Eric Musselman has the bus moving in the off-season, adding his second grad transfer in 10 days, Northern Kentucky guard Jalen Tate. Tate announced his decision Friday afternoon, nine days after New Mexico grad transfer forward Vance Jackson hopped on board.
After entering the transfer portal on March 27, Tate heard from Penn State, Arkansas, Wichita State, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Tulane, UCF, Virginia Tech and Gonzaga before choosing the Razorbacks.
Playing in games in four seasons for Northern Kentucky, Tate was able to redshirt his first season after injuring his hand. The 6-foot-6, 170-pound guard played 22.9 minutes per game in 2017-18, notching 5.7 points per game on 47% shooting from the field and 21.4% from a distance. He picked up his stats in a major way heading into his third year, scoring 13.7 points per game with four boards and four assists per game.
In his final season for the Norse, Tate scored 13.9 points per game in 30.2 minutes with 5.4 boards and 3.6 assists.
The Ohio native's shooting percentages were the best in 2018-19 but where Tate makes his money is on defense. He was named to the Horizon League All-Defense team twice with 37 steals and 21 blocks in 2018 and 41 steals and 11 blocks in just 22 games in 2019.
Rivals Analysis
"Jalen is a long and slender wing that isn’t much for being a shooter but is more of an attacking guard that is an efficient scorer from 15-feet and in. The younger brother of former Ohio State standout Jae’Sean Tate, thanks to his size, there tons of versatility to him in which he can be used at a variety of spots, especially on the defensive end. He is a capable playmaker on the wings but is more about putting the ball through the basket which is a role he might quickly attain due to the likely loss of Mason Jones." - Corey Evans, National Analyst
Tate fills the scholarship that was freed up by Mason Jones declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft. Jones said in an interview on Thursday that there is a very strong chance he stays in the draft, despite finding himself a rare selection in most mock drafts.
Arkansas does not have any more spots open unless Isaiah Joe officially announces his intention to enter the draft or if someone else transfers. The Hogs also haven't received signatures from three of four 2020 commits with signing day coming up on April 15.
