Dykes, UA women shooting for more
Arkansas’ women’s basketball team has won two consecutive games after a 1-6 start in the SEC, and first-year coach Jimmy Dykes credits the Razorbacks’ current run to defense and rebounding.
“We’re pretty relentless,” Dykes said at Monday’s Downtown Tip Club’s meeting at the Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock. “We’ve won two games and haven’t shot the ball well either time. We have stretches where the ball doesn’t go in. We get good shots.
“Our players have really bought in. Our core going forward is going to be defending in the quarter court, rebounding and boxing out. If we can do that, we can stay in ballgames. It’s the only way I know how to stay in games when you don’t shoot it straight.”
Arkansas beat Auburn 52-47 on Thursday at Walton Arena in Fayetteville and won 53-42 at Alabama on Sunday. Senior Jhasmin Bowen had a career-high 21 points Sunday as the Razorbacks forced 19 turnovers
and held Alabama to 31.9 percent shooting.
Dykes and the Razorbacks are off this week before hosting Georgia next Monday. Georgia (No. 22) is one of six SEC teams ranked in The Associated Press women’s poll, along with top-ranked South Carolina, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 11 Kentucky, No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 17 Mississippi State.
Four of Arkansas’ final seven regular-season games will be against teams currently in the top 25. The Razorbacks will be at Texas A&M next Thursday and also face South Carolina on Feb. 19 and Kentucky on Feb. 26, both in Fayetteville.
Dykes, who was hired by Arkansas in March after spending 15 years as a college basketball analyst for ESPN, said the six ranked teams in the SEC are as good as anybody in the country, but that teams from seventh through 14th in the league are also good.
“Every league tries to say how good they are, top to bottom, but no one is even close to the SEC,” Dykes said. “Not even close.
“The depth of the league, in terms of coaching, the future WNBA players I see in this league, all of those things make it really hard to win any games.
“When Bret Bielema took the football program over, it’s hard in the first couple of years because you have a lot of ground to make up and everyone else is getting better along the way. “That’s the challenge right now.” The SEC women’s tournament is March 4-8 at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. If the tournament started today, Arkansas would be the No. 11 seed and face Auburn in a first-round game. Arkansas beat Oklahoma on Dec. 21 at Verizon Arena.
Dykes said that it’s always good to play in central Arkansas.
“I can’t wait to get my team down here in March,” Dykes said. “Hopefully it’s not just one game. Hopefully it’s four or five in a row.”
On Monday, three of Arkansas’ 2015 signees were in attendance — guards Jordan Danberry of Conway, Malica Monk of North Little Rock and Bailey Zimmerman of Wonderview.
Dykes said he is high on his first recruiting class at Arkansas and added he was grateful for Danberry, Monk and Zimmerman staying in the state.
“I wasn’t going to let them leave,” Dykes said. “People told me you can’t get them. Well, then I’m going to die trying. I jumped in there and fought as hard as I possibly could. We were behind in the recruiting process with some of the best instate players this year. We jumped in there and got the three that I wanted this year.
“Now I’m after the best juniors, the best sophomores and ninth-graders rising up. I’m going to do my darndest to keep them in the state. They have to be good enough to help us win. I don’t want them to leaving anymore. I don’t want them going to Rutgers. I don’t want them going to Oklahoma. I don’t want them going to Tennessee. I don’t want them going anywhere but to put that Razorback uniform on.”