Basketball fans will have a chance to watch what could be the next great player for the next generation in forward Zion Williamson during Real Deal in the Rock in Little Rock on Friday through April 2.
ESPN rates the 6-7, 230-pounder the No. 2 overall prospect for the 2018 class. Tournament organizer and Arkansas Hawks Chairman Bill Ingram has compared Williamson, who moves like a guard, to LeBron James.
"I see a lot of similarities," Ingram said. "He's a laid-back kid, athleticism is off the charts, but his basketball skills to me are better than his athletic ability."
Williamson, who plays for Spartanburg Day High School in South Carolina, has more than 49,000 followers on Twitter. He was named the MVP at the Under Armour Elite 24 last summer.
"They put together the best players regardless of classification, and he was named the MVP," Ingram said.
The event will be based out of P.A.R.K. on Geyer Springs Road. Ingram said fans might regret not seeing Williamson next weekend.
"This will be one of those deals if you didn't go see him play, they'll say I should've gone and seen him when he was playing in Little Rock while he was still in high school," Ingram said. "The people that do see him will be saying, 'I saw him play live.' "
Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor, Golden State forward Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin and New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose are some of the past participants at Real Deal in the Rock. Ingram believes the history of the event attracted Williamson, who plays for South Carolina Supreme, to the event.
"They wanted to come to Real Deal because of our history," Ingram said. "You look at our history, it's the who's-who of college basketball and the NBA."
Kansas freshman forward Josh Jackson and Kentucky freshman center Bam Adebayo did battle in a recent Real Deal in the Rock.
"I'm sitting here working on these pools and looking at Kansas and remembering Josh Jackson from two years ago, and watching him score 40 points on Court 1 at Real Deal against Bam Adebayo," Ingram said.
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville fans will get to see 17-under Arkansas Hawks and five future Hogs play Friday at 7 p.m. against traditional powerhouse the Atlanta Celtics. The Atlanta team is led by power forward E.J. Montgomery, who's ESPN's No. 15 overall prospect in the 2018 class.
Juniors Reggie Perry, 6-10, 225, of Thomasville, Ga.; Ethan Henderson, 6-9, 190, of Little Rock Parkview; Isaiah Joe, 6-3, 160, of Fort Smith Northside and Desi Sills, 6-1, 170, of Jonesboro are committed to the Razorbacks for the 2018 class.
Sophomore Justice Hill, 5-11, 160, of Little Rock Christian plays point guard for the Hawks and is committed to the Hogs for the 2019 class.
The event will be the first time the five pledges have competed together since July in Las Vegas, when they finished the spring and summer with a 33-5 record and reached as high as the No. 4 team.
"This will be the first they've played since they committed," Ingram said.
The Hawks also feature junior Houston Cypress Falls forward D.J. Weaver, who has scholarship offers from Arkansas and others. He missed his sophomore season because of an ACL injury.
"He actually helped his team win a state championship this year," Ingram said. "I don't think he's quite a 100 precent, but he's probably in the high 80s, but we anticipate him being at 100 percent in July. He's a true 6-8 now and long, athletic and wiry, and a great student of the game and straight-A student."
Razorback fans also will get to see Arkansas signees Daniel Gafford, Darious Hall and Khalil Garland practice at 6 p.m. for the Mike Conley Jr. Challenge, which will pit Arkansas All-Stars against the Tennessee All-Stars in Memphis on April 8.
"This will be the first time Gafford, Khalil and Day-Day will be on the floor together," Ingram said. "They're having a 45-minute practice Friday at 6 o'clock."
Sophomore forward Matthew Hurt is another elite prospect. ESPN rates Hurt, 6-10, 205 of Rochester (Minn.) John Marshall, the No. 7 prospect in the 2019 class.
"He played for the 17-year-old team as a ninth-grader and led that team in scoring," Ingram said. "I was calling him LBJ at Adidas Nation, and he was asking, 'Why are you calling me LBJ,' and I told him 'Larry Bird Jr.', and he just fell out laughing."
Email Richard Davenport atrdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 03/26/2017