Arkansas announced Friday that transfer guard Keyon Menifield was granted a waiver and immediately eligible to play, and Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman wasted no time getting the Washington transfer into the rotation by playing him just under 19 minutes in his debut during Saturday’s 69-66 win over Lipscomb.
"I thought it was important to get him in the game," Musselman said Saturday. "The plan was to play him somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes, and he got 18. He’s active, he’s bouncy. He is a reactor to loose balls. It’s hard to be thrown into a game 10 games in. But I think his quickness, his willingness to be a ball distributor can help us."
Menifield didn't have a great statistical debut, putting up two points, three rebounds, two assists and shooting just 1-3 from the floor. The sophomore didn't have any turnovers, though, and played with a lot of energy and effort, having the freshest legs on the roster.
"I’m just really excited for him, just everything he’s been through — not playing and knowing you should be out there," teammate Tramon Mark said Saturday. "Now that he’s finally out there, I know it’s a good feeling for him and it’s a good feeling for the team, just working him back in, getting more reps in practice and just doing all that stuff. It’s a good feeling."
Despite fresh legs and the likely adrenaline rush of playing for a new team for the first time 10 games into the season, there is still plenty of work Menifield needs to do to get into game shape and shake off the rust.
"Conditioning, it's hard to throw a guy in there 10 games in," Musselman said. "How assertive can he be? He's probably trying to fit in. But I'm really happy that we won a game and we got him minutes. In a close game, which it ended up being a close game, it's hard to throw a guy in like that. But I do feel like tonight was another learning experience for us. Some guys got to play tonight. They have to play better, you know what I mean?"
With Menifield trying to assert himself into the rotation, Musselman and the Arkansas staff will have to figure out the core rotation moving forward, an issue that has plagued the Razorbacks in the past few years, as well. If Saturday was any indication, Menifield will have plenty of opportunities to prove he deserves a spot in that core group.
The Hogs’ next game will be a 6 p.m. CT tip Thursday against Abilene Christian in Fayetteville. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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