BASKETBALL
Arkansas women land Oklahoma prospect
On the last day of the early signing period, Arkansas' women's basketball Coach Jimmy Dykes landed highly recruited forward-guard Aaliyah Wilson.
Wilson, 5-10 of Muskogee, Okla., picked the Razorbacks over more than 20 scholarship offers, including Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, LSU, Rutgers and Kansas. ESPN rates her a 5-star recruit, the No. 5 guard and No. 30 overall prospect in the nation.
In recent years, only junior Razorback forward Jessica Jackson, who was rated the No. 4 forward and No. 17 overall prospect, was rated higher as a high school senior by ESPN.
Dykes' passion for the program was a major reason for her taking an official visit to Fayetteville on Oct. 23-25 and signing with Arkansas.
"How passionate Coach Dykes is about the game," Wilson said. "I can't get pass that. Every time we talked and his plans for the future. ... It was unbelievable how passionate he is."
Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.9 steals a game as a junior and was named the Oklahoma Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
She also cited academics along with the people at Arkansas for her decision.
"The fans and the people in the state of Arkansas and the way they care about their student-athletes," said Wilson shortly after his signing. "I don't have words right now. I'm still nervous and excited from signing."
Dykes was thrilled to add Wilson to the program.
"Aaliyah Wilson is one of the top players in the entire country in the 2016 class, Dykes said. "She is an explosive attacking guard who is a very physical defender. She is a terrific rebounder and can score in multiple ways. She has a chance to be special."
Wilson was named the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 18.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.6 assists.
Wilson joins guard Jailyn Mason, center Yasmeen Ratliff, forward Sydney Stout and forward Kiara William in the 2016 class.
-- Richard Davenport
Valley Springs guard signs with ASU
Payton Tennison's first offer became her ultimate choice.
Tennison, a 5-11 senior guard, became the first Division I girls basketball signee from Valley Springs on Wednesday when she signed a national letter of intent with Arkansas State.
"They were the first school to offer me a scholarship last summer and they have been talking to me ever since," Tennison said. "They were loyal to me from the start."
Tennison has put up some impressive numbers for the Lady Tigers. Her career numbers include: 1,769 points, 457 rebounds, 584 assists, 256 steals and 182 blocks. Since her freshman season, the Lady Tigers have compiled a combined record of 101-18, including an 8-0 start to this season.
"It's such an honor to sign, but I have been helped so much a long the way from my coaches and teammates," Tennison said. "There are so many people that I have to credit."
Tennison received 11 Division I offers and took visits to Northern Iowa and Army. She said she also heavily considered an offer from Florida Gulf Coast before committing to Arkansas State.
-- Tim Cooper
Arkansas Baptist downs Bossier City
Stevie Clark scored 20 points as the visiting Arkansas Baptist College Buffaloes rolled to a 90-60 victory over Bossier Parish Community College.
The Buffaloes also picked up 11 points from Harold Cardwell in improving to 7-1.
Arkansas Baptist will play Missouri State West Point in Harrison on Friday.
VOLLEYBALL
Arkansas Tech racks up conference honors
Players from four Arkansas schools won yearly honors from the Great American Conference on Wednesday, and Arkansas Tech Coach Kristy Bayer was named its Coach of the Year.
Ouachita Baptist senior Abby Pickett was named the player of the year, while Arkansas Tech's Hunter Eshnaur became the third Golden Suns player to win freshman of the year and teammate Sarita Stegall was named setter of the year. Southern Arkansas junior Serena LeDuff was named the conference's newcomer of the year.
Harding freshman Zoe Hardin joined Pickett, Eshnaur, LeDuff and Stegall as first-team all-conference selections, marking the first time in conference history that multiple freshmen earned first-team honors in a single season. A total of 17 players from Arkansas schools were named to one of the three all-conference teams.
Sports on 11/19/2015