Arkansas freshman point guard Anthony Black was selected No. 6 overall by the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday evening at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The last time the Razorbacks had a player drafted in the top-10 was when Joe Johnson went No. 10 overall to the Boston Celtics in the 2001 NBA Draft. Black is now tied with Joe Kleine (1985) as the second-highest drafted Arkansas player in program history. Sidney Moncrief remains the highest-drafted Razorback as the No. 5 overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1979.
Black is the second lottery pick coached by head coach Eric Musselman and the second ever one-and-done in program history. Moses Moody became Arkansas' first ever one-and-done after he was taken No. 14 overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2021 NBA Draft.
A five-star McDonald's All-American, Black came to Arkansas as the No. 5 guard and No. 20 overall prospect in the 2022 class on Rivals. The 6-foot-7 point guard did just about everything as he averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
An SEC All-Freshman team player, Black led the conference in minutes per game (34:51). The 6-foot-7, 198-pounder put together one of the most successful single seasons in program history, finishing the 2022-2023 season as the only player in Razorback history to reach 450+ points, 180+ rebounds and 140+ assists in a season (460-182-141), according to HogStats.
"From a point guard position, you're not going to find a better rebounder at his position," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "He's really, really, really unselfish. He does some things just is better than anyone else in the draft. I mentioned the rebounding. He's an excellent shot-blocker for his position. He had 22 shots blocked at the point guard position to go along with 74 steals.
"Probably the most impressive number of all is his 34.8 minutes that he averaged. I mean, you're talking about a college freshman that played the most difficult position at a unique size, so he's getting pressure by small point guards, but yet he plays 35 minutes per night, which led the SEC."
The native of Duncanville, Texas, also added an Arkansas freshman record 74 steals and he had 22 blocks. Black set the freshman record for minutes played in a season at 1,253, which ranks fourth all-time in a single season for minutes played in program history.
Black is the seventh lottery pick in program history and he's also the seventh top-10 pick in Arkansas basketball history. The Razorbacks now have 14 first round picks in program history and Black is the first Hog to be drafted by the Magic.
