Men's Basketball
Eric Musselman lands highly-regarded point guard commitment
Razorbacks get commitment from native Arkansas who liked direction of program and getting to come home and play.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Eric Musselman is at it again.
On a slow weekend after the Razorbacks were knocked out of the College World Series on Thursday, they picked up a big basketball commitment Saturday.
Lay Go H?ME #Arkansas #Home @EricPMusselman @CoachSmarty23 @CoachArgenal @AnthonyRuta @michaelmuss_13 @RonnieBrewerJr pic.twitter.com/0U7BKtRxzq
— Layden Blocker (@Laygogetit2) June 25, 2022
Blocker, a 6-2, 175-pound from the Wichita private school Bel Aire Sunrise Academy, picked the Razorbacks over Auburn, Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kansas State, Memphis, Oklahoma State and others.
Every sports winning and getting publicity helped. So did Musselman getting players to the next level, like Jaylin Williams being chosen at No. 34 overall (second round) by Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
ESPN 100 Layden Blocker tells me. “It’s Arkansas. I am staying home.” @Laygogetit2 @RazorbackMBB @SEC @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/E2iPQsXzSS
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) June 25, 2022
Blocker made the announcement on Paul Biancardi’s podcast on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s clear how they will use me from day one in their NBA style system and his staff does a great job of preparing and developing players to get to the NBA,” Blocker said.
Thanks @PaulBiancardi #FlyHigh @Laygogetit2 Tremendously bright future! 5-Star Talent & Work Ethic https://t.co/TmkkXoj4Ln
— Bradley Beal Elite (@BradBealElite) June 25, 2022
He is the first 2023 commitment for Musselman after having the No. 2-ranked class in the country last year with Nick Smith, Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh all making early projections as NBA Lottery picks next spring.
| Thu, Aug 29 |  | vs UAPB (Little Rock) | W, 70-0 |
| Sat, Sep 7 |  | @ Oklahoma State | L, 31-39 2OT |
| Sat, Sep 14 |  | vs UAB | W, 37-27 |
| Sat, Sep 21 |  | @ Auburn | 2:30 PM ESPN |
| Sat, Sep 28 |  | vs Texas A&M (Arl) | TBD |
| Sat, Oct 5 |  | vs Tennessee | TBD |
| Sat, Oct 19 |  | vs LSU | TBD |
| Sat, Oct 26 |  | @ Mississippi State | TBD |
| Sat, Nov 2 |  | vs Ole Miss | TBD |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Texas | 11:00 AM |
| Sat, Nov 23 |  | vs Louisiana Tech | TBD |
| Sat, Nov 30 |  | @ Missouri | TBD |
| Following is the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll including the Overall Top 10, the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, plus the top three in the 8-man division, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending August 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and ranking from last week's poll: | ||||
| OVERALL | Record | Pts | Prv | |
| 1. | Bryant (4) | 3-0 | 116 | 1 |
| 2. | Greenwood (2) | 3-0 | 107 | 3 |
| 3. | Fayetteville (4) | 2-0 | 104 | 2 |
| 4. | Conway (2) | 2-0 | 99 | 4 |
| 5. | Little Rock Parkview (1) | 2-1 | 80 | 5 |
| 6. | Pulaski Academy | 3-0 | 67 | 6 |
| 7. | Benton | 1-1 | 46 | 8 |
| 8. | Bentonville | 0-2 | 28 | 9 |
| 9. | Shiloh Christian | 2-1 | 19 | 7 |
| 10. | Cabot | 1-2 | 14 | 10 |
| Others receiving votes: Marion 11, Rogers 8, Joe T. Robinson 6, Springdale 5, Fort Smith Southside 2, Valley View 2, Arkadelphia 1. | ||||
| CLASS 7A | ||||
| 1. | Bryant (5) | 3-0 | 56 | 1 |
| 2. | Fayetteville (5) | 2-0 | 53 | 2 |
| 3. | Conway (3) | 3-0 | 46 | 3 |
| 4. | Pulaski Academy | 3-0 | 25 | 4 |
| 5. | Bentonville | 0-2 | 9 | 5 |
| Others receiving votes: Rogers 4, Cabot 1, Springdale 1. | ||||
| CLASS 6A | ||||
| 1. | Greenwood (13) | 3-0 | 65 | 1 |
| 2. | Benton | 1-1 | 51 | 2 |
| 3. | Shiloh Christian | 2-1 | 36 | 3 |
| 4. | Marion | 2-1 | 20 | 4 |
| 5. | Mountain Home | 2-0 | 17 | 5 |
| Others receiving votes: Fort Smith Southside 6. | ||||
| CLASS 5A | ||||
| 1. | Little Rock Parkview (13) | 2-1 | 65 | 1 |
| 2. | Joe T Robinson | 2-1 | 50 | 2 |
| 3. | Harding Academy | 1-1 | 27 | 3 |
| 4. | Valley View | 3-0 | 18 | 5 |
| 5. | Hot Springs Lakeside | 2-1 | 14 | 4 |
| Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 12, Maumelle 5, Morrilton 3, Greenbrier 1. | ||||
| CLASS 4A | ||||
| 1. | Elkins (7) | 3-0 | 52 | 3 |
| 2. | Arkadelphia (2) | 1-2 | 34 | 2 |
| 3. | Warren (2) | 1-2 | 31 | 1 |
| Little Rock Mills (1) | 3-0 | 31 | 4 | |
| 5. | Malvern (1) | 3-0 | 22 | 5 |
| Others receiving votes: DeWitt 14, Highland 5, Bauxite 4, Southside Batesville 1, Clinton 1. | ||||
| CLASS 3A | ||||
| 1. | Booneville (6) | 2-0 | 56 | 2 |
| 2. | Prescott (5) | 2-0 | 52 | 1 |
| 3. | Newport (1) | 3-0 | 31 | 4 |
| 4. | Rivercrest (1) | 2-0 | 27 | 3 |
| 5. | Walnut Ridge | 3-0 | 15 | 5 |
| Others receiving votes: Bismarck 5, Salem 4, Fordyce 3, Charleston 2. | ||||
| CLASS 2A | ||||
| 1. | Carlisle (8) | 2-0 | 57 | 1 |
| 2. | Conway Christian (3) | 3-0 | 53 | 2 |
| 3. | Des Arc | 2-0 | 21 | — |
| 4. | Junction City | 1-2 | 20 | 4 |
| 5. | Marked Tree (1) | 2-1 | 18 | — |
| Others receiving votes: Bigelow (1) 13, Mineral Springs 10, McCrory 3. | ||||
| 8-MAN SANCTIONED | ||||
| 1. | Rector (9) | 1-0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2. | Strong (4) | 0-0 | 29 | 2 |
| 3. | Woodlawn | 1-1 | 6 | 3 |
| Others receiving votes: Cedar Ridge 4, Midland 3, Brinkley 2. | ||||