LITTLE ROCK – Now that the spring and summer grassroots action is in full swing, or is about to do so after only a few small incidents due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Arkansas Razorbacks coaches have taken the first step with his high school prospects recruiting efforts.
At the top of a busy week after an action-packed weekend is 2022 Composite National No. 11/5-Star Prospectus Green Wright (6-9, 220, Power Forward, Windward School in Los Angeles, 17U Compton Magic) names the Razorbacks among its top 7 schools, a list that includes Southern Cal, Stanford, Kansas, Texas, Michigan State, and Florida State.
Wright made the announcement on Compon Magic’s Twitter account on Tuesday, and later that day a source told Hogville.net that Wright was planning a visit to Arkansas and intended to arrange an official visit “later this summer.”
In a typical grass roots season, with a jam packed full of shoe circle events, it’s normal to see a large amount of potential campus visits happening in June and August. This year, however, it seems that July is less busy with events on shoe circles. Therefore, “later in the summer” a Wright visit to Fayetteville would be in either July or August.
If Arkansas is able to get Wright on campus and ultimately sign him, it wouldn’t be the first time the Razorbacks land a big five-star caliber man from California. In the 1993 recruiting class under the head coach of the Naismith Hall of Fame, Nolan Richardson, the Hogs McDonald’s All American and The Sporting News won national number 1 Darnell Robinson (6-10 Forward / Center, Oakland, California) to participate in the program. Robinson would help the Hogs move up to two national title games (including Arkansas, which won the national championship as a freshman in 1993-94) and a Sweet 16.
Wright is tall, strong, and sturdy, but he’s not stiff and has soft hands. He can play with the shooting range up to the three-dot line or his back to the basket in the paint while displaying a variety of crucial moves limited by soft-touch finishes.
* * Arkansas is chasing a great man from Serbia again: Arkansas began recruiting first Dusan Mahorcic (6-10 striker / center, native of Belgrade, Serbia) recently stepped out in the fall of 2019 at a time he was a junior college prospect and after spending his junior season between 20 and 21 in the state of Illinois into the transfer portal The Hogs coaching team wasted no time contacting him.
Mahorcic told Hogville.net that his Wednesday visit to Arkansas’ special assistant, Hays Myers, “went really well … I spoke to the trainer for about 20 minutes.” Mahorcic said he will have a Zoom meeting with Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and other Razorbacks coaches on Tuesday, May 4th. Since entering the portal, Mahorcic has reportedly heard of Southern Cal, Texas, Texas A&M, Boston College, DePaul, UNLV. Murray State, Colorado State, New Mexico State, UTEP, and South Alabama among others.
Mahorcic averaged 9.9 points and 7.2 rebounds last season in the state of Illinois while shooting 59.1% off the field. He has two seasons with immediate eligibility to play. He was playing at Moberly Area (Mon.) Community College between 7 and 20 when the Hogs initially showed interest.
* * Head Hog speaks to Texas A&M Transfer:Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman spoke to Texas A&M Freshman Transfer Jaxson Robinson(6-7 wings) last week. The pigs recruited the top 100 4-star snipers from Ada, Okla., After graduating from high school. He visited Arkansas at least three times before signing with the Aggies and reclassifying himself out of the 2021 class to play as a freshman at A&M. 20-21. Robinson played 14 games, started 4 times, averaging 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game, while shooting 8.6 out of 3 for 28.6%. It will now have four seasons starting in ’21-22.
* * Portal prospect for Hogs still in the mix:Eastern Illinois senior transfer Marvin Johnson(6-6 guard, first team All Ohio Valley Conference in years 20-21 averaging 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals) remains a recruiting priority for Arkansas, according to sources, as he did the Hogs in its last 4 list of schools which include Mississippi State, New Mexico State, and Drake.
* * After her big weekend in Atlanta, Musselman inquires about two prospects for 2022: According to a source, the Head Hog and other Arkansas coaching staff reached out to the Dallas-based director and head coach of Southern Assault 17U Vonzell Thomas on Wednesday to inquire about the outlook for 2022 Yohan Traore (6-10 forward / center, Prolific Prep) and Quion Williams (6-4 guard / wing, Mansfield Legacy via Jonesboro).
Both players have flown under the radar for national recruitment, but both turned their heads at the Exposure Breakout event in Atlanta over the weekend. Yohan took offers from Kansas and TCU, while Williams received an offer from Southeast Missouri after their heavy weekend efforts.
Two more 17U Southern Assault prospects who already have Hog deals – 5-star Keyonte George (6-5 Guard, Lewisville, Texas) and 4-Star Colin Smith (6-8 combo strikers, Dallas St. Mark’s) – performed well throughout the Atlanta event.
Smith told Hogville.net earlier this week that he hadn’t heard from Arkansas since assistant coach Corey Williams joined Texas Tech, but he said he was “still interested” in the Razorbacks.
* * Another prospect for 2022 that will add Arkansas’s interest: Future senior and 4-star prospect Dillon Mitchell (6-7 combo striker, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic of Springhill, Fla. 17U E1T1) is getting renewed interest from Hogs coaches, according to a source. Arkansas began contacting Mitchell last year. He’s reportedly holding offers from Florida, the state of Florida, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, the state of Ohio, Virginia Tech, the state of Penn, the SMU, and South Florida.
* * Recruiting recruits for two in-state hog deals: 2022 Kel’el goods (6-11 Forward Center, North Little Rock, 17U All Arkansas Red) and 2024 K. Annor Boateng (6-5 Wing, Little Rock Central, 15U Arkansas Hawks) had productive grassroots weekends followed by great attention from high major programs. Ware, who was playing at an event in Kansas City over the weekend, was in touch with South Carolina Gamecocks and received new interest from Oregon. He’s scheduled for a Zoom meeting with Southern Cal this week. Boateng, attending the Atlanta Exposure Breakout event, picked up interest from Georgia and Mississippi State on Sunday, and on Monday the Bulldogs of Starkville, Miss., Offered Boateng a scholarship to take his second offer from an SEC school to mark. Boateng averaged 17.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in four games when the 15U Arkansas Hawks went 2-2 in Atlanta.
* * The Arkansas, California class 2022 goal re-opens recruiting but is still high on Hogs:Arkansas destination Ramel Lloyd, Jr. (6-6 Combo Guard, Sierra Canyon) had the Razorbacks in its top 8 schools with the intention of visiting Fayetteville in June ahead of its announced June 28 decision date, but on Monday he went to Twitter to announce: ” I decided to open my recruitment to 100%. I no longer have a cutting list with 8 schools. “Later on Monday, Lloyd announced to Hogville.net that he still had plans to announce his college election on June 28th, and that he still had plans to visit Arkansas in June.”
* * Class of 2022 in-state prospectus that attracts great interest: Since Arkansas already has 6 prospective senior scholarship offers in the state, there is a seventh perspective in Jabari West, Jr. (6-8 striker, Hot Springs, 17U Arkansas Hawks), who got a lot of interest when St. John’s asked earlier this week. West had an impressive weekend at the Exposure Breakout in Atlanta.
Click the link here for highlights, stats, and analysis of most of the above prospects, as well as the Hog targets Joseph Pinion, Creed Williamson, Bryson Warren, and Nick Smith Jr. Https://forums.hogville.net/ index.php? topic = 728920.0