning after he sits out the 2015-16 seaon, he would be a 4th-year junior in 2016-17.
* May 5, 2015 ... 2015 Florida Gator signee and Arkansan KeVaughn Allen announces that he is seeking a release from his NLOI and will consider the Hogs due to Billy Donovan's departure to the NBA ... around this time, KA's stepdad goes on Bo Mattingly's statewide radio show to suggest the Hogs have a real shot at KA.
* May 18, 2015 ... KeVaughn Allen reaffirms to new HC Mike White his intentions to honor his signed NLOI with the Gators.
* June 16, 2015 ... 2016 juco recruit Daryl Macon, a former LRParkview guard, becomes the Hogs first commitment for the 2016 class.
* June 25, 2015 ... Willy Kouassi announces he is transferring from Division II Kennesaw State, marking the first senior-grad transfer under MA at Arkansas.
* July 8, 2015 ... Arkansas opens the doors for the long-awaited, one-of-a-kind Basketball Performance Center.
* July 13, 2015 ... MA / Hogs offer a trio of in-state recruits Daniel Gafford, Connor Vanover, and Eric Curry ... less than 24 hours after I suggested all 3 should receive Hog offers (haha, that's actually true).
* July 19, 2015 ... MA / Hogs offer 2016 recruit Adrio Bailey.
* July 22, 2015 ... Hogs Anton Beard and Jacorey Williams, and Colorado transfer Dustin Thomas are arrested and charged with forgery for passing counterfeit bills ... all 3 are immediately suspended indefinitely.
* July 22, 2015 ... ASPIRE Institute prep school sends out a tweet announcing that Arkansas signee Ted Kapita will attend the school in 2015-16 ... follow-up reports would leave the door open for Kapita to transfer back to Arkansas for the 2015-16 spring semester once his college eligibility was resolved.
* July 28, 2015 ... media reports surface citing a police report naming Jacorey Williams in 2 separate but related assaults off-campus.
* Aug. 1, 2015 ... 2017 Daniel Gafford commits to Arkansas, just a couple of weeks after his offer and a full 2-plus years before he can sign in the early period for the 2017 class.
* Aug. 3, 2015 ... MA and Hogs offer 2018 forward Ethan Henderson of LRParkview.
* Aug. 8, 2015 ... 2015 Lorenzo "Doobie" Jenkins re-classifies (was a 2016 prospect) and commits to Arkansas just after his visit and a couple of weeks before the start of classes, becoming the 3rd Hog commit for the Class of 2015.
* Aug. 19, 2015 ... Arkansas announces that Jacorey Williams will not be returning to the basketball program for his senior season in 2015-16 ... Jacorey would transfer to Middle Tennessee State.
* Aug. 29, 2015 ... 2016 juco recruit Arlando Cook takes an unofficial visit to Arkansas.
* Sept. 1, 2015 ... 2015 signee Ted Kapita reportedly will sign a contract with a professional team in France, ending any chance of joining the Razorbacks or any other school in 2015-16, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Rothstein ... reports would surface later in the fall that Kapita had actually signed with the fledgling AmeriLeague, run by former McD AA and Hog cast-off Glendon Alexander, an ex-con who was going by the alias of Cerruti Brown ... after never actually signing any pro contracts, Kapita would land at another prep school -- DME Academy -- and reclassify for the Class of 2016.
* Sept. 4-6, 2015 ... 2016 recruits Cameron McGriff and Jaylen Fisher visit Arkansas ... McGriff reportedly intimates off the record he will join the Hogs ... Fisher indicates he would take more visits but would commit and sign early somewhere.
* Sept. 18-20, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Eric Curry visits Arkansas ... Hogs' staff feels good they will get a commit soon.
* Sept. 19, 2015 ... 2016 recruit and Van Buren PF Mitchell Smith, who at one time held a conditional Hog offer, commits to Missouri on the Saturday of his official weekend visit there.
* Sept. 21, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Cameron McGriff commits to Okie Lite.
* Sept. 21, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Arlando Cook commits to Nevada amid reports that the Hogs and other high-major programs backed off.
* Sept. 22, 2015 ... 2016 Jaylen Barford, considered the No. 1 juco in the country, cancels a planned visit to Louisville and commits to the Hogs (less than a week after his visit to Fayetteville), becoming the Hogs' 2nd commitment for the Class of 2016.
* Sept. 23, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Eric Curry commits to Minnesota.
* Oct. 7, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Jaylen Fisher commits to UNLV, but ends up not signing in the early period as originally planned.
* Oct. 19, 2015 ... 2016 Adrio Bailey commits to the Hogs a little over a week after his official visit, becoming the Hogs' 3rd commit for the Class of 2016.
* Oct. 23-25, 2015 ... this was the weekend that in-state prized 2016 recruit Malik Monk -- who had always said he would not sign in the early period -- was to visit, along with 2016 Hog commit Daryl Macon, but Monk changed the visit to the following weekend of Oct. 30-Nov.1 citing a conflict with taking the ACT college-entry exam ... so, Macon also changed his visit date to coincide with Monk's.
