Top recruit will listen to new coach

Central Arkansas Christian junior guard Christyn Williams said she believes the hiring of Mike Neighbors as Arkansas’ new women’s basketball coach is a good one, but it’s unlikely to get the Razorbacks back on her list.

Neighbors led Washington to a 98- 41 record and three trips to the NCAA Tournament in four years. Arkansas has scheduled a 4 p. m. news conference today to introduce Neighbors, a Greenwood native, as the Razorbacks’ new coach.

“I think that would be a great hire,” Williams said. “I hear he’s a really great coach. He’s shown he’s a good coach. I think it will be really good for Arkansas’ women’s basketball program.”

ESPN rates Williams is the No. 1 guard and No. 2 overall prospect in the nation for the 2018 class. She lists Baylor, Tennessee, Connecticut, UCLA and Notre Dame as her top schools.

She led the Mustangs to a 29- 5 record and the Class 4A quarterfinals this season and was recently named the AllArkansas Preps girls player of the year this past season for the second consecutive year after averaging 26.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.1 assists per game.

Williams said she would be receptive to Neighbors, should he want to talk to her.

“I’ll hear what he has to say,” she said. “Arkansas isn’t the right fit for me. So I don’t know if that will change my decision of putting them back on the list or not. I’ll definitely listen to him and hear what he has to say.”

She plans to attend college beyond the borders of Arkansas.

“I just want to go out- of- state,” Williams said. “Nothing against the program or anything like that.”