Miami transfer Chris Lykes picks Hogs over Trojans

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After narrowing his list of potential transfer destinations to Arkansas and USC earlier this week, former Miami, Fla., guard Chris Lykes ultimately announced he'd play for the Razorbacks on Wednesday.

“Chris is a proven, dynamic guard who has excelled in the ACC,” head coach Eric Musselman said. “He has the ability to score and get his teammates involved. We like how he attacks the paint and gets to the free throw line. He also has shown great leadership. We are very excited to have Chris join our program and our fans will enjoy watching him play.”

Sidelined most of this past year because of an ankle injury, Lykes was a preseason All-ACC selection and appeared in only two games, but put up monster numbers with the Hurricanes.

During his career, the veteran guard averaged 13.7 points on 41.2 percent shooting, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Lykes also shot 34.7 percent from behind the arc and 77.8 percent at the free throw line.

At 5-foot-7, he will be the shortest player to appear in a game for the Razorbacks in nearly 70 years. According to HogStats.com, the last such player was Johnson Gunn in 1952-53.

Lykes, like fellow transfer commit Au’Diese Toney from Pitt, will provide starting experience at a high-major basketball program, as he started 68 career games at Miami, including 58 of the last 60.

Explosive off the bounce and a great defender, Lykes is a playmaker and shotmaker at the point guard position who fills an area of need for the Razorbacks with the departure of senior Jalen Tate.

Check out the Arkansas scholarship distribution as it stands now.