Monday Razorback Practice Observations

University of Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson runs practice Monday July 25, 2016. The Arkansas men’s team started practice this week for its tour to Spain in August.
University of Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson runs practice Monday July 25, 2016. The Arkansas men’s team started practice this week for its tour to Spain in August.

Arkansas kicked off its pre-Spain practices in its Basketball Performance Center on Monday afternoon.

The first hour of practice was open to media. Here are some observations. The obvious disclaimer is that it is only a portion of one practice and no one should draw overreaching conclusions from an hour in late July.

But here are some takeaways.


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— Moses Kingsley was absent, in Los Angeles participating in the Nike Basketball Academy through Thursday, but Arkansas’ improved length was apparent even without its tallest, lengthiest player. All of the scholarship newcomers possess good size and length, areas that weren’t strong suits of last year’s team.

— Kingsley’s absence meant more reps for the five frontcourt players working with assistant Melvin Watkins: Trey Thompson, Adrio Bailey, Arlando Cook, Brachen Hazen and Dustin Thomas. Mike Anderson definitely has more options for who to pair with Kingsley at the 4 this year. No one really stood out above the rest of the group Monday. Watkins’ attention to detail was on display — he had a lot of teaching moments, whether it was a player giving up a driving lane because of poor positioning, a big coming off a pindown wrong or plenty of other to-be-expected stoppages given it's a practice in late July. The 4 is the biggest question mark on the team, so monitoring the group’s development leading up to the Spain trip and then leading up to the beginning of the season is likely the biggest storyline, along with how the JUCO guards acclimate.

— Thomas is athletic. Cook showed a bit more lift than his JUCO film indicated. He has a funky release on his jumper, cocking it behind his head before releasing it, but showed some range. None of the bigs, including Hazen and his smooth, sound jumper, had a great first hour of practice shooting the ball from the mid-range, but they all had encouraging moments. Thompson even swished a 3-pointer in one drill. (Odds are still about 120-1 that he ever takes a 3 in his career). Bailey displayed solid mechanics on his shot.

— Bailey and fellow freshman CJ Jones are the best athletes on the team. Jones has some serious bounce, is a fluid athlete and a quick leaper — check out the video below of him forcing several Hazen missed layups in quick succession. He also has a really nice shot. He’s put on some weight since he first reported to campus, but is still very skinny and some aspects of his game, including his handle, appear to be a bit raw. With all the older guards in front of him, his playing time may be limited or nonexistent this year. But watch for him down the road. There’s a lot of potential there when combining his size, athletic gifts and shooting ability. He’s big enough to be matched up with Arlando Cook during fullcourt 1 on 1 dribbling drills.

— Hazen showed off some hops finishing with a dunk off a lob from Anton Beard during a transition, 3 on 2/2 on 1 drill. That was impressive.

— Beard is growing his hair out. Anderson was asked about the difference between having to suspend/dismiss players last summer compared to a quiet summer this year. He said he checked his phone as soon as he landed in Las Vegas on a recruiting trip last week and was relieved not to have any messages about discipline issues. With as much time as Beard missed last year, this summer is extra important to him as he tries to rediscover the form he found during SEC play his freshman year.

— Thompson looks more svelte than he did in March. He missed two alley-oop dunks (video below of one), but he got up high enough to clang both off the back of the rim. He isn’t ever going to be a plus athlete, but he’s improved a lot the last few years. The missed oops weren’t because he didn’t get enough lift.

— Jaylen Barford is going to have a strength advantage over most guards he faces. Dude is built like a tank. He finished a few baskets through contact that maybe no one else on the roster is capable of. He flashed a solid jumper and made a few deft passes. He was probably the most impressive player in the hour of practice that was open.

— Daryl Macon looks quick and displayed active hands on defense on several occasions. He looks like he’ll live up to his billing as a shooter and may be my way-too-early prediction to make the second-most 3s on the team.

— I say second most because Dusty Hannahs is still Dusty Hannahs. The man can score the basketball. He showed some nice touch finishing around the rim and his jumper is as pure as ever.

— RJ Glasper is very quick but very small. His quickness and solid handle allow him to get into the lane easily but it will be interesting to see how he’s able to translate his ability to finish to the collegiate level.

— Four more practices this week. I'll try to post observations from all of them.

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