Top grad transfer includes Arkansas in top 6
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Arkansas found out Friday that it would need to replace the SEC Co-Player of the Year and it seems to be zeroing in on one of the top available graduate transfers to do just that.
Within an hour of Mason Jones’ decision to enter the 2020 NBA Draft, Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported that the Razorbacks are among Bowling Green transfer Justin Turner’s final six, along with Iowa State, Louisville, Marquette, Missouri and Xavier.
That news comes just a day after he didn’t include Arkansas on a list of eight schools he was considering.
A two-time first-team All-MAC performer for the Falcons, Turner is coming off a season in which he averaged 18.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He shot 42.7 percent from the floor, including 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard was a three-star prospect as a Class of 2016 recruit coming out of Renaissance High in Detroit. An injury limited Turner to only four games as a freshman, allowing him to redshirt.
Once he got healthy, Turner became one of the best players in the MAC. He was named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team when he averaged 15.9 points in 2017-18 and has been a first-team all-conference pick each of the last two years, averaging 18.2 and 18.8 points.
For his career, Turner has averaged 17.0 points on 43.6 percent shooting, as well as 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals. He has also shot 37.3 percent from three-point range and 78.9 percent from the free throw line.
In an 88-79 loss to LSU earlier this season, he scored 26 points on 10 of 19 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Turner also had a 24-point effort against St. John’s of the Big East last year.
The Razorbacks had two scholarships open up for the 2020-21 season this week when Jalen Harris announced he was transferring and Jones declared for the NBA Draft.
Head coach Eric Musselman has a reputation for filling those spots with transfers and Turner is widely considered one of the top immediately eligible options. Another potential graduate transfer is Quinnipiac forward Kevin Marfo, who led the country in rebounding, but he didn’t include Arkansas in his top five schools.
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