To commemorate the 100th season of Arkansas basketball, I took on the task of ranking the top-100 basketball players in program history.
It was very much a passion project, and I'm sure there will be plenty of disagreements, but I tried to be as objective as possible while also taking into account stats and accolades from individual players across all eras.
Here is 50-26:
50. Michael Qualls (2012-2015)
~ Career stats: 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
~ Best season: 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists
~ Accolades: Second-Team All-SEC, All-SEC Tournament
One of the most entertaining Razorbacks of the 2010s, Michael Qualls made a lot of noise as a high-flyer. He punished the rim every opportunity he had, was a solid defender, and by the time he left was a competent three-point shooter.
49. Rotnei Clarke (2008-2011)
~ Career stats: 14.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 42.0% from three
~ Best season: 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 43.8% from three
~ Accolades: Second-Team All-SEC, 21st all-time leading scorer in program history
48. Jonathon Modica (2002-2006)
~ Career stats: 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists
~ Best season: 16.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists
~ Accolades: SEC All-Freshman, 12th all-time leading scorer in program history
47. Andrew Lang (1984-1988)
~ Career stats: 6.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 blocks
~ Best season: 9.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 blocks
~ Accolades: Drafted 2nd round, 3rd pick (28th overall) to the Suns
46. U.S. Reed (1977-1981)
~ Career stats: 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists
~ Best season: 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists
~ Accolades: Drafted 5th round, 12th pick (104th overall) to the Kings, gold medal winner 1979 World University Games, 23rd all-time leading scorer in program history, hit a half-court shot over defending champions Louisville to send Arkansas to the Sweet Sixteen
The stats don't always tell the full story, and that's the case with U.S. Reed. While his career and single-season averages don't jump off the page, Reed was a key piece of some deep tournament runs for Eddie Sutton. On top of that, he hit the infamous "shot" over Louisville, which has to factor into his ranking.
Some might want him to be ranked a little higher because of the shot and how good his teams were, but I felt like this was the best spot for him taking into account everything.
45. Jannero Pargo (2000-2002)
~ Career stats: 14.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists
~ Best season: 16.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists
~ Accolades: Third-Team All-SEC x2
44. Nick Davis (1995-1998)
~ Career stats: 6.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks
~ Best season: 10.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks
~ Accolades: First-team All-SEC, most total rebounds in a single game in program history, most total rebounds in an SEC game in program history, 3rd all-time total rebounds in a season in program history, 5th all-time rebounds per game in a season
43. Daryl Macon (2016-2018)
~ Career stats: 15.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists
~ Best season: 16.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists
~ Accolades: Second team All-SEC, 2017 All-SEC Tournament, 1,000 point scorer
42. Marshawn Powell (2009-2013)
~ Career stats: 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists
~ Best season: 14.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists
~ Accolades: Second-Team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman, 22nd all-time leading scorer in program history
A major "what if" in Razorback history, Marshawn Powell was incredibly dynamic. If it weren't for injuries, he could've been much higher on this list.
41. Courtney Fortson (2008-2010)
~ Career stats: 16.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.9 assist
~ Best season: 17.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists
~ Accolades: SEC All-Freshman, Second-Team All-SEC
40. Isaiah Joe (2018-2020)
~ Career stats: 15.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists
~ Best season: 16.9 points, 4.1 points, 1.7 assists
~ Accolades: Drafted 2nd round, 19th pick (49th overall) to the Philadelphia 76ers, SEC All-Freshman
39. Moses Kingsley (2013-2017)
~ Career stats: 8.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks
~ Best season: 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks
~ Accolades: 2x Second-Team All-SEC, 2x SEC All-Defense, 3rd all-time career blocks in program history, 6th all-time career rebounds in program history, 25th all-time leading scorer in program history
This one might catch some flack, but Moses Kingsley as a junior and senior was great. He certainly has the accolades to back up his spot, and a couple seasons where he averaged nearly a double-double.
His big-time block against Seton Hall in the 2017 NCAA Tournament pushed Arkansas into the second round of the NCAA Tournament again, before ultimately losing to North Carolina.