* Oct. 29, 2015 ... 2016 Arlando Cook de-commits from Nevada, and schools like Arkansas, Iowa State and others re-recruit AC with the early signing period just a few weeks away.
* Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2015 ... 2016 recruits Malik Monk and Daryl Macon take their official visits to Fayetteville, and Bobby Portis flies in from Chicago to help make the weekend a special one for Mr. Monk ... reportedly, MM tells BP, Macon, and staff that he is all Hog.
* Nov. 3, 2015 ... 2016 Arlando Cook and his Connors State juco team travel to LR to play Arkansas Baptist College ... MA and TJ Cleveland were in attendance, as were coaches from Iowa State and UALR ... after the game, AC tells RD that Arkansas and Iowa State are his leaders, but he tells me that Arkansas is actually at the top of his list ahead of ISU.
* Nov. 5, 2015 ... 2016 Arlando Cook commits to the Hogs, becoming the Hogs' 4th commitment for 2016.
* Nov. 11-13, 2015 ... 2016 commits Adrio Bailey, Daryl Macon, Jaylen Barford, and Arlando Cook all sign their NLOI's with the Hogs in the early period.
* Nov. 16, 2015 ... Anton Beard agrees to a pretrial diversion program to avoid prosecution for forgery charges, and the UA follows up by announcing he will be allowed to rejoin the team to practice and play in games in December AFTER the fall semester has ended, which resulted in Beard missing 9 regular-season games.
* Nov. 18, 2015 ... Malik Monk commits/signs with Kentucky at the end of the early period, and his brother / former Hog football and basketball player Marcus Monk reportedly shoulders the responsibility for the decision.
* Dec. 11, 2015 ... transfer Dustin Thomas pleads guilty to charges stemming from his July 2015 arrest and receives 12 months probation ... he is allowed to return to the team and practice for the remainder of his redshirt season.
* Dec. 19, 2015 ... Anton Beard made his 2015-16 playing debut against Mercer in LR.
* April 2, 2015 ... Hogs' Nick Babb announces he is transferring from the UA.
* April 12, 2015 ... former Hog Nick Babb announces he is transferring to Iowa State.
* April 14, 2015 ... Hogs' Bobby Portis announces he is forgoing eligibility and entering the NBA Draft.
* April 15, 2015 ... Hogs' Michael Qualls announces he is forgoing eligibility and entering the NBA Draft.
* April 23, 2015 ... 2015 recruit Ted Kapita (who committed to the Hogs in February) inks his NLOI with the Hogs, joining 2015 early-period signee Jimmy Whitt as the Hogs only 2 signees for the 2015 class.
* May 1-3, 2015 ... Colorado transfer Dustin Thomas visits the Hogs and at the conclusion of his visit announces he will transfer to the UA, meaning after he sits out the 2015-16 seaon, he would be a 4th-year junior in 2016-17.
* May 5, 2015 ... 2015 Florida Gator signee and Arkansan KeVaughn Allen announces that he is seeking a release from his NLOI and will consider the Hogs due to Billy Donovan's departure to the NBA ... around this time, KA's stepdad goes on Bo Mattingly's statewide radio show to suggest the Hogs have a real shot at KA.
* May 18, 2015 ... KeVaughn Allen reaffirms to new HC Mike White his intentions to honor his signed NLOI with the Gators.
* June 16, 2015 ... 2016 juco recruit Daryl Macon, a former LRParkview guard, becomes the Hogs first commitment for the 2016 class.
* June 25, 2015 ... Willy Kouassi announces he is transferring from Division II Kennesaw State, marking the first senior-grad transfer under MA at Arkansas.
* July 8, 2015 ... Arkansas opens the doors for the long-awaited, one-of-a-kind Basketball Performance Center.
* July 13, 2015 ... MA / Hogs offer a trio of in-state recruits Daniel Gafford, Connor Vanover, and Eric Curry ... less than 24 hours after I suggested all 3 should receive Hog offers (haha, that's actually true).
* July 19, 2015 ... MA / Hogs offer 2016 recruit Adrio Bailey.
* July 22, 2015 ... Hogs Anton Beard and Jacorey Williams, and Colorado transfer Dustin Thomas are arrested and charged with forgery for passing counterfeit bills ... all 3 are immediately suspended indefinitely.
* July 22, 2015 ... ASPIRE Institute prep school sends out a tweet announcing that Arkansas signee Ted Kapita will attend the school in 2015-16 ... follow-up reports would leave the door open for Kapita to transfer back to Arkansas for the 2015-16 spring semester once his college eligibility was resolved.
* July 28, 2015 ... media reports surface citing a police report naming Jacorey Williams in 2 separate but related assaults off-campus.
* Aug. 1, 2015 ... 2017 Daniel Gafford commits to Arkansas, just a couple of weeks after his offer and a full 2-plus years before he can sign in the early period for the 2017 class.
