* Hogs go 3-1 in Spain, but what did we learn?: More importantly than the results of games were some things we learned about individual players, player combinations, and team strengths and weaknesses. Playing international rules in Europe presented challenges the Hogs won't normally face, but then again basketball is basketball, so there are some impressions and takeaways that we can learn from and work to get better.
Here are 5 takeaways for me:
1) Rebounding ... the Hogs were beaten soundly on the boards in the game 1 loss, then absolutely dominated their next 3 opponents 180-99 in the rebounding department -- that's a 60-33 per-game advantage in the last 3 games ... the Hogs' frontline led the way on the glass, and now we have an idea of how good that group can be in the blue-collar board work.
2) CJ Jones ... we'll see how it translates a few months from now, but CJ was the Hogs' best volume / per-minute scorer and best 3-point shooter -- not easy to do with Dusty Hannahs on the team. He scored 53 points in 50 minutes, making a team-best 8-of-16 (50%) from 3 ... if you wanted to name an MVP for this foreign trip, CJ has as good an argument as anyone.
3) Dustin Thomas ... needed to be a consistent producer, and he certainly was that ... he averaged 8.5 points, 7.5 rebounds (team-high), 2.2 assists in 17.5 minutes per game, while shooting 56.5% FGs and 81.8% FTs ... was wondering if Thomas would be more of a 3 or 4, but clearly he is more of a 4 ... did not attempt a 3, and really focused his efforts around the basket with good results.
4) Anton Beard ... with all the buzz surrounding Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon, I felt like once Beard started playing off the bench in game 2, he actually was our best hand at running the team, especially when teammed up with Jones. Playing fewer minutes than both the juco guards, Beard led us in assists (4.8 per game) and steals (2.5 per game) while taking care of the ball (his 2.2 turnovers per game was a better mark than Barford's 4.0 TOs per game). He also averaged 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in his 18.5 minutes. I think Barford will maintain the edge for the starting CG, but Beard turned up the competition.
5) Turnovers and fouling ... the Hogs were consistently bad in these categories, and throw in the 60ish % FT shooting, and there are plenty of areas to improve. I do think the Hogs probably had a tough time adjusting to the way the international game is played and officiated, but they never seemed to get over the hump in any of these important phases of the game ... we'll need to focus on these troubled areas, IMO, over these next 3 months. ... particularly reducing the unforced turnovers.
* Finishing out the 2017 class: With 3 committed (Gafford, Hall, and Garland) and 1 to go, the Hogs seem to be zeroing in on a forward to round out the class. We know that 4-star PF Garrison Brooks of Alabama (who visited Arizona State this weekend) is probably the main focus, but Fabian White, a 3-star 6-7 combo forward from Kingwood, TX, was also recently offered. The next biggest need might be a shooting guard, maybe even a PG, but I think the coaches are probably focusing on a frontliner because they feel good enough about the shooting of CJ Jones and Daryl Macon as well as what Barford and Beard bring to the table.
Whichever way they decide to go, the good news is 75% of the class was on-board early and are Plan A prospects, so now we could wait till the spring if we do not land one of our preferred targets in the early period. With no junior class at all going into 2017-18 (because the 2015 class is completely gone), I could even see us take another juco to round out 2017, or possibly a senior-transfer if the fit is right. Lots of options.
* 16U Arkansas Hawks are constantly on our minds: Been a couple of weeks since the Hogs picked up their first 2018 commitment -- Hawks 6-2 SG Derek "Isaiah" Joe out of Fort Smith -- but we know the Hogs are after at least 3 more of his Hawks teammates. Desi Sills picked up another offer this week, from SMU, to go along with offers from Mizzou, UALR, and UAB. Reggie Perry visited Auburn over the weekend, and his Dad says he'll visit Bama and Mississippi State (where Dad played college Ball) later this month, and could commit sometime in September. Ethan Henderson is thought to be all Hog, but when does he come aboard?
I believe once MA and the Hogs get back from Spain in a few days, we could see 1, 2, maybe even 3 more early commitments from the talented Class of 2018 Hawks. Even if it doesn't happen until September or even October, I think we'll see some more early commitments for the 2018 class.
* No justice for Justice ... yet: The long-awaited Class of 2019 composite national Top 100 finally came out on Friday, and Hogs commit Justice Hill of LR Christian / Arkansas Hawks 16U was not on the list. Only three kids shorter than 6-feet-tall made the list, but if you've seen the 5-10 / 5-11 Hill, he is no doubt at least a 4-star talent and comparable to the kids who did make that list. Plenty of time for Justice to emerge on the list, and I'm confident that he will.
* Class of 2020 / Team Portis Wings Elite 14U boast another stacked in-state class: If you didn't see the CP3 Rising Stars elite camp 2-minute post-event hype video, I've linked it just below. Out of 225 freshmen-to-be invited from 35 states and Canada, only 64 were named All Americans, including the Arkansas trio of Moses Moody (Little Rock), Gerald Doakes (Team Portis Wings Elite / Jacksonville), and Chris Moore (Team Portis Wings Elite / West Memphis), and that trio was also featured among the 25 kids highlighted in this wrap-up video ...
* Reminder that I'll be talking Hogs basketball and recruiting every Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CDT on The Hog Call ... tune into KREB 1190 AM The Fan in Fayetteville, an affiliate of Fox Sports national radio: Join us this Thursday, when I will put a bow on the Spain trip and talk 2018 recruiting ... if you are not in the Fayettevlle area, you can go to http://1190thefan.com/ and click on the "listen live" tab at the top of the homepage.
Here are 5 takeaways for me:
1) Rebounding ... the Hogs were beaten soundly on the boards in the game 1 loss, then absolutely dominated their next 3 opponents 180-99 in the rebounding department -- that's a 60-33 per-game advantage in the last 3 games ... the Hogs' frontline led the way on the glass, and now we have an idea of how good that group can be in the blue-collar board work.
2) CJ Jones ... we'll see how it translates a few months from now, but CJ was the Hogs' best volume / per-minute scorer and best 3-point shooter -- not easy to do with Dusty Hannahs on the team. He scored 53 points in 50 minutes, making a team-best 8-of-16 (50%) from 3 ... if you wanted to name an MVP for this foreign trip, CJ has as good an argument as anyone.
3) Dustin Thomas ... needed to be a consistent producer, and he certainly was that ... he averaged 8.5 points, 7.5 rebounds (team-high), 2.2 assists in 17.5 minutes per game, while shooting 56.5% FGs and 81.8% FTs ... was wondering if Thomas would be more of a 3 or 4, but clearly he is more of a 4 ... did not attempt a 3, and really focused his efforts around the basket with good results.
4) Anton Beard ... with all the buzz surrounding Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon, I felt like once Beard started playing off the bench in game 2, he actually was our best hand at running the team, especially when teammed up with Jones. Playing fewer minutes than both the juco guards, Beard led us in assists (4.8 per game) and steals (2.5 per game) while taking care of the ball (his 2.2 turnovers per game was a better mark than Barford's 4.0 TOs per game). He also averaged 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in his 18.5 minutes. I think Barford will maintain the edge for the starting CG, but Beard turned up the competition.
5) Turnovers and fouling ... the Hogs were consistently bad in these categories, and throw in the 60ish % FT shooting, and there are plenty of areas to improve. I do think the Hogs probably had a tough time adjusting to the way the international game is played and officiated, but they never seemed to get over the hump in any of these important phases of the game ... we'll need to focus on these troubled areas, IMO, over these next 3 months. ... particularly reducing the unforced turnovers.
* Finishing out the 2017 class: With 3 committed (Gafford, Hall, and Garland) and 1 to go, the Hogs seem to be zeroing in on a forward to round out the class. We know that 4-star PF Garrison Brooks of Alabama (who visited Arizona State this weekend) is probably the main focus, but Fabian White, a 3-star 6-7 combo forward from Kingwood, TX, was also recently offered. The next biggest need might be a shooting guard, maybe even a PG, but I think the coaches are probably focusing on a frontliner because they feel good enough about the shooting of CJ Jones and Daryl Macon as well as what Barford and Beard bring to the table.
Whichever way they decide to go, the good news is 75% of the class was on-board early and are Plan A prospects, so now we could wait till the spring if we do not land one of our preferred targets in the early period. With no junior class at all going into 2017-18 (because the 2015 class is completely gone), I could even see us take another juco to round out 2017, or possibly a senior-transfer if the fit is right. Lots of options.
* 16U Arkansas Hawks are constantly on our minds: Been a couple of weeks since the Hogs picked up their first 2018 commitment -- Hawks 6-2 SG Derek "Isaiah" Joe out of Fort Smith -- but we know the Hogs are after at least 3 more of his Hawks teammates. Desi Sills picked up another offer this week, from SMU, to go along with offers from Mizzou, UALR, and UAB. Reggie Perry visited Auburn over the weekend, and his Dad says he'll visit Bama and Mississippi State (where Dad played college Ball) later this month, and could commit sometime in September. Ethan Henderson is thought to be all Hog, but when does he come aboard?
I believe once MA and the Hogs get back from Spain in a few days, we could see 1, 2, maybe even 3 more early commitments from the talented Class of 2018 Hawks. Even if it doesn't happen until September or even October, I think we'll see some more early commitments for the 2018 class.
* No justice for Justice ... yet: The long-awaited Class of 2019 composite national Top 100 finally came out on Friday, and Hogs commit Justice Hill of LR Christian / Arkansas Hawks 16U was not on the list. Only three kids shorter than 6-feet-tall made the list, but if you've seen the 5-10 / 5-11 Hill, he is no doubt at least a 4-star talent and comparable to the kids who did make that list. Plenty of time for Justice to emerge on the list, and I'm confident that he will.
* Class of 2020 / Team Portis Wings Elite 14U boast another stacked in-state class: If you didn't see the CP3 Rising Stars elite camp 2-minute post-event hype video, I've linked it just below. Out of 225 freshmen-to-be invited from 35 states and Canada, only 64 were named All Americans, including the Arkansas trio of Moses Moody (Little Rock), Gerald Doakes (Team Portis Wings Elite / Jacksonville), and Chris Moore (Team Portis Wings Elite / West Memphis), and that trio was also featured among the 25 kids highlighted in this wrap-up video ...
* Reminder that I'll be talking Hogs basketball and recruiting every Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CDT on The Hog Call ... tune into KREB 1190 AM The Fan in Fayetteville, an affiliate of Fox Sports national radio: Join us this Thursday, when I will put a bow on the Spain trip and talk 2018 recruiting ... if you are not in the Fayettevlle area, you can go to http://1190thefan.com/ and click on the "listen live" tab at the top of the homepage.
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