Eric Musselman's 13-man scholarship roster currently has seven players that were recruited into the program as transfers, giving the second-year head hog the apt nickname, "The Importer." (Credit to Jon Rothstein for the catchy slogan)
As Musselman continues building his reputation as one of the nation's top portal scouts, there are concerns that he could start having a hard time recruiting high school prospects with so many transfers coming in to take up minutes.
The 2022 class is yet another star-studded in-state group for the Razorbacks and Musselman's staff has also offered a couple dozen more 4-star prospects from out of state. Expectations for the staff to deliver again are high.
With a large transfer count, opposing college coaches could try to sway top high school athletes not to pick Arkansas–but Musselman thinks he's building a strong case for equal opportunity on the Hill.
Signing three immediately eligible transfers and four heavily recruited high school players in the last year set up the perfect storm to see whether Musselman could balance minutes between them all.
Ranked the lowest of the four 2021 4-star signees coming out of high school, former No. 129 Devo Davis has seen his usage skyrocket as he's developed throughout the season. After playing a high of 16 minutes in non-conference play, Davis is fourth on the team in minutes, averaging 22 mpg, in SEC play.
"To start him and to play him the amount of minutes that we are, he’s earned it,” Musselman said. “He comes in every day and he keeps getting better. He has a hungry attitude and comes in at night and works. To play three freshmen this amount of minutes and for them to have a pretty decent record and so on and so forth is really impressive.
"It shows you how talented those guys are and as a staff we're really happy that those guys are getting not only development behind closed doors in practice, but they're getting court time, which is the most valuable piece to developing players. I think our program has proven that we’re willing to give great opportunities to young freshmen like Devo."
Bringing in transfers hasn't stopped the top signee in the class Moses Moody from getting his minutes either. He averages a team-high 32 minutes a game and leads in scoring as well.
The Razorbacks are done with their high school and JUCO recruiting for 2021 with Rivals No. 113 Chance Moore and Navarro forward Akol Mawein already signed but the 2022 class looms large on the horizon.
With no opportunities to scout 2022 talent in person, the staff is taking things slow. They have one commit in Morrilton 4-star Joseph Pinion and they're looking for prospects who fit all the criteria.
"We can watch, we can identify, we can recruit, but if certain guys feel this isn’t the right place for them, then you move on to the next guy," Musselman said. "You can sell your program and then it’s up to the player and his inner circle to determine where a guy wants to go. Certainly you want guys that want to play in your system or that they think is a fit."
Musselman's case to high school athletes can get even stronger if things continue to trend well for Moody who is currently on track to be the head hog's first one-and-done.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS
