Sills ready to make impact for Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE - Dog certainly carries more definitions than just man’s best friend.
Derived from dogged, the adjective epitomizing persistent determination, dog nowadays in basketball slang describes the most relentless in your face defender on the court.
Just from working out in their summer together right through September before their Oct. 1 first official preseason practice, this young Razorbacks team already designates Desi Sills their dog.
Nobody plays dogged defense suiting Coach Mike Anderson’s “Fastest Forty” style of defense like the 6-2 freshman guard from Jonesboro, returning Razorbacks starters Adrio Bailey, the oldest as a junior, and sophomore star center Daniel Gafford of El Dorado, assert.
“Desi Sills is going to be our defensive dog this year, I feel,” Gafford said with Bailey nearby nodding assent.
“I mean he brings intensity to the court. He’s going to show a lot of things he can do this year.”
Anderson agrees. “Desi is one of those guys that can really get in gaps and create for himself and others,” Anderson said. “He can score as well. But more importantly, he has that ruggedness about guarding people. He’s got that Doberman mentality which I love about him. He’s a competitor. He’s a winner. He has a lot of pride.”
Certainly he’s a dog proud to be a Hog.
Though widely known on the AAU circuit along with his 6-5 good friend and heralded Razorbacks freshman guard Isaiah Joe of Fort Smith Northside, Sills said when it came to recruiting, he riveted on “the Fastest 40,” Anderson’s emphasis aimed at playing basketball’s fastest 40 minutes.
“I’m here for the Razorbacks,” Sills said. “I always wanted to be a Razorback since I was a little boy. Now I’m here and I’m living a dream.”
Sills and Joe started immediately turning dreams into reality.
They led, Anderson said, the preseason conditioning charge up Cleveland Hill, the steep, steep hill north of the Broyles Center that sometimes slowed even some of Nolan Richardson’s greatest players to a walk by the last run up.
“Those guys, they didn’t stop running,” Anderson said. “So, that was pretty impressive. They’ve had a pretty good camp up until this point.”
Sills was asked about Joe and him attacking Cleveland Hill.
“That’s my brother,” Sills said. “He pushed me and I pushed him. We are going to try to do everything together and try to lead each other. We’ve been playing with each other in AAU ball since the seventh grade.”
What about against each other in high school with Sills at Jonesboro High and Joe at Fort Smith Northside?
“We never played each other in high school,” Sills said. “Just the AAU circuit.”
As a junior, Sills did play against Gafford, who was a senior two years ago when Jonesboro completed a 32-0 season by beating El Dorado for the state championship.
Now they play together with Sills definitely knowing his role is offensively subordinate, though still must threaten enough to keep defenses honest.
“Coach likes defensive players,” Sills said. “So I ain’t thinking offense. I’m here for defense. I can score the ball, but it ain’t all about me. It’s a team effort. So whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do.”
Asked what’s his defensive style, Sills replied, “Defense. I bring a lot of energy and try to be in the right position at the right time.”
From growing up watching Anderson’s Razorbacks, Sills knows that’ is what his coach craves.
“It’s energy,” Sills said. “You’ve got to go full court and that’s what I really like. I like full court pressing and the crowd gives you energy. So I’m going to feed off the crowd and keep doing what I need to do to help us win.”
While carving a role, the rookie knows his place.
He’s a combo guard that will play some point, but gets the point who is in charge whenever Jalen Harris is in the game.
A third-year sophomore, Harris lettered his freshman year at New Mexico and redshirted as a transfer to Arkansas last season, practicing daily against 2017-2018 seniors and current NBA guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon.
“He’s a great point guard,” Sills said. “He’s going to be a good leader.”
Sills also knows to defer in team matters to established starters Gafford and Bailey.
“You’ve got two guys who have been here and we’re going to follow their lead,” Sills said. “We’ve got to follow their lead. It’s a process.”
Defensively, though, it seems the process starts with Sills. It always starts with the lead dog.