Arkansas will know soon if forward Eric Curry will be a Razorback.
Curry, 6-9, 210 pounds, of Southwest Christian Academy in Little Rock, made an official visit to Fayetteville over the weekend. He has also officially visited Minnesota and Iowa State and is expected to decide between the Hogs, Gophers or Cyclones this week.
He said his Arkansas visit went well and like others who have seen the new practice facility, he was impressed.
"It's pretty amazing," Curry said. "This is probably one of the top-notch places I've seen."
Curry, who has approximately 15 scholarship offers, said Arkansas' practice facility is a key component for developing players.
"This is real big," Curry said. "This is a big part of what we need and all basketball players need so this is a big part of it."
Curry averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season and is rated by ESPN as the No. 29 power forward in the nation. His mother, Audrea Phipps, accompanied him on his Fayetteville visit. He said she's been a big help with the recruiting process.
"She's done a great job with it," Curry said. "I just took my time. It's my decision, so I went along with it and just paced myself and took my time on it and thought everything through to make sure I made the right decision."
His mother has tried to help eliminate the trying parts of the process.
"Pretty much I tell him whenever he's feeling stress, give it to me," she said. "If somebody is bothering him, if somebody is being too overwhelming, I need to know because I'll just shut it down -- point blank period."
Curry said a team's style of play is one of several deciding factors for him.
"How well I get along with the coaching staff and coming in and having an impact on a school, like being able to play right away," he said of other factors.
Juco guard impressed
Another key target for Arkansas, junior college guard Jaylen Barford, also made an official visit to Fayetteville last weekend and he came away impressed.
"The coaching staff, just the community period, Bud Walton Arena and especially the Catfish Hole," Barford said when asked what he enjoyed about the visit. "I had fun there."
Barford, 6-3, 205, who plays at Motlow Community College in McMinnville, Tenn., has narrowed his list of more than 20 scholarship offers to Arkansas, Louisville, Memphis, Missouri, Ole Miss and Xavier.
He's made an official visit to Missouri and will visit Louisville this weekend. He will also will take a trip to Ole Miss. He plans to commit to a school during the early signing period (Nov. 11-18) but will wait to sign in the spring.
"A system I can play in, a great coaching staff and a great community," Barford said of what he's looking for in a school. "I just want to win."
He averaged 20.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 5.1 assists per game last season and was named an honorable mention junior college all-American and first-team all Tennessee Community College Athletic Association. The Hogs are recruiting him as point guard.
"I think I can play point guard very well," Barford said. "I pass the ball and get my teammates involved, but I also know that I can score as well. Where ever the coach wants to put me at, I will play at."
Arkansas assistant coach T.J. Cleveland recruited Barford in high school at Jackson (Tenn.) South Side, and he said that's a plus.
"It helps out a lot because they never stopped recruiting me," Barford said. "Coach Cleveland stayed on me."
Having a look
Football receivers Isaiah Graham of Bastrop, La., and Kiel Pollard of Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County officially visited Arkansas last weekend and attended the Razorbacks' 35-24 loss to Texas Tech.
"I felt they threw the ball a lot. They put the ball in the air and had a great offensive run," Graham said. "It was great seeing them throw the ball a lot. That's what I've been looking for from Arkansas. I didn't want to come to a running school."
Graham, 6-1, 175, 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has approximately 20 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Miami, TCU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Nebraska and California.
He said he plans to officially visit South Carolina and Tennessee while also hoping to take trips to TCU and Miami. Graham, who has said Arkansas is at the top of his list of potential schools, will announce his decision Oct. 30.
Graham also said he thinks highly of his lead recruiter at Arkansas, receivers coach Michael Smith.
"I think Coach Smith is one of the best receiver coaches around," Graham said. "Me and him have a great relationship. He's also from Louisiana."
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 09/22/2015