Pair wowed by direction of UA with Neighbors
University of Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Mike Neighbors’ program took a huge step in the right direction with an 83-78 victory over three-time national champion Baylor on Sunday.
Neighbors has elevated the program each year since landing his dream job in Fayetteville in 2017.
The win over the No. 4 ranked Bears was the first against a top5 team since 2003 and was the first time the Razorbacks defeated a defending national champion in 25 seasons. The victory impressed two major 2022 Arkansas targets in ESPN 5-star guard Ysabella Fontleroy and forward Kharyssa Richardson.
“That’s huge,” Fontleroy said. “That’s what every school wants to do, is beat those caliber of teams. Not only beat them but eventually become them, and I think if they continue to play the way they have been playing, they’re definitely well on their way to becoming that level of a program.”
Fontleroy, who’s rated ESPN’s No. 2 wing and No. 12 overall prospect for the 2022 class, has approximately 30 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Virginia, Louisville, Kansas and others.
She was able to catch Arkansas in action a little after halftime of the Baylor game.
“I feel like even though Baylor is really big and really physical they played very smart and spaced the floor well, so they could drive those lanes and get to the basket and they never took a possession off,” Fontleroy said. “They kept fighting the entire game.”
Fontleroy, 6-1, of Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo and her parents visited Fayetteville for last year’s Tennessee-Martin game on Dec. 29, and the Texas A&M contest four days later.
Prospects haven’t been able to visit college campuses since March 13 after the NCAA announced a dead period because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Once the dead period is lifted, Fontleroy plans to visit Neighbors and Arkansas again.
Sunday’s victory has her optimistic about where Neighbors’ program is headed.
“Yes, absolutely,” she said. “I think over the past few years of rebuilding that Coach Neighbors has done a really good job of making them become one of those schools on their way to being a top school. I feel like every year you just see the progression of the team and just how much better they’ve gotten.”
Richardson, 6-2 of Douglasville (Ga.) New Manchester, has about 15 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, TCU, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Colorado and others.
She wasn’t able to watch the Razorbacks defeat Baylor but found the replay on YouTube.
“It was very interesting,” Richardson said. “Arkansas started very strong from the tip. Number 33 [Chelsea Dungee], their point guard, her first two points she went very strong. Their whole team is very physical, which I definitely like because you don’t see a lot of teams that are physical.”
Seeing Arkansas topple the threetime national champion gained favor in Richardson’s eyes.
“It does because that’s an amazing accomplishment,” Richardson said. “I really do like that and really love how the team comes together and how they play together.”
Richardson, who averages 20 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4 steals, 3.5 assists and 6 blocks a game, has noticed how Neighbors and his staff communicate with the players.
“Even though I can’t hear them, I like the way they interact with their players, and he treats them like they’re his own children,” she said. “I like a coach like that.”
Neighbors and assistant Pauline Love head up the recruiting of Richardson. She and her parents enjoyed a recent Zoom meeting with the staff.
“I talk to Coach Pauline almost every other day if we can touch base, but if not we just call each other,” Richardson said. “Coach Neighbors and I were talking about his son. We had a virtual meeting I think last week, so we got to catch up and get to know each other a little more.
She plans to visit Arkansas once the NCAA dead period is lifted.
“Yes, I do plan on coming up there,” Richardson said.