Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Freshman connection
Arkansans Joe, Sills can skip introductions
FAYETTEVILLE — Isaiah Joe and Desi Sills grew up on different sides of the state, but the University of Arkansas freshman guards have known each other since they were in the seventh grade.
Sills, who is from Jonesboro, said he first met Joe, who is from Fort Smith, six years ago in Little Rock when they played against each other in an AAU game.
At the time, Sills was playing for the Arkansas Bulldogs.
He soon joined Joe on the Arkansas Hawks.
“Our chemistry is great. Our friendship is great,” Joe said Monday when the Razorbacks held their first two preseason practices.
“We just keep getting stronger and stronger every year.
“Nobody can break that bond.”
Joe and Sills have a familiarity with each other’s games most freshmen don’t enjoy at the start of their college careers.
“I know his game,” Sills said.
“He knows mine. I expect more out of him, and he expects more out of me, so we’ve got to push each other to the limit every day. No days off.”
The Razorbacks have to replace three starting guards who were seniors last season in Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon — both All-SEC players — along with Anton Beard.
They lost two other perimeter players, Darious Hall and C.J. Jones, who
transferred to DePaul and Middle Tennessee State, respectively.
“So now these guys are going to be thrown right into the fire,” Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said of Joe and Sills. “But I think they relish that opportunity.”
Anderson said the first key for Joe and Sills to earn playing time is to make a quick transition from high school to college.
“Pick up on the little nuances of what takes place at this level,” he said. “There’s a strength factor, there’s a quickness factor. You can’t take plays off.”
Joe, 6-5, averaged 22.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.9 assists as a senior at Northside High School.
“Isaiah is a guy that can put the ball in the hole,” Anderson said. “He can score and shoot the basketball, but I think Isaiah’s got a real overall game. He can pass the
ball well. He’s a pretty good defensive player. He just has a great, great basketball IQ.”
Sills averaged 20.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a senior at Jonesboro High School.
“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 also has that ruggedness about guarding people.
“He has a lot of pride. He’s got that doberman mentality, which I love about him. He’s a competitor. He’s a winner.”
On last season’s team, Joe and Sills might have played a few minutes off the bench. This season, they’ll likely need to play major minutes.
“We’re ready to take on
any challenge,” Joe said. “But really, we just put in the hard work in practice and show Coach A what we can do, and we’ll let him decide the rest of that.”
Sills smiled when told Anderson said he has a doberman mentality on defense.
“Nothing’s given,” Sills said. “So you’ve got to go get everything. I’m going to bring energy and intensity. That’s the first thing in my mind right now.”
Sophomore point guard Jalen Harris — who redshirted last season after transferring to Arkansas from New Mexico —said it’s easy to see the connection between Joe and Sills.
“Whenever Desi attacks, he always finds Isaiah,” Harris
said. “And Isaiah being a shooter, he knocks it down the majority of the time.”
Anderson said Joe and Sills were the top two finishers during conditioning workouts when the Razorbacks ran a course that included the steep hill on Cleveland Street.
“They didn’t even stop running,” Anderson said. “So that was pretty impressive.”
Running Cleveland Hill is a tradition for the Razorbacks going back more than 30 years to the time when Anderson was an assistant coach for Nolan Richardson.
“It was crazy,” Joe said. “I mean, Cleveland Hill is no joke. You always hear the words about it, but the myth is true. It’s going to get you going.
“But I always like to be in front whatever I do.”
Joe didn’t finish in first by himself. He said he and Sills finished together when they ran the course.
“We finished in exactly the same time,” Joe said. “I’m not going to say who’s faster. We just like to push each other.”
“Nothing’s given. So you’ve got to go get everything. I’m going to bring energy and intensity. That’s the first thing in my mind right now.”
Freshman guard Desi Sills