Newcomers fighting to fit in with Arkansas hoops

NATE ALLEN

FAYETTEVILLE — By Thursday the Arkansas Razorbacks’ basketball freshmen were drilling considerably better than Monday’s opening of 10 on-campus practices before their four-game exhibition tour of Spain.

“Monday was rough,” C.J. Jones, the freshman guard, said before coach Mike Anderson practiced the Razorbacks Thursday at Walton Arena. “Learning the speed of the game we play, defense and full-court pressure, and we have great guards I am learning from on and off the court. We’ve made a lot of progress.”

They had a lot of progress to make, Anderson said Thursday while speaking at the Kendrick Fincher Hydration for Life event at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers.

“The first practice was like an initial shock to these guys,” Anderson said. “First of all, they’re playing with a different (international) ball. Then just going out and actually getting after it with everybody. The intensity picks up.”

It’s not just the freshmen adjusting, junior college transfer forward Arlando Cook confessed.

“This is a big adjustment coming from the junior college level,” Cook said. “There’s a lot of different stuff we’ve got going on and the different things you’ve got to know being up here.”

Cook said the academics and life on your own off the court is a big adjustment. So is life on the court.

“On the court, the speed is different, playing the faster pace and really get up and down,” Cook said.

The speed at which Anderson coaches his Hogs to play