Jimmy Whitt has shown a high degree of confidence and creativity throughout his high school career.
Don't expect either to dissipate once the 6-4 guard steps on the University of Arkansas campus in the fall.
"I feel like I'm really good on the ball and with the ball in my hands," Whitt said prior to playing Thursday in the Mike Conley Jr. All-Star Classic at Little Rock Hall's George Cirks Arena. "I'm able to distribute, score for myself and create off the dribble.
"On the defensive end, I'm that guy that wants to guard the other team's best player no matter what position he plays. Whether it be a guard or a post, I feel like I'm able to defend and make a difference."
Whitt started fast Thursday, scoring his team's first seven points and hitting three of his first four shots, but like the rest of his teammates Whitt and the Arkansas All-Stars faded near the end of the first half and eventually suffered a 104-76 loss to the Tennessee All-Stars.
The second annual game is the kickoff for this weekend's Real Deal in the Rock.
Whitt finished with a team-high 14 points, but he was limited to three points in the second half. He also grabbed six rebounds and made three steals.
Ole Miss signee Terence Davis, a 6-4 shooting guard from Southhaven, Miss., led the Tennessee team with 27 points, while Delta State signee Brett Werner and 6-6 forward Jordan Varnado added 18 each. Varnado is an unsigned senior from Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn.
Tennessee never trailed after Whitt cooled off in the game's first three minutes. The host team closed to within 28-27 with three minutes left before halftime, but Tennessee scored 12 of the next 14 points. Tennessee led 44-32 going into halftime, and it only got worse for the Arkansas team.
North Little Rock's KeVaughn Allen and Little Rock McClellan's Keith Hayes added 11 points each for Arkansas, while Clarendon's Richard Knox finished with 10.
Whitt, who helped Hickman High School in Columbia to back-to-back final four finishes during his sophomore and junior seasons, averaged 30.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 3.6 steals a game as a senior. Hickman finished 15-12 this season, but Whitt found some positives about his final year of high school basketball.
"We were just a really young team this year," Whitt said. "I think our coach got the most out of them this year, and I think I was able to help them do that. We made it to the district championship game and came up a little short against a team that eventually won a state championship.
"From that aspect, we did have a pretty good season."
Whitt said he chose Arkansas because he enjoys the Razorbacks' style of play.
"That's how we played at my high school," Whitt said. "We lived on pressure and picked you up full court. We tried to force mistakes so we could get easy transition points. That was one of the biggest things that appealed to me about Arkansas."
Whitt said he thinks Razorbacks' fans will appreciate the way he plays.
"I think the level of competitiveness that I play with will surprise some people," Whitt said. "I'm the type of person who hates losing more than I like winning."
TENNESSEE (104)
McNeal 2 0-0 5, Werner 7 2-4 18, Stokes 7 3-6 17, Littleton 2 0-0 6, McGill 4 0-0 9, Cain 1 0-0 2, Varnado 8 0-0 18, Douglass 1 0-0 2, Davis 12 0-2 27. Totals 44 5-12 104.
ARKANSAS (76)
Whitt 5 2-2 14, Allen 5 1-2 11, Hayes 4 0-0 11, Dunkum 4 0-0 9, Knox 4 1-2 10, Campbell 2 2-4 8, Martin 2 0-0 4, Gooseberry 2 0-0 5, Jones 2 0-0 4. Totals 30 6-10 76.
Halftime -- Tennessee 44, Arkansas 32. Three-point goals -- Tennessee 11 (Davis 3, Varnado 2, Littleton 2, Werner 2, McNeal, McGill). Arkansas 10 (Hayes 3, Campbell 2, Whitt 2, Dunkum, Knox, Gooseberry). Team fouls -- Arkansas 7, Tennessee 7.
GIRLS
TENNESSEE 77,
ARKANSAS 75
Ohio State signee Kaitlin Pugh scored 18 of her game-high 24 points in the second half as the Tennessee All-Stars rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to defeat the Arkansas All-Stars.
Arkansas led 47-30 at the half and managed to hold the lead until the final minute before the Tennessee team overtook the host team.
Pugh's three-point play with 11.1 seconds remaining sealed Tennessee's victory.
Conway's Jordan Danberry, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's All-Arkansas Preps player of the year, scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the host team. Malica Monk, who like Danberry is a University of Arkansas signee, added 12 points. Arkansas Baptist center Caroline Hogue finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Tennessee had only eight players on its roster and three of them managed three points or less, but Pugh, who attends St. Mary's High School in Memphis, proved to be too powerful to stop down the stretch. She scored nine points in the final eight minutes.
Pugh also grabbed eight rebounds and was 5 of 5 from the free-throw line. Ole Miss signee Torri Lewis added 16 points for Tennessee, and Central Arkansas signee Tieraney Paylor scored eight points while collecting a team-high 11 rebounds.
Tennessee took the lead for good on a short jumper by Oreona Brown with 52 seconds left. Brown, a guard from Memphis Ridgeway, added 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals.
Tennessee finished 30 of 64 from the floor, which included hitting 7 of its final 8 shots. Arkansas was 25 of 65 and made only 1 of its final 11 attempts.
TENNESSEE (77)
Lewis 5 3-3 16, Humphrey 1 0-0 3, Echols 0 0-0 0, Pugh 9 5-5 24, Paylor 4 0-0 8, Foster 5 1-4 11, Brown 5 2-2 13, Isom 1 0-0 2. Totals 30 11-14 77.
ARKANSAS (75)
Monk 4 4-4 12, Danberry 5 1-2 13, Speight 3 0-0 8, Lanigan 1 0-0 2, Orr 2 1-2 6, Ready 3 2-3 9, Hill 0 6-6 6, Dominick 1 1-2 3, Otwell 2 0-0 5, Hogue 4 2-2 11. Totals 25 17-21 75.
Halftime -- Arkansas 47, Tennessee 30. Three-point goals -- Tennessee 6 (Lewis 3, Humphrey, Pugh, Brown). Arkansas 8 (Danberry 2, Speight 2, Orr, Ready, Otwell, Hogue). Team fouls -- Arkansas 12, Tennessee 19.
Sports on 04/03/2015