Macon, Barford returning
FAYETTEVILLE - On Twitter and the Arkansas Razorbacks’ website, University of Arkansas senior to be basketball guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon disclosed Tuesday they are returning to Arkansas and coach Mike Anderson’s Razorbacks for the 2017-18 season.
Without signing with an agent, which would have immediately made them ineligible to play for the UA, Barford and Macon have explored the NCAA allowed options of getting feedback of their possibilities for the summer NBA draft.
Macon, the Little Rock Parkview alum and transfer from Holmes (Miss.) Community College, said Tuesday night he’s returning to the Razorbacks.
Barford, a Jackson, Tenn., native who transferred from Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College
asserted Tuesday afternoon he will return trying to advance Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament.
The Razorbacks concluded a 26-10 campaign, 12-6 in the SEC, leading late and eventually losing 72-65 to top-seeded and eventual champion North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating Seton Hall 77-71 in the first round.
They were 16-16 overall/9-9 in the SEC in 2015-2016 while Barford and Macon were still in their junior colleges.
This past season, Macon, 13.4 scoring average, and Barford, 12.8, were the Razorbacks second and third leading scorers behind graduating senior guard Dusty Hannahs.
They were first and second in assists with Macon picking up 80 and Barford collecting 72.
“It was great for these guys to go through the process and test the waters of the NBA Draft, but we couldn’t be happier to have them back in a Razorback uniform next year,” Anderson said Tuesday night through the UA sports information department. “Jaylen and Daryl will be instrumental in what we want to accomplish next year as we continue to take our program to the next level.”
Barford and Macon both said the NCAA Tournament loss left them with a score to settle even as they explored professional opportunities.
“We were so close this year to going to the Sweet 16 and knocking off the No. 1 team in the country,” Macon posted.
“That North Carolina game still hurts. It stings to know how close we were and then have it all taken away.
“But that hurt has turned into motivation. I just couldn’t let it go, I had to come back for one more year. I have the same feeling right now as I did when I first signed with Arkansas.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world knowing I’m coming back to be a Razorback for another year.”
Barford earlier cited that North Carolina game incentive.
“As I went through this process, I knew I wanted one more year to wear that Razorback jersey and go to battle with my teammates,” Barford posted Tuesday. “The way last season ended still drives me to this day. That bitter taste in our mouths is still there and we have unfinished business to take care of next season.”
It’s a season that Barford says Anderson has set with the loftiest goals.
“Coach Anderson says it all the time, but our goal next year is to win an SEC Championship and a National Championship,” Barford posted. “Being with my teammates every day has created an unbreakable bond.
“From workouts last summer, our Spain trip and then our season together, we are a brotherhood and something special is about to happen.”
For his contributions, Barford said he felt more than appreciated.
“When I came to Fayetteville I didn’t realize how important Razorback Basketball was to this state,” Barford posted Tuesday. “But this place means a lot to me now and it always will. Growing up in Tennessee and being recruited by only one school in my home state, it is incredible to know this fan base has my back. I can’t wait to run out into a packed Bud Walton Arena next season. It’s a special place. During starting lineups when the crowd roars and the ground shakes, there is nothing like it.”
Barford said another year will help him as a pro prospect.
“To see where I came from in junior college and now in the SEC, I know I can still get better,” Barford said. “I want to continue to improve my game.”
And to graduate, he said, to please his mother and his daughter.
“My daughter drives me every day,” Barford said. "Seeing her smile makes me want to set a good example for her to look up to. My mom always wanted me to graduate college. Not many people in my family have walked across that stage, so getting a college degree would not only be a big milestone for me, but my entire family.”
Macon as an Arkansan also cited how much he would value a UA degree and his lifelong desire to be a Razorback.
“Sometimes it’s hard to see it right now, but getting a degree would mean a lot to me in the future,” Macon said. “I know my mom would be so proud to see me walk across that stage and that means more to me than anything. I’m continuing to live out my dream every day. Being in a position to be a role model and have kids look up to me is a special feeling. It’s everything I imagined when I grew up wanting to be a Hog. When I was in junior college, I told people we were going to get back to the NCAA Tournament and we did. Now it’s time to take this program to another level.”