Talent-rich region
Hogs’ Daryl Macon says central Arkansas deserves more respect.
Daryl Macon, the Arkansas Razorbacks’ senior guard from Little Rock Parkview, said high school players in the area often don’t get the recognition they deserve.
“I feel like we have some of the best talent in the country,” Macon said. “But you know we’re from Arkansas, so nine times out of 10 you’re going to get overlooked.
“Those boys get overlooked down there. Even when I was coming up.”
Macon went to Holmes (Miss.) Community College for two years before getting his shot to play for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville last season.
“That’s why I’ve got the chip on my shoulder,” Macon said. “But I had to just be patient.”
Macon said he never doubted he eventually would be reunited with Razorbacks senior guard Anton Beard — his former Parkview teammate from North Little Rock — at Arkansas.
“I knew I was coming back to play with him,” Macon said. “I always knew that. That was
before the offer. That was just my confidence.”
Macon and Beard will play their final game back home when the Razorbacks (7-2) take on Troy (5-5) at 7 tonight in Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
It also will be a homecoming game for Arkansas freshman Darious Hall, a forward from Mills.
Khalil Garland, a freshman guard from Parkview, will be on the Razorbacks’ bench, but he will redshirt this season while waiting to see if he is medically cleared to play.
“It’s going to be a good feeling, going to play in your hometown,” Beard said. “We know it’s going to be a great crowd.
“There’s going to be a lot of emotion starting off … but emotion can only take you so far. After the first media timeout, we’ll just calm down and get back to playing basketball.”
Tonight’s game — which isn’t being televised or streamed — has been announced as a sellout.
“That’s how many family and friends I’ll have,” Macon said of the crowd. “If you’re not there, then you’re going to miss a show.”
Macon led the Razorbacks with 15 points last season when they beat Sam Houston State 90-56 at Verizon Arena. Beard scored 11 points.
“I’m sure they’re looking forward to the game, realizing this is their last trip to play in Little Rock in front of their families and friends,” Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. “I’m sure they’re wanting to impress. So my deal is making sure they focus in on the right things and not be too overly excited.”
Macon and Beard have started every game this season along with senior guard Jaylen Barford. Hall has become a key reserve.
“Darious brings a lot of energy off the bench,” Beard said. “He’s a good pickup for us. He’s athletic and has a very high basketball IQ.”
Macon is averaging 14.3 points, a team-high 3.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds.
“We know Daryl’s a guy that can score the basketball,” Anderson said. “I’ve seen him become a little bit more well-rounded and have a little bit more pride on defense.”
Macon had 12 points in the Razorbacks’ 95-79 victory over Minnesota last Saturday. He didn’t score in the first half but had seven of his eight assists.
“The way you try to find out what kind a player a guy is, if he’s not scoring, is he doing other things to help the team win?” Anderson said. “We saw the other night Daryl was a distributor. Giving the ball to the right people at the right time.
“Watching tape, he did a lot of little things. Back screening, cutting hard. He hustled and rebounded for us.”
Beard, who has lost more than 20 pounds since last season, is averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds.
“Anton’s a calming force right now,” Anderson said. “I think he’s distributing the ball at a high level. He’s a leader of our defense. He’s like a little coach out on the floor.”
Hall is averaging 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds.
“Darious, of course, is a freshman,” Anderson said. “Freshman are going to be up and down sometimes.
“But I think in practice he’s getting better. It’s just a matter of him going out and continuing to be a guy that’s going to do it on the defensive side of it. I think the offense will take care of itself.”
Anderson said he’s optimistic Garland will play next season. The Razorbacks will add another Little Rock player in Ethan Henderson, a 6-9 forward from Parkview who signed with Arkansas in November.
“Very good talent down there,” Anderson said of the central Arkansas area. “That’s a credit to the coaches.
“I always say it’s the high school coaches, the junior high coaches, the AAU programs where you have basketball going all year around now.”
Tonight’s game figures to have some added emotion for Arkansas’ seniors from Little Rock and North Little Rock as a farewell appearance, but Macon said he and Beard shouldn’t alter their approach.
“Of course we want to go out with a bang,” Macon said. “But at the same time, we’ve just got to play basketball. At the end of the day we’ve got to go out there and still play as a team.
“Just because we’re back home, we can’t try to play individual ball. We’ve got to keep playing like we’ve been playing.”