Last week was an interesting week in the world of Arkansas Razorbacks basketball.
First, Moses Kingsley withdrew his name from the NBA draft. Then, Mike Anderson made some staff changes and said he is looking to be better.
The NBA sent a strong hint to the Hogs' starting center that he needed to stay in college. He didn't get an invitation to the NBA combine, nor was he one of the 13 alternates.
Not a huge surprise really.
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Kingsley made great strides from his sophomore year to last season, which was critical after Bobby Portis left early for the NBA. Portis was a lottery pick of the Chicago Bulls.
Kingsley's minutes jumped from an average of 10.9 to 29.5, his scoring rose from 3.6 points per game to 15.9, his rebounding from 2.5 to 9.3 and blocked shots from 1.1 to 2.0, which earned him a spot on the SEC All-Defensive team.
Kingsley also proved to be a better passer; he averaged 1.2 assists per game, up from 0.3.
News of Kingsley's return was well-received by Anderson, who said Kingsley could be one of the nation's top players if he improves as much next season as he did this past season.
The NBA gave Kingsley an evaluation of where he is as far as the game of basketball, and now it is up to him to improve and grow. If he does, he'll get drafted next summer.
One thing that might have concerned the NBA, at least it was a bit of a red flag, was the Razorbacks were 16-16 last season during a time when the SEC continues to struggle in basketball.
That 16-16 record more than likely had a lot to do with Anderson altering his staff.
It wasn't a secret that Scotty Thurman was moving from behind the microphone to hands-on coaching, but Anderson made it official last week.
Thurman played three years for the Razorbacks and was a key player on the 1994 National Championship team.
No one lost his job in Anderson's staff shuffle.
Matt Zimmerman, an assistant with Anderson at UAB and Missouri before coming to Arkansas in 2011, will move to director of basketball operations, and Jeff Daniels will move from that job to Thurman's former position of director of student-athlete development.
Melvin Watkins and T.J. Cleveland remain in their roles as assistant coaches.
The move for Zimmerman caused some chatter on talk radio, primarily because he has worked for Anderson 14 years.
He is a former player at Wonderview High and a 1990 graduate of UA, where he served three years as a manager under Nolan Richardson and Anderson.
Zimmerman spent five years in the Army after college, earning the rank of captain. He is popular with the players, staff and fans, and he is the consummate team player. He worked his way up from the high school ranks to the UAB staff.
Usually when a head coach makes staff changes it is because he's been told to find a way to get better. That does not mean Anderson's job is in jeopardy. It would be premature to even think that.
Everyone is just ready to see the Hogs where they belong, in the NCAA Tournament.
Knowing Anderson, no one was more unhappy with the overall record last year, and no one was more disappointed in not making March Madness.
Anderson made the Big Dance three times in his four seasons at UAB and three times in five seasons at Missouri, including a trip to the Elite Eight.
Last week was an interesting week for the Hogs' basketball program: The team got a great player back, and Anderson made adjustments to his staff for the first time in a decade.
Sports on 05/15/2016