38. Jaylin Williams (2020-2022)
~ Career stats: 7.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists
~ Best season: 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists
~ Accolades: Drafted 2nd round, 4th pick (34th overall) to OKC Thunder, First-Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defense, NCAA All-Region, 1st all-time rebounds in a season in program history
37. Mason Jones (2018-2020)
~ Career stats: 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists
~ Best season: 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists
~ Accolades: All-American Honorable Mention, SEC Player of the Year, First-Team All-SEC, 1,000 point scorer, 7th most points in a single game (41) in program history, 2nd most points in an SEC game (40) in program history, 7th most points in a single season (683) in program history, 7th all-time season scoring average in program history, 6th all-time career scoring average in program history
Fans might want Mason Jones ranked a lot higher based off his senior year under Eric Musselman, but part of that production was due to the fact that he was asked to do everything and took advantage of it. That doesn't take away his talent or how good of a player he was, but any other player at this part of the list given the opportunity to run an entire team would also put up gaudy numbers, most likely.
36. JD Notae (2019-2022)
~ Career stats: 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 steals
~ Best season: 18.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 steals
~ Accolades: 3rd-team All-American, NCAA All-Region, First-Team All-SEC, SEC Sixth Man of the Year, 1,000 point scorer
35. BJ Young (2011-2013)
~ Career stats: 15.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists
~ Best season: 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists
~ Accolades: Second-Team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman
34. Jaylen Barford (2016-2018)
~ Career stats: 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists
~ Best season: 17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists
~ Accolades: First-Team All-SEC, 1,000 point scorer
33. Al Dillard (1993-1995)
~ Career stats: 7.8 points, 40.1% from three, 83.1% FT
~ Best season: 8.9 points, 41.0% from three, 78.6% FT
~ Accolades: NCAA Champion, 2nd all-time made threes in a single game in program history, 7th all-time three point percentage in a career in program history (40.1%)
Another case of a strong role player on the greatest team in program history probably ranking a little lower than fans would like. I get it, if you were alive to watch those nearly back-to-back championship teams (lucky), every player was special and elevated the program.
Being as objective as possible, I didn't think I could move him much up further because of where we are in the list. Everyone is going to have good stats. He got bonus points for the team he played for and the important role he played, but this is where I slotted him.
32. Lenzie Howell (1988-1990)
~ Career stats: 14.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists
~ Best season: 14.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists
~ Accolades: NCAA All-Region
31. Patrick Beverley (2006-2008)
~ Career stats: 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists
~ Best season: 13.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals
~ Accolades: Drafted 2nd round, 12 pick (42nd overall) to the Lakers, SEC All-Freshman, SEC Freshman of the Year
It is likely that Patrick Beverley would've ranked even higher if he were a Razorback for more than two years. One of the best rebounding guards in program history, the Chicago-native was a freshman during Stan Heath's last year and a sophomore during John Pelphrey's first.
In those two years, he helped lead Arkansas to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1999-2001.
30. Clyde Rhoden (1958-1961)
~ Career stats: 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds
~ Best season: 16.2 points, 7.3 rebounds
~ Accolades: 2x First-Team All-SWC
29. Ron Huery (1986-1991)
~ Career stats: 12.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists
~ Best season: 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists
~ Accolades: 13th all-time leading scorer in program history
While Ron Huery's stats might not jump off the page immediately, they're still more than solid. The reason Huery places so high, though, is a combination of good, consistent stats and his influence on the Arkansas program. He was the first major recruit Nolan Richardson landed and springboarded the program into a recruiting powerhouse before ultimately winning the national championship less than a decade after Huery signed.
28. Sonny Weems (2006-2008)
~ Career stats: 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists
~ Best season: 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists
~ Accolades: Drafted 2nd round, 9th pick (39th overall) to the Chicago Bulls, Second-Team All-SEC, SEC All-Tournament Team
27. Pat Bradley (1995-1999)
~ Career stats: 13.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists
~ Best season: 14.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals
~ Accolades: Second-Team All-SEC, Third-Team All-SEC, 5th all-time leading scorer in program history, 4th all-time in three-point field goals in SEC history, 1st all-time in three-point field goals in program history
26. Corey Beck (1992-1995)
~ Career stats: 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists
~ Best season: 7.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals
~ Accolades: NCAA Champion, All-NCAA Tournament Team, Third-Team All-SEC, 3rd all-time assists in a season in program history, 3rd all-time assists in a career in program history
I already know what I'm going to hear for having Corey Beck, the starting point guard for the national championship team, only at 26. And I get it. He has the accolades, he was a crucial piece for the best team in program history, and plenty of other quality attributes.
However, the list is getting to the upper-echelon of Arkansas basketball. Most of the players ahead of him played on good or great teams, some even on the same team as him. I felt like this was the appropriate spot for him.
