HawgBeat - Arkansas basketball transfer portal mailbag
JC Hoops answers reader questions in the special edition Arkansas Razorbacks basketball transfer portal mailbag.
arkansas.rivals.com
With so many questions surrounding the Arkansas basketball roster for next season, we felt it would be worthwhile to do a special portal edition of the HawgBeat mailbag series. It is a similar process as before, with us answering select reader questions in an article format.
These are strictly Twitter questions, because any questions HawgBeat subscribers have are answered in our official transfer portal thread on The Trough premium message board.
Do we think Muss will still go after Kel'el Ware and what are the Hogs' chances with him? - Twitter user @ClutchSportsArk
Yes, it seems like the Arkansas staff is actively pursuing Ware and there is legitimate reciprocal interest. Whether or not that actually ends up with the former five-star in Fayetteville, who knows?
I will say that the lines of communication are open and sources have indicated that the staff is at least pleased with the initial response they got from Ware. We will really see how good of a spot the staff is in with him if/when they schedule an in-home visit with him or get him on campus.
There are other schools involved, of course, because of how talented he is. Some draft analysts had concerns over Ware's work ethic and motor, but a fresh start in the right spot could really benefit him. Ole Miss could be one to watch with Chris Beard taking over the program. He recruited Ware pretty heavily while he was still at Texas. Additionally, there have been rumors of Auburn or Duke, as well.
I should add, though, for the sake of transparency, that there has been a ton of conflicting information regarding the status of Ware and the Razorback staff's relationship. It is looking more and more like a situation where no one truly knows right now, and that's completely fine and normal for such a big decision. Ware decided to leave his home state out of high school, and now there is a chance to return. It's a big decision for a player who wants to develop into the lottery pick he's capable of being.
At the end of the day, I think Arkansas has as good of a shot at landing him as any other school right now, but it's also early in the process. It's something to monitor, for sure, but I'd say Arkansas is in the mix.
Could all of Devo, Walsh, Pinion, Ford, Graham, Dunning and the two Mitchell’s be back? - Twitter user @HackerHog
I would be completely stunned if all of those players remained on the roster for next year. There are pro options and some who want a bigger role somewhere else. If I had to put a percentage on the likelihood of all eight of these players returning, I would say 0.05%.
Davonte Davis announced Friday nightthat he will enter his name into the NBA Draft while retaining his college eligibility. There is a lot of information gathering that he needs to do in order to make a well-informed decision, but if he hears good things, there's a chance Davis does not return for his senior season. Of course, there's also the chance he gets feedback on things to work on in order to be in a better spot next season and comes back.
Looking at the rest of that list of players, it appears as though a few of the freshmen are the most likely to return. There is a ton of roster turnover every year under Musselman, and that's just the new normal in the transfer portal era, as well.
Without being too specific on who might or might not return for the sake of not speculating and to allow the players' their moments, I think of those players it is most likely that around three of them return next year. The Razorbacks should return a solid core of players with some developmental pieces as well as returning contributors.
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