Isaiah Joe details why he decided to return to Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE — He made his decision public until Saturday, but Isaiah Joe let his coach at Arkansas know the good news a week earlier.

The Razorbacks’ star sharpshooter met with Eric Musselman in person - which has become a luxury during the coronavirus pandemic - and told him that he’d return for his junior season, which he kept a secret for a week before making an announcement two days ahead of the deadline to withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft and maintain eligibility.

Joe said the second-year coach was so excited that he wanted to give him a big hug, but Musselman resisted because of social distancing guidelines.

“When we had our conversation I actually was surprised,” Musselman said. “When he told me, I asked him two or three times, ‘Are you sure? Is this really what you want to do? Are you excited about it?’ And he was excited. He had zero reservation in his voice when we discussed it.”

It was a really tough decision for Joe and one that Musselman said he felt his star player went back and forth on.

There was a time early on that it seemed like he would come back to school, but then he started getting more interest and interviews from NBA teams and it seemed like he was leaning toward staying in the draft. Ultimately, it cycled back to returning to school.