Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson extended basketball scholarship offers Monday to three in-state prospects who play for the Arkansas Wings.
Little Rock Southwest Christian Academy senior forward Eric Curry, El Dorado junior forward Daniel Gafford and Arkansas Baptist sophomore center Connor Vanover all received offers from the Razorbacks
Curry, 6-8, 195 pounds, has 11 scholarship offers after receiving his latest from the Hogs.
Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, SMU and Virginia Commonwealth are among the other schools that have offered Curry, who is rated the No. 40 power forward in the nation by ESPN. Curry said Iowa, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Memphis and Florida also are showing strong interest and could be close of offering.
Arkansas' staff liked what they saw of Curry last week when he played for the 17-under Arkansas Wings Elite in the Nike EYBL Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, Ga.
"They said they really enjoyed watching me down there and figure I can I can really fit into their program," Curry said. "They like my game and they want me."
Curry averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds for Southwest Christian, which travels the nation playing as an independent. He was excited about the Razorbacks' offer.
"I'm very thankful" said Curry, who played at Memphis Ridgeway as a sophomore. "Right now my recruiting is still open, but I'm very interested in Arkansas."
Curry said he believes he is a good fit for Anderson's up-temp0 style.
"That's mostly what I do, get up and down the floor," he said. "So I see myself fitting well."
It turned out to be a memorable Monday for Gafford, who received three scholarship offers that day with Arkansas' coming in first.
Gafford, 6-10, 217, also received offers from Florida and Vanderbilt on Monday. Others that have offered include Kansas, Virginia Tech, Louisiana Tech and the University of Central Arkansas.
Gafford said he and Anderson spoke and that he is interested in the Razorbacks.
"He said he thinks I'm going to like it up there," said Gafford, who plays for the 16-under Arkansas Wings. "I like how their program is set up and being in the SEC."
Gafford averaged 13.4 points, 14.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocked shots a game last season for the Wildcats.
"I need to work hard on shooting the ball from outside the paint," Gafford said. "Not beyond the three-point line, but like inside the three-point line. What I do best is rebound."
Vanover had a good spring and summer for the 16-under Arkansas Wings, and that was enough to convince Arkansas to extend an offer.
"I'm really happy and excited, thrilled about getting an offer from them," Vanover said.
Vanover, 7-3, 210, averaged 14.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 1.2 assists and .6 steals a game last season. He also has offers from Alabama and Ole Miss.
His mother, Robyn, played basketball for Arkansas and was a three-year letterman from 1987-89. His uncle, Terry Irwin, played football at Arkansas.
Vanover grew up a Razorbacks fan but said he wasn't tempted to commit to Anderson after learning of the offer.
"It's way too early for me," Vanover said. "I still need to get to know all of the staff and get a good relationship with everyone."
Vanover was member of the USA Basketball Under-16 National Team that won the the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in June in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. He also attended the Ty Lawson and Victor Oladipo All-American Camp in Hyattsville, Md., that started Tuesday and ends today.
Vanover said he has been communicating with North Carolina, Iowa and Virginia and believes offers from those schools could be coming.
He has added 30 pounds since last summer by consuming about 5,000 calories a day and wants to be around 230 pounds next year.
"It will be a challenge, but I think I can do it," Vanover said.
KAPITA WAITING
Arkansas signee Ted Kapita, a power forward from Huntington Prep in West Virginia, is still waiting on the NCAA eligibility center to clear him academically.
Kapita, ranked by ESPN as the No. 71 prospect in the nation in the 2015 class, is a native of Kinshasa, Congo. He moved to the United States in 2011 and played at Florida Air Academy in Melbourne as a junior before enrolling at Huntington Prep.
Getting the required paperwork from his homeland has slowed the process.
Kapita, 6-9, 235 pounds, chose Arkansas over numerous scholarship offers from schools that included West Virginia, Memphis, Oregon and Missouri.
E-mail Richard Davenport at
rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 07/17/2015