With spring sports in full swing, we'll play some old-fashioned pepper today on a variety of topics because there's no stinkin' Hacky Sack allowed here on my playground.
Oh, man, that hurts
When was the last time the top high school football and basketball prospects in Arkansas decided to leave the state for college in the same year?
That's the question I asked Richard Davenport, our recruiting guy, who said he couldn't remember the last time that's happened, if it's ever happened.
Arkansas basketball fans were floored last week when Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls came off the ropes and delivered a double piledriver by announcing they both were turning pro. If that weren't painful enough, freshman guard Nick Babb said he was transferring to Iowa State and KeVaughn Allen, who some had hoped would flip to Arkansas, kept his commitment and signed with Florida.
In February, Arkansas lost its top football prospect when K.J. Hill de-committed from the Razorbacks and signed with Ohio State. At least Portis made a public plea for Malik Monk, who can help heal those massive wounds if he signs with Arkansas.
By the way, any criticism of Portis' decision should have ended after he told the story about his mother going to work at 2 a.m. each day to support his three younger brothers.
Go get your money, Bobby. You, too, Michael, even if it's in the form of some European currency.
Bucking the trend
What's this? A state assocation has actually decided to reduce rather than add championships for high school sports?
That's right. Beginning in 2016, high schools in South Carolina will play for state championships in four classifications instead of five, which includes divisional state championships in three of those classes.
"South Carolina is the first state to dial back the amount of state championships it hands out in an era when more states are watering down the value of their titles," Dallas Jackson wrote in an article for Vype magazine, which covers high school sports. "There are states that have 16-team classes. That is embarrassing."
By comparison, Arkansas, which ranks 32nd to South Carolina's 24th in population, still awards championships in seven classes and has 16 teams in Class 7A and Class 6A. If you don't believe Arkansas' format is watered down, head to Hot Springs for the boys and girls championships in basketball.
You'll hear the song "We are the champions" 14 times, which is enough to drive even the biggest Queen fans insane.
How to get noticed
High school underclassmen hoping to draw college offers would do well to follow the example set by Mason Cline of Springdale Har-Ber.
Cline didn't complain when Har-Ber made a coaching change two years ago in basketball and brought in Scott Bowlin, a disciplinarian who can get in a player's face if he feels the need to emphasize a point. Cline didn't threaten to transfer when three new starters joined the Wildcats and cut into his scoring opportunities.
After beginning his senior year with hardly a nibble, Cline willed someone to take a chance on him and Arkansas Tech finally bit by adding the 6-foot-4 guard to its spring signing class.
"Mason got stereotyped as just a spot-up shooter," Bowlin said of Cline, who averaged 15.3 points as a senior. "He's not fancy. Really, he's more of a meat-and potatoes guy who put in the time and improved his overall game. Arkansas Tech is getting a steal with Mason."
Cline helped his cause by keeping a 4.0 grade point average.
Jim King, the slugger
I've received a handful of responses from my recent column on Jim King of Elkins, the former major league player who died in February. King was a powerful left-handed hitter who played 11 years in the majors, mostly with the Washington Senators. King later played on a semi-pro team in Fayetteville.
"If you were playing first or second base when Jim was batting, the best thing was to hide behind the foul pole in right because that ball would get to you before you had a chance to react," Harold Pitts wrote in an e-mail. "I always thought the world of Jim. He never looked down his nose at anyone. It is sad that he is no longer with us."
Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@nwadg.com or on Twitter @nwarick
Sports on 04/26/2015