ESPN 4-star and University of Arkansas wing target Jordan Walsh and his parents thorougly enjoyed last week's official visit to Fayetteville.
"It was amazing," Walsh's father, John, said. "The trip from start to finish was elite."
The younger Walsh, 6-7, 200 pounds, played at Oak Cliff (Texas) Faith Family Academy as a junior but will play his senior season at Southern California Academy in Castaic. He and his family arrived in Fayetteville on Thursday and left Saturday around noon.
Coach Eric Musselman and his staff made quite a first impression on the Walshes.
"The amazing thing about it is when we all opened up our hotel rooms and walked in, there were snacks galore," John Walsh said. "Like our favorite snacks. So apparently Jordan had tipped them off.
"We walked in, and oh my God chocolates and chips. You name it along with a variety of drinks. It was a very warm welcome into Fayetteville."
ESPN rates the younger Walsh the No. 11 small forward and the No. 32 overall prospect for the 2022 class. John Walsh said Walton Arena highlighted the trip.
"Don't ever recall walking into a college arena that seats more than 20,000 people," he said. "We've seen pictures, but we walk inside and you get the real scope of the facility. It's amazing. The scoreboard is overwhelming. We got to take some pictures while we were there, which was really cool."
Father and son along with mother Sandra and twin brother Joshua ate breakfast where Musselman surprised Jordan with a custom-made smoothie.
"When he told me the stuff he was going to put in it, I'm thinking to myself there's no way Jordan is going to drink that," John Walsh said. "But amazing enough, he whopped it up with peanut butter and spinach and some other healthy things in there and Jordan loved it."
John Walsh said talks with Musselman and his staff also stood out.
"The conversations we had were very open, transparent, genuine in my opinion, which really weighed heavily," he said. " That was great. We had a chance to sit down and look at the Arkansas basketball philosophy and how they play and how Jordan fits into that and all of the things the organization has in place to help the team be successful."
The genuineness of the Arkansas staff put the elder Walsh at ease.
"You know how sometimes you get a feel when you're having a conversation with someone, and it could just be rhetoric, and then you have a conversation with a different individual and you connect and it just seems genuine from the start, the way it's conveyed, the way it's communicated comes across very genuine," John Walsh said.
Musselman started building a relationship with the Walshes very early and has been consistent in reaching out during the recruiting process. John said that and the trip to Fayetteville improved the Razorbacks' chances of landing his son.
"We always felt like that Arkansas was definitely one to seriously consider, and then when we took the visit that just kind of verified our feelings that yes Arkansas was truly what we thought it was," John Walsh said.
Arkansas' high-energy practice also left an impression.
"The players are hustling, they were high energy, communicating. Everybody in that gymnasium was involved in that practice session at a high level," John Walsh said. "The only people chilling was my family and another visiting family.
"I thought, 'Man, these guys really get it.' "
Jordan officially visited TCU on June 10-12 and has an official visit set for Oklahoma for June 30-July 2. Some of the schools under consideration for his last two visits are Auburn, Georgia, Florida State and Arizona State.
The Walshes encountered some rabid Razorback fans at a local Fayetteville restaurant. The fans' enthusiasm rubbed off on Walsh's mother.
"There were some fired up Razorback Woo Pig Sooie fans in the house," John Walsh said. "I don't think I ever experienced anything quite like that.
"Had you told me prior to us arriving in Fayetteville that my wife would be doing a Woo Pig Sooie dance before the weekend was up, I would've told you you're nuts, but let me tell you my wife got in there and learned the Woo Pig Sooie chant and she was a pro by the time dinner was over."
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com