PLAYER CAPSULES for Arkansas’ 2020-21 roster.
VANCE JACKSON
CLASS Graduate-transfer senior HEIGHT 6-9
WEIGHT 238
POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Pasadena, Calif. HIGH SCHOOL Prolific Prep
LAST SEASON Averaged 11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds at New Mexico.
THE SKINNY Arkansas is the third college team for Jackson, who played at Connecticut as a freshman before transferring and redshirting at New Mexico, then playing two seasons for the Lobos. Jackson is a good perimeter shooter who for his career has hit 157 of 444 three-pointers (35.3%). He twice scored 29 points last season.
JUSTIN SMITH
CLASS Graduate-transfer senior
HEIGHT 6-7
WEIGHT 230
POSITION Forward
HOMETOWN Buffalo Grove, Ill. HIGH SCHOOL Stevenson
LAST SEASON Averaged 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while starting all 32 games at Indiana.
THE SKINNY Smith is a versatile, athletic player who runs the floor well on offense and can guard multiple positions on defense.
He played in 98 games at Indiana with 73 starts, so he has plenty of experience playing at the highest level in the Big Ten. He played against Arkansas three times the previous two seasons — in a home-and-home series and an NIT game — as the Hoosiers went 1-2 in those games.
JALEN TATE
CLASS Graduate-transfer senior HEIGHT 6-6
WEIGHT 175
POSITION Guard
HOMETOWN Pickerington, Ohio
HIGH SCHOOL Pickerington Central
LAST SEASON Averaged 13.9 points,
5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals at Northern Kentucky.
THE SKINNY Tate was the Horizon League defensive player of the year last season and made the conference’s all-defensive team each of the previous three seasons. Tate is known for his unselfish play, but he scored 37 points in two games in the Horizon League Tournament in leading Northern Kentucky to the championship. He played in 93 games for the Norse with 83 starts, and scored a career-high 31 points last season vs. IUPUI.
BRANDON KIMBLE
CLASS Graduate-transfer senior HEIGHT 6-7
WEIGHT 180
POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Indianola, Miss. HIGH SCHOOL Indianola Academy
LAST SEASON Averaged 4.8 points and 5.9 rebounds at Mississippi Valley State.
THE SKINNY Kimble is a walk-on graduate transfer from Mississippi Valley State, which will be Arkansas’ season-opening opponent Wednesday. He played in 29 games for the Delta Devils last season with 10 starts.
EMEKA OBUKWELU
CLASS Graduate-transfer senior
HEIGHT 6-8
WEIGHT 235 POSITION Forward
HOMETOWN Plano, Texas
HIGH SCHOOL West Plano
LAST SEASON Played six minutes in six games and had five rebounds.
THE SKINNY Obukwelu is a walk-on who transferred to Arkansas from Texas-Tyler, an NCAA Division II school that plays in the Lone Star Conference. He averaged 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds as a sophomore at Texas-Tyler.
DESI SILLS
CLASS Junior
HEIGHT 6-1
WEIGHT 202
POSITION Guard
HOMETOWN Jonesboro HIGH SCHOOL Jonesboro LAST SEASON Averaged 10.6 points and 3.0 rebounds.
THE SKINNY Sills is the only player with extensive game experience for Arkansas against SEC opponents. After starting 24 of the first 26 games last season, he played off the bench and averaged 14.7 points in the final six games. He closed the season with 20 points against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. Sills shot 32.9% on three-pointers on the season, but after a slow start he shot 45.6% (31 of 68) over the last 14 games. He goes hard to the basket and is a tenacious defender.
ETHAN HENDERSON
CLASS Junior
HEIGHT 6-8
WEIGHT 210
POSITION Forward
HOMETOWN Little Rock HIGH SCHOOL Parkview
LAST SEASON Averaged 1.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 20 games.
THE SKINNY Henderson came on strong at the end of last season. He started six of the final seven games and hit 7 of 11 shots in that span while averaging 3.7 rebounds with 11 blocked shots. He played in 29 minutes in a victory at home over Tennessee last season and had 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. The coaching staff will look for him to provide energy off the bench.
JD NOTAE
CLASS Redshirt junior HEIGHT 6-2
WEIGHT 195
POSITION Guard
HOMETOWN Covington, Ga.
HIGH SCHOOL Newton
LAST SEASON Redshirted after transferring from Jacksonville (Fla.) University.
THE SKINNY Notae broke his left wrist in the summer, but has recovered and is practicing. He averaged 15.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a sophomore at Jacksonville. He showed an ability to score against high-level competition with 17 points against Notre Dame and 15 against Indiana as a sophomore, and 22 against Michigan and 19 against North Carolina State as a freshman.
ABAYOMI IYIOLA
CLASS Redshirt junior
HEIGHT 6-9
WEIGHT 230
POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Atlanta HIGH SCHOOL
Green Forest-McCalep Christian Academy LAST SEASON
Redshirted after transferring from Stetson.
THE SKINNY Iyiola will miss much, if not all, of this season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the summer. A best-case scenario might allow him to play in February. Arkansas assistant Corey Williams was Iyiola’s coach at Stetson, where he averaged 10.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and had 58 blocked shots in two seasons. When Iyiola is healthy, he’s known for his constant motor and ability to rebound all over the court. He scored a career-high 26 points against South Florida and matched his career-high with 13 rebounds against VMI in his last season at Stetson.
KAMANI JOHNSON
CLASS Junior
HEIGHT 6-7
WEIGHT 215
POSITION Forward HOMETOWN Brooklyn, N,Y.
HIGH SCHOOL Holy Spirit Prep (Atlanta)
LAST SEASON Averaged 11.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists at UALR.
THE SKINNY Johnson signed with Arkansas as a transfer and will join the program at the end of the fall semester in December. He won’t be eligible to play until the spring semester of the 2021-22 season. He was a thirdteam All-Sun Belt pick and helped the Trojans win the conference regular-season championship. Johnson shot 51.3% from the field and did a good job of getting to the free-throw line. He hit 144 of 198 free throws (72.7%).
CONNOR VANOVER
CLASS Redshirt sophomore
HEIGHT 7-3
WEIGHT 240
POSITION Forward
HOMETOWN Little Rock
HIGH SCHOOL Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev.
LAST SEASON Redshirted after transferring from California.
THE SKINNY Vanover has good perimeter skills for a big man and is a three-point shooting threat. He averaged 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 rebounds as a freshman at California, and shot 35.5% (27 of
76) on three-point attempts. In the offseason, he worked hard on developing a sky hook and baby hook to add to his offensive skill set. Vanover also hopes to be more of a physical presence around the basket. On defense, he can block and alter shots. In his last 10 games at Cal, he averaged 12.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. He scored a career-high 24 points against Stanford.
DAVONTE DAVIS
CLASS Freshman
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 180
POSITION Guard
HOMETOWN Jacksonville
HIGH SCHOOL Jacksonville
LAST SEASON Averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists as a senior in high school.
THE SKINNY Davis was the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Boys High School Player of the Year. ESPN.com ranked him the 86th-best player in the nation and 19th-best shooting guard. Davis can create his own shot and figures to play some point guard and shooting guard. His ability to play pressure defense might help him get on the court.
MOSES MOODY
CLASS Freshman
HEIGHT 6-6
WEIGHT 205
POSITION Guard
HOMETOWN Little
Rock HIGH SCHOOL
Montverde (Fla.) Academy
LAST SEASON Averaged 11.6 points and 3.3 rebounds at one of the top high school programs in the country.
THE SKINNY Moody should pick up some of the slack with the decision of Isaiah Joe to stay in the NBA Draft. He gives the Razorbacks good size on the perimeter and shot 46.0% on three-pointers last season. Playing on a high school team full of NCAA Division I players — including Cade Cunningham, the nation’s top-rated freshman who is at Oklahoma State — should speed up Moody’s transition to the SEC. He was rated the No. 37 player in the country by 247Sports.
KHALEN ROBINSON
CLASS Freshman
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 175
POSITION Guard
HOMETOWN Little Rock
HIGH SCHOOL Oak Hill (Va.) Academy
LAST SEASON Averaged 10.7 points,
7.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals for a traditionally elite high school program.
THE SKINNY Robinson, a point guard, has good quickness and can get the ball up the court in a hurry. He has the ability to make plays when the shot clock is running down. He was rated the No. 79 player in the nation and 18th-best point guard by ESPN.com. Robinson played at Bryant before going to Oak Hill, which he helped to a 37-3 record last season.
JAYLIN WILLIAMS
CLASS Freshman
HEIGHT 6-10
WEIGHT 245
POSITION Forward
HOMETOWN Fort Smith
HIGH SCHOOL Fort Smith Northside
LAST SEASON Averaged 18.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocked shots as a senior.
THE SKINNY Williams rebounds at a high level and is a good perimeter shooter. He also handles the ball well for a big man. Teammates praise him for setting strong screens and spacing the floor well. The coaching staff said Williams does a good job of communicating on defense, which isn’t always the case with freshmen. He was rated the No. 56 player in the nation by Rivals.com.
BRYSON MOREHEAD
CLASS Freshman
HEIGHT 6-8
WEIGHT 160
POSITION Forward
HOMETOWN Katy, Texas
HIGH SCHOOL Obra D. Tompkins
LAST SEASON Averaged 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.
THE SKINNY Morehead is a walk-on who will add depth at practice.