RAZORBACKS BASKETBALL REPORT by Bob Holt
FAYETTEVILLE -- Todd Day, the Arkansas Razorbacks' all-time leading scorer who played eight seasons in the NBA, said he believes Jaylen Barford can make it there, too.
Barford, a 6-3 guard, was the only player from this season's University of Arkansas, Fayetteville men's basketball team who was invited to the NBA scouting combine.
"Oh, definitely, definitely," Day said when asked if Barford has a realistic chance to play in the NBA. "One thing about the NBA is it's all about scoring these days."
Day and other former Hogs were in Northwest Arkansas on Monday for Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson's charity golf tournament at Shadow Valey Golf Club in Rogers.
"They [the NBA] don't really look at your size anymore," Day said. "If you're able to put the ball in the hole, then you'll be signed."
Barford averaged 17.0 points per game as a senior for the Razorbacks after averaging 12.8 as a junior.
"I like his game off the dribble," said Day, the coach of Philander Smith College in Little Rock. "He really can get to the rack, and he's strong enough in the upper body to finish.
"I think that's the one thing where he has an advantage over a lot of the other guards, because he's big enough and strong enough to finish in the paint."
Barford improved his three-point shooing from 26.6 percent (29 of 109) as a junior to 43.3 percent (87 of 201) as a senior.
"[NBA teams] wanted to see him expand his game outside, and I think he did that," Day said. "Once he gets to the professional level, he'll be able to get more shots up and he'll become an even better shooter."
Barford did an interview with Basketball Insiders when he was at the combine in Chicago.
"It's really a blessing to be here," Barford said. "The hard work is paying off."
Barford was invited to the combine after being named the most valuable player at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational, an all-star showcase for seniors.
Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said Barford has done a good job of putting himself on the radar for NBA teams.
"Now you've got more people that have seen you," Anderson said. "You talk about all the NBA teams that were at the combine. ... He's talked to a lot of people.
"They like what he brings to the table. I think eventually he's going to end up in the league. Who knows? Maybe get drafted."
Going long
Forward Bobby Portis, the Little Rock native who was the 2015 SEC player of the year as an Arkansas sophomore, has improved his three-point shooting in each of his three NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
Portis shot 35.9 percent from beyond the arc with the Bulls this season after shooting 30.8 percent as a rookie and 33.3 percent as a second-year player.
"It's very big," Portis said of improving his perimeter game. "With the NBA game today, all bigs are putting the ball on the floor and making plays for their teammates and shooting threes.
"It's something I've been doing for a long time. I've just started making a lot more and being more consistent with it."
Anderson on Slive
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson attended the memorial service held for Mike Slive -- the SEC commissioner in 2002-2015 -- in Birmingham, Ala., last week.
"Great man," Anderson said. "I thought he was a visionary. I thought he was a forward-thinker. He obviously was a brilliant man."
Anderson was the coach at Alabama-Birmingham, where he got to know Slive, who was Conference USA commissioner at the time.
"He brought that league up," Anderson said. "When you think about Conference USA basketball back in those days, it was Cincinnati, Louisville. I was at UAB. Memphis was in it. I mean, it was a great league.
"When you think about the resurgence of basketball in the SEC, Mike Slive had a lot to do with it. He put an emphasis on basketball. We met with him every September. All the coaches convened [at the SEC office in Birmingham] even after our meetings in Destin during May.
"We would go back in and sit down with the commissioner and talk about the things that we could do to help elevate SEC basketball."
Anderson said Slive's commitment to improving basketball contributed to the SEC having eight teams in the NCAA Tournament this season. Slive also helped create the SEC Network, which has financially benefitted all of the conference schools.
"One of the points brought up at the memorial service, we talked about how much the revenue stream went up with Mike Slive in place as the commissioner," Anderson said. "He made a lot of guys happy. He made a lot of athletic directors happy and a lot of universities happy. But more than that, he was a down-to-earth kind of guy."
Gafford's decision
Bobby Portis, who left Arkansas for the NBA after his sophomore season and was a first-round draft pick, said he talked to Daniel Gafford about his decision to return to the Razorbacks for his sophomore season.
"He talked to me a little bit, but I was trying to stay out of it on whether he wanted to leave or stay and things like that," Portis said. "I want people to make their own decision.
"Ultimately, you have to live with it. I didn't want anybody coming back one day and things didn't go the right way and they want to blame somebody else. I like people to make their own decisions for themselves."
Gafford is one of three returning players for the Razorbacks next season, along with forwards Adrio Bailey and Gabe Osabuohien.
Arkansas could have as many as 10 newcomers if guard Khalil Garland is medically cleared to play.
"It's very big for the program as a whole," Portis said of Gafford returning. "With so many new guys, [Gafford] will be one of our most experienced players. He's been through it, been to the NCAA Tournament, so he can lead those guys in the right direction."
Most NBA Draft websites listed Gafford as a probable first-round pick before he announced he'd be returning to Arkansas.
"He has a tremendous upside," Portis said. "He can run with the best of them, jump with the best of them."
Former Razorback Todd Day said playing another season at Arkansas will help Gafford expand his game offensively.
"Right now, he's just a great athlete and great defensively," Day said. "But to go to the next level and be effective, you've got to have some offensive skills around the 15-foot area. So that's what's he needs to work on this summer."
Sports on 05/27/2018