LR HALL honors Portis, beats Maumelle.
LR HALL 77, MAUMELLE 58
Former Little Rock Hall basketball star Bobby Portis was at Cirks Arena on Friday night to watch his alma mater’s 77-58 victory over the Maumelle Hornets and attend his jersey retirement ceremony.
With time off for the NBA All-Star Game break, Portis — a forward with the Washington Wizards — traveled to Little Rock for the retirement of the No. 10 jersey he wore for the school.
Portis said he had not anticipated the honor.
“It was crazy,” he said. “Growing up as a kid, you don’t really think about jerseys being retired. You’re just playing for the love of the game. Now that I’m in the moment I’m in now, I know there aren’t many people who can say they’ve had their jersey retired.”
It puts Portis in the same company with Sidney Moncrief, a former star for Hall, the University of Arkansas and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Moncrief graduated from Hall in 1975.
“Sidney is an all-time great,” Portis said. “A great NBA player, a Razorback, and all that, so I’m following in some great footsteps.”
Portis, the 2015 SEC Player of the Year for the Razorbacks, graduated from Hall in 2013 as a McDonald’s and Parade All-American. He was drafted 22nd in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.
Portis played for Hall teams that won four consecutive state championships from 2010-13.
In three full seasons with the Bulls, Portis averaged 9.7 points per game. He was traded to the Washington Wizards on Feb. 6, and has since averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in four games.
“It seems like he was here just yesterday,” Hall Coach Jon Coleman said. “You know, he did so well at the university, and he’s just great. We’re just real proud of him.”
Portis watched Hall (19-6, 12-1 5A-Central) fall behind Maumelle 7-0 in the game’s first two minutes, but Hall dominated from that point forward. Behind senior forwards Kevon Cooper and Gregory Johnson, Hall led 40-28 at halftime and charged to a 53-30 third-quarter lead after a layup by Johnson with 3:15 left.
Cooper led Hall with 20 points. Johnson scored 16, and senior center Jarius Sharp scored 11.
Junior guard Tre Flowers led Maumelle (13-13, 6-7) with 13 points.
“We came out a little bit flat, but then we got it together,” Coleman said. “They responded well. We’re always going to face adversity, and we have to respond to it in a positive manner.”
Maumelle was never closer than 69-52 in the fourth quarter.
“It’s getting close to state tournament time, so we’re just trying to play the best basketball we can play,” Coleman said. “We hoped tonight the retirement of Bobby’s number would inspire them, and I think it did.”