HOOPS

the game is why he transferred to Arkansas, said junior forward Dustin Thomas, on this team’s active list after having a mandatory redshirt season last year upon transferring from Colorado.

“I wanted a better fit,” Thomas said. “I met with (Anderson), and he would let me play my game. They play fast and that’s something I wanted, a change. In high school we played a lot of motion and got the ball out and went. Coming down here and being able to do that again lets me play my whole game.”

Anderson said Thomas’ redshirt experience in last season’s second-semester practice gave him a leg up on the other newcomers who last January either attended high school or junior college.

“He’s probably a little bit more acclimated than the new junior college guys,” Anderson said. “With that being said, he’s only got two more years to play. So we’ve got to get him more ready to play at this stage. I’m looking for a guy that can be a stretch forward for us and can fix some things and rebound the basketball. Dustin’s a pretty good passer, too. I think he brings a level of toughness that you’ve got to have in the SEC.”

Returning junior guard and North Little Rock High grad Anton Beard said he sees new additions injecting more aggressive athleticism than displayed by last season’s 16-16 team.

“Our players can attack more,” said Beard, noting the addition of touted junior college transfer guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon. “We are not just knockdown shooters. Everybody can attack. We are a little more athletic than last year’s team. Barford is a great player, an attacking player. He never quits attacking. Barford is tough on defense and tough on offense. Macon is tough, an athletic scorer. He’s a legend that can shoot the three deep and he can do much more than just shoot.”

Most importantly Beard said the team’s athletic aggressiveness shows up on defense.

“The press-41 we run will be way better than last year,” Beard said. “I think we are going to be able to press a lot more.”

While new excitement accompanies new players, this team’s pulse beats first on returning seniors Moses Kingsley, Dusty Hannahs and Manny Watkins and returning junior lettermen Trey Thompson and Beard despising last season’s 1616 record.

“We all made an oath after the season that we will never go 16-16 again,” Beard said. “We decided to work the whole summer before school and work through the whole offseason to be a better team this year. Our morale is a lot different than last summer. We have a chance to be something that we weren’t last year.”

Kingsley, second-team allSEC last season, is set to practice in Fayetteville Friday, his first here this week after practicing Sunday though Thursday at the invitation-only Nike camp in Los Angeles.