BASKETBALL
Williams invited to NBA Draft Combine
University of Arkansas forward Jaylin Williams has been invited to the NBA Draft Combine, WholeHogSports confirmed Tuesday.
College basketball insider Adam Zagoria first reported the news. The event is scheduled for May 16-22 in Chicago.
Williams, who on April 4 declared for the upcoming draft without hiring an agent to maintain his college eligibility, is the sixth Razorbacks player to be invited to the combine since 2015.
Moses Moody, Isaiah Joe, Mason Jones, Jaylen Barford and Daniel Gafford also attended.
A first-team All-SEC and defensive team selection by the league's coaches in 2022, Williams is listed as the 42nd-best player in The Athletic's Sam Vecenie's top 100 big board that was updated Monday.
ESPN draft analysts Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz regard the forward as the No. 45 prospect and No. 6 center currently in the draft.
This year's draft is scheduled for June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
-- Scottie Borderlon
GOLF
UALR player, coach earn SBC honors
Less than a week removed from its first Sun Belt Conference men's golf title in more than a decade, the University of Arkansas-Little Rock grabbed a pair of conference honors Tuesday.
Anton Albers is the first Trojan to be recognized as the Sun Belt's Golfer of the Year, capping a senior season in which he posted a 70.70 scoring average -- a mark that ranks best in program history. The German, currently No. 32 nationally, finished among the top 10 individuals at all but one of the nine events he competed in this season.
Albers was also named to the All-Sun Belt first team along with Magnus Lomholt, who twice was named the league's Golfer of the Week and is second on UALR's team with a 72.23 scoring average.
Jansen Smith -- who recorded birdies on the 16th and 17th holes during his final match at the Sun Belt championship last week -- secured a spot on the All-Sun Belt second team to give the Trojans a league-best three representatives.
Coach Jake Harrington is only the second coach in program history to receive Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors. Harrington helped UALR to the third conference title in school history and his Trojans are currently 43rd nationally after a year in which they won or shared three team tournament titles.
Arkansas State's Luka Naglic and Cristofer Rahm earned spots on the All-Sun Belt second team. Naglic, the 2019 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, has now accomplished the feat three times, garnering second-team honors in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
-- Mitchell Gladstone
SOFTBALL
SEC honors for Haff, McEwen
University of Arkansas seniors Mary Haff and Hannah McEwen were honored by the SEC on Tuesday following the Razorbacks' weekend series sweep against South Carolina.
Haff was named SEC Pitcher of the Week for the fifth time in her career. She was 3-0 and allowed 2 earned runs in 13 innings last week. Haff struck out 17 batters in the series sweep.
McEwen was named the Player of the Week after she recorded 9 hits, 5 RBI, 3 runs, 2 triples and a walk in 4 games.
-- Chip Souza
TENNIS
UA's Rice selected for NCAA Championships
University of Arkansas graduate student Tatum Rice was selected for the NCAA Singles Championships on Tuesday.
Rice, who is ranked No. 65 in the latest ITA rankings, was an at-large selection for the NCAA Tournament.
The Hot Springs native was a first-team All-SEC player this season and recorded a 12-9 record in singles at the No. 1 position for Arkansas.
The singles and doubles competition will be played May 23-28 in Champaign, Ill., after the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 20-22. The team championship is also in Champaign.
-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services
BASKETBALL
ASU men sign junior college All-American
Arkansas State Coach Mike Balado announced the addition of guard Mak Manciel for the 2022-23 season. Manciel, a native of Sterling Heights, Mich., played for Henry Ford College last season, shooting 47.6% from the field and nearly 41% on three-point attempt.
En route to Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association, Manciel averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game to go with 69 steals.
He's the second junior college transfer in Balado's current recruiting class along with Marion native Detrick Reeves. They'll be joined by incoming freshmen Terrance Ford and Izayiah Nelson as newcomers in Jonesboro this season.
-- Mitchell Gladstone
HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD
Class 6A meet postponed, moved to Friday
The potential for severe weather has forced the Class 6A state track and field meet to be pushed back by a day.
The event was scheduled to take place Thursday at Scott Field in Little Rock, but heavy rain is forecast to hit the state throughout the day. That inclement weather could cause safety issues for all student-athletes. As a result, the Arkansas Activities Association decided to move the meet to Friday.
The venue will remain the same.
-- Erick Taylor