VOTE: Building the Ultimate Razorback
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The Razorback basketball program has a storied history, and saw some of the most consistent success in college basketball history in the early- to mid-1990s.
Arkansas had consecutive national championship game appearances with one win, a Final Four, an Elite Eight and two Sweet Sixteens all in the span of seven years under legendary coach Nolan Richardson.
Despite a lack of team success since then, the program has produced some high-level basketball players, including the future NBA players like Jannero Pargo, Joe Johnson, Ronnie Brewer, Sonny Weems and Patrick Beverley.
Dating back to the 1989-1990 season, when the Razorbacks lost in the Final Four to Duke, what attributes could you take from selected players to create the ultimate Razorback basketball player?
I built my own "Ultimate Razorback" below, but HawgBeat also wants to hear from you - the fans - on who you would pick for each attribute:
- 3-Point Shooting
- Athleticism
- Ball-Handling
- Basketball IQ
- Clutch gene
- Defense
- Dunking
- Effort
- Leadership
- Passing
- Rebounding
- Scoring
- Toughness
There is a catch, though: a player can be selected for only a single attribute, so choose wisely. We could have added many more attributes, or broken some into smaller parts, but for the same of keeping this somewhat simple and exclusive, those are the categories to choose from.
Jackson's 'Ultimate Razorback'
3 Point Shooting – Pat Bradley
Arkansas has seen its fair share of shooters since the creation of the three-point line, and although Bradley did not shoot the highest percentage from beyond the arc in Razorback history, he made and attempted the most three-pointers in school history while still shooting an incredible 40 percent (366 of 915).
Athleticism – Sonny Weems
With the style of basketball Richardson branded and coaches after him tried to imitate or alter, athletes were needed to implement the 40 Minutes of Hell properly. While there were some incredible athletes during Richardson’s tenure, some of the best would fall under separate categories on this list, and cannot be used more than once. Additionally, Sonny Weems was a high flyer and speedster who won the college dunk contest and constantly played above the rim. He had great size and versatility on both ends of the floor, as well.
Ball-Handling – Courtney Fortson
Perhaps one of the most talented players to come through Fayetteville in recent memory, Fortson had a memorable two seasons with the Razorbacks in which he notched just the second triple-double in UA history and averaged 5.9 assists over his career, good enough for the highest average in that statistic in program history. This could have earned Fortson a spot for the passing attribute, but most of his assists seemed to come off beating his defenders off the bounce and creating that way. Additionally, he scored a lot by making defenders look silly and getting them all sorts of turned around.
Basketball IQ – Joe Johnson
Dating back to his days at Little Rock Central and Arkansas, people always said that Johnson had an “old man’s game.” He never forced anything unnecessary, played in a very mature manner, was level-headed and rarely showed any sort of emotion. All of this, in addition to playing every single position on the floor in college at a high level, the ability to create for others, and to score and affect the game away from the ball make him the smartest basketball player Arkansas has had in some time.
Clutch Gene – Scotty Thurman
Thurman hit a high-arcing three pointer as the shot clock expired to help seal a national championship victory over Duke. There’s not much else to say about that.
Defense – Clint McDaniel
This attribute could potentially be set up to be the hottest one for debate. When there are guys in this span like Patrick Beverley, Ronnie Brewer, Kareem Reid and Corey Beck, especially, why does McDaniel get the nod? He could guard multiple positions, is fifth in career steals, and has the most steals in a single season in program history with 102. Beck is featured elsewhere on the list, and McDaniel is more versatile defensively than Beverley or Reid.
Dunking – Daniel Gafford
Although he didn’t win a college dunk contest like Weems or Brandon Dean, Gafford exhibited a knack for explosive and electrifying dunks on a regular basis, including multiple windmills executed effortlessly. I would be remiss not to mention Michael Qualls, who was an absolutely electric dunker as well, but I’m giving the nod to Gafford.
Effort – Bobby Portis
Bobby Portis has made a name for himself in the NBA with his energy and effort. The 2015 SEC Player of the Year was an all-around great player, but always played with max effort, to the point where it was impossible not to notice. It’s become his identity in the NBA, but has been a part of who he is as a player since his Little Rock Hall days and most likely before.
Leadership – Corey Beck
A point guard is the floor general and in charge of setting up the offense and setting the tone for the game. It is no coincidence that Beck was the point guard on the Razorbacks’ national championship and runner-up squads.
Passing – Lee Mayberry
Mayberry is responsible for the second most assists in program history and second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in program history. With Fortson getting the nod for ballhandling, this battle comes between Mayberry and Reid, and Reid is similar to Fortson in being able to create after beating players off the bounce. Mayberry was more than capable of that, too, but also threaded the needle and threw plenty of flashy passes on his way to being one of the leading assist men in program history.
Rebounding – Derek Hood
As with every attribute and statistical category, there are multiple appropriate players who could fill the spot, but Hood is responsible for the second-most rebounds in Razorback history, behind only the great Sidney Moncrief. Additionally, Hood was such a great rebounder on both sides of the floor that in the same season, 1998-99, he secured the most offensive and defensive rebounds in program history each. Those records still stand today, as he secured 144 offensive and 205 defensive rebounds that season.
Scoring – Todd Day
This one isn’t much of a contest. Day is responsible for the most points in an SEC game, most points in a season, most made field goals in a career, and most points in a career. He is one of two players who averaged 20-plus points per game in two separate seasons in 1989-1991. The other was Martin Terry in 1971-1973. His final career scoring average was 18.9 points per game, good enough for 2,395 points in his career - 329 more points than second place Sidney Moncrief.
Toughness – Corliss Williamson
You aren’t given the nickname “Big Nasty” for being soft. An undersized forward on Arkansas’ national championship team, Williamson was the toughest player on a team full of tenacious, tough and aggressive players.