Walking call won't distract UA's Berna

Arkansas guard Calli Berna passes the ball during a game against Rutgers on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas point guard Calli Berna is going walking in Barnhill Arena, then running in Walton Arena and Verizon Arena this weekend.

Berna, a 5-10 senior from Fayetteville, will walk across the stage during a graduation ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday in Barnhill Arena after completing a degree in broadcast journalism. Then she'll practice at noon Saturday in Walton Arena and travel with the Razorbacks for their 2:30 p.m. Sunday game against Oklahoma at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock as part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

SEC-BIG 12 CHALLENGE

WHAT Women’s basketball doubleheader

WHEN Sunday

WHERE Verizon Arena, North Little Rock

TICKETS $18 for adults for both games. $12 for ages 2-18.

SCHEDULE

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 4 Texas A&M, 12:30 p.m.

Arkansas vs. Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m.

Texas and Texas A&M, ranked No. 3 and 4 nationally, play the opener of the doubleheader at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Verizon Arena.

"I'm just grateful I'm getting to go to my graduation ceremony," Berna said. "I know sometimes in sports you might play that same day, so you don't get to go through graduation."

Berna will graduate Saturday along with her boyfriend, Arkansas senior tight end