Walsh shows potential in win over Oklahoma
It's been well-documented that Arkansas five-star freshmen Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black have shined for the Hogs in their time on the court this season. Fellow five-star Jordan Walsh made sure fans knew he was a highly-touted prospect as well in Saturday's 88-78 win over Oklahoma at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
Walsh played 31 minutes for the Razorbacks, scoring 12 points and recording three rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block. His +/- of plus-12 was the best number for an Arkansas player in the win over the Sooners.
"I thought Jordan was phenomenal tonight, I really did," head coach Eric Musselman said. "It was interesting. I got up really early to workout at the hotel workout room. We had breakfast at 8:15, and I'm going to assume Jordan was in there about 7:30 stretching with Dave Rich. It's a good sign when somebody is up well before the team breakfast and mentally getting himself ready."
Walsh knocked down a pair of threes in the contest, which is something that Musselman has said they'd like to see more from the native of Desoto, Texas.
"I thought feet set threes, really good for us," Musselman said. "Offensive rebounding with aggressiveness. I thought he was really good defensively keeping the ball in front and contesting threes. So, I thought it was Jordan's best game thus far and hopefully he continues to grow as a player. I think he felt really comfortable out there today, too."
In the absence of sophomore forward Trevon Brazile, who tore his ACL in Tuesday's win over UNC Greensboro, Walsh stepped up. Brazile was a key piece for the Hogs through the first eight games, and though not one player can make up for Brazile's production, Walsh did his best to fill the hole.
It's been an up-and-down season so far for Walsh, who has displayed plenty of potential at times. He said it was good to see things come together Saturday.
"It’s a good feeling to see myself do it because now I know that it’s possible," Walsh said. "It’s not just a special occurrence. Like, it’s possible. So now I can go into the next game with the mentality like, ‘Oh okay, you’ve done this before. You can do it again.’"
The 12 points tied a season-high for Walsh, and his two 3-pointers were critical shots that Arkansas will continue to need moving forward. After hitting a deep shot less than three minutes into the game, Walsh said he had confidence moving forward.
"It always makes you feel good when you see one go in," Walsh said. "So that was good. Then Coach Muss was in my ear talking about, ‘Keep shooting it. Don’t stop. We need it.’ So I was pretty confident."
Walsh said the team has dedicated the rest of the season to Brazile. Musselman talked to the team and mentioned Walsh as a player who needs to step up, among others.
"Not only did he mention me, he also mentioned (Makhi Mitchell) and (Makhel Mitchell) and (Davonte Davis), like, all these other guys who also stepped up, 'cause TB not playing anymore left a big hole and I can't fill it myself," Walsh said.
Arkansas will hit the hardwood again Saturday against Bradley at 3 p.m. CT inside Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock. The contest will not be broadcast on television, but it can be heard on the Arkansas radio broadcast.