* Aug. 3, 2015 ... MA and Hogs offer 2018 forward Ethan Henderson of LRParkview.
* Aug. 8, 2015 ... 2015 Lorenzo "Doobie" Jenkins re-classifies (was a 2016 prospect) and commits to Arkansas just after his visit and a couple of weeks before the start of classes, becoming the 3rd Hog commit for the Class of 2015.
* Aug. 19, 2015 ... Arkansas announces that Jacorey Williams will not be returning to the basketball program for his senior season in 2015-16 ... Jacorey would transfer to Middle Tennessee State.
* Aug. 29, 2015 ... 2016 juco recruit Arlando Cook takes an unofficial visit to Arkansas.
* Sept. 1, 2015 ... 2015 signee Ted Kapita reportedly will sign a contract with a professional team in France, ending any chance of joining the Razorbacks or any other school in 2015-16, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Rothstein ... reports would surface later in the fall that Kapita had actually signed with the fledgling AmeriLeague, run by former McD AA and Hog cast-off Glendon Alexander, an ex-con who was going by the alias of Cerruti Brown ... after never actually signing any pro contracts, Kapita would land at another prep school -- DME Academy -- and reclassify for the Class of 2016.
* Sept. 4-6, 2015 ... 2016 recruits Cameron McGriff and Jaylen Fisher visit Arkansas ... McGriff reportedly intimates off the record he will join the Hogs ... Fisher indicates he would take more visits but would commit and sign early somewhere.
* Sept. 18-20, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Eric Curry visits Arkansas ... Hogs' staff feels good they will get a commit soon.
* Sept. 19, 2015 ... 2016 recruit and Van Buren PF Mitchell Smith, who at one time held a conditional Hog offer, commits to Missouri on the Saturday of his official weekend visit there.
* Sept. 21, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Cameron McGriff commits to Okie Lite.
* Sept. 21, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Arlando Cook commits to Nevada amid reports that the Hogs and other high-major programs backed off.
* Sept. 22, 2015 ... 2016 Jaylen Barford, considered the No. 1 juco in the country, cancels a planned visit to Louisville and commits to the Hogs (less than a week after his visit to Fayetteville), becoming the Hogs' 2nd commitment for the Class of 2016.
* Sept. 23, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Eric Curry commits to Minnesota.
* Oct. 7, 2015 ... 2016 recruit Jaylen Fisher commits to UNLV, but ends up not signing in the early period as originally planned.
* Oct. 19, 2015 ... 2016 Adrio Bailey commits to the Hogs a little over a week after his official visit, becoming the Hogs' 3rd commit for the Class of 2016.
* Oct. 23-25, 2015 ... this was the weekend that in-state prized 2016 recruit Malik Monk -- who had always said he would not sign in the early period -- was to visit, along with 2016 Hog commit Daryl Macon, but Monk changed the visit to the following weekend of Oct. 30-Nov.1 citing a conflict with taking the ACT college-entry exam ... so, Macon also changed his visit date to coincide with Monk's.
* Oct. 29, 2015 ... 2016 Arlando Cook de-commits from Nevada, and schools like Arkansas, Iowa State and others re-recruit AC with the early signing period just a few weeks away.
* Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2015 ... 2016 recruits Malik Monk and Daryl Macon take their official visits to Fayetteville, and Bobby Portis flies in from Chicago to help make the weekend a special one for Mr. Monk ... reportedly, MM tells BP, Macon, and staff that he is all Hog.
* Nov. 3, 2015 ... 2016 Arlando Cook and his Connors State juco team travel to LR to play Arkansas Baptist College ... MA and TJ Cleveland were in attendance, as were coaches from Iowa State and UALR ... after the game, AC tells RD that Arkansas and Iowa State are his leaders, but he tells me that Arkansas is actually at the top of his list ahead of ISU.
* Nov. 5, 2015 ... 2016 Arlando Cook commits to the Hogs, becoming the Hogs' 4th commitment for 2016.
* Nov. 11-13, 2015 ... 2016 commits Adrio Bailey, Daryl Macon, Jaylen Barford, and Arlando Cook all sign their NLOI's with the Hogs in the early period.
* Nov. 16, 2015 ... Anton Beard agrees to a pretrial diversion program to avoid prosecution for forgery charges, and the UA follows up by announcing he will be allowed to rejoin the team to practice and play in games in December AFTER the fall semester has ended, which resulted in Beard missing 9 regular-season games.
* Nov. 18, 2015 ... Malik Monk commits/signs with Kentucky at the end of the early period, and his brother / former Hog football and basketball player Marcus Monk reportedly shoulders the responsibility for the decision.
* Dec. 11, 2015 ... transfer Dustin Thomas pleads guilty to charges stemming from his July 2015 arrest and receives 12 months probation ... he is allowed to return to the team and practice for the remainder of his redshirt season.
* Dec. 19, 2015 ... Anton Beard made his 2015-16 playing debut against Mercer in LR.
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