The ninth Real Deal in the Rock basketball tournament will tipoff Friday in central Arkansas, with teams from across the nation playing on more than 40 courts until competition ends Sunday.
The tournament will be based out of the P.A.R.K. complex on Geyer Springs Road, where fans will be able to see four games at once.
Bill Ingram, the executive director of Real Deal in the Rock, said this year’s list of national talent will be on par with past years, including the 2012 event that saw twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, who have signed with Kentucky.
Both were ranked in the top five nationally by ESPN.
“Once again we have another loaded group of teams and star players coming in,” Ingram said. “We’re going to continue to build on our history. “
Ingram ran down an allstar honor roll of NBA players who have participated in the tournament.
“You can list Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose Mike Conley Jr. the Lopez twins, Robinand Brook.” Ingram said.
Arkansas is recruiting several of the top players, including center Jahlil Okafor, 6-10, 280, of Whitney Young High School in Chicago, who is rated the No. 4 nationally by future150.com and will play for Mac Irwin Fire. Future150.com rates Okafor’s teammate, center Cliff Alexander, 6-9, 240 of Chicago Curie, as the nation’s fifth-ranked prospect.
Okafor and Alexander will take on the Arkansas Hawks at 7:30 Friday evening at P.A.R.K. The Hawks feature at least three players being recruited by the Razorbacks: forward Trey Thompson, 6-10, 230, of Forrest City; point guard Kahron Ross, 6-0, 150, of Jonesboro; and sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen, 6-3, 190, of North Little Rock.
Allen, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Sophomore of the Year, is rated the No. 25 prospect in the 2015 class, according to future150.com. He’ll split time with the Arkansas Soldierz and the Hawks during the spring and summer.
Other players being looked at by Arkansas include forward Craig Victor, 6-8 of New Orleans Elite, shooting guard Chris Sandifer of California- based Belmont Shore, sophomore point guard Admon Gilder, 6-3, of the Dallas Mustangs, and sophomore forward Chris Harris, 6-9, of the Houston Superstars.
One of the biggest names expected to participate in the Real Deal is future150.com’s No. 10 prospect, center Karl Towns, Jr., 6-10 of Sports U in New York. Towns is committed to Kentucky.
EYE-OPENING VISIT
Highly recruited defensive end Solomon Thomas didn’t have much interest in Arkansas until he visited a couple weeks ago. He had previously visited six times to see his sister who attends Arkansas but had not checked out the football program
“I went in there and wastotally surprised by how the new coaching staff, the facilities, the feel of the campus and how life is out there,” Thomas said.
“I came out with a pretty good amount of interest. I’m really considering Arkansas right now.”
Thomas, 6-3, 256, 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Coppell, Texas has 36 scholarship offers, including Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. He’s rated as the nation’s No. 88 prospect by recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network.
Thomas said he was impressed by the way the coaches interacted with him.
“They’re so real to you,” Thomas said. “They’re not just trying to get you to their program They’re trying to see who you are and see how you would fit into their program. It was like the first visit I’ve ever been to where they weren’t just trying to sell their program.”
Thomas, who was named the defensive line MVP at the Nike Training Camp in Allen, Texas on Sunday, is being recruited by running backs coach Joel Thomas.
“I met his son and his wife,” Thomas said. “He’s just a nice guy and he’s just trying to get to know me. He really not trying to recruit me, he’s just trying to get to know me as a person and who I am.” CHARGING WILDCAT
North Little Rock cornerback Kavin Alexander wowed onlookers Saturday at the Dallas Nike Football SPARQ Combine with the nation’s best rating of 148.17 at Allen High School.
The score is the second best SPARQ rating ever recorded. The best score, 154.47, was posted last year Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian Academy linebacker Mike Mitchell.
On Sunday, Alexander was invited to The Opening, a four-day event to be held June 30-July3 that features the nation’s top 150 players at Nike World Headquarters in Oregon. The invitation was based on his performance at theNike Training Camp also held at Allen High School.
“I’ve been working all off season to do it and then I did it,” Alexander said.
Alexander, 5-9, 182 pounds, recorded a 4.36 electronic time in the 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical jump, a 3.90 second pro-shuttle and tossed the 6.6 pound power ball 42.5 feet on Saturday for the 148.17.
Alabama signee Altee Tenpenny represented North Little Rock the past two years at The Opening. He finished runnerup at the SPARQ combine during the 2011 event.
“My goal is to outscore him, “said Alexander, a cousin to NFL running back Darren McFadden. “I’m trying to win it.”
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports, Pages 19 on 04/09/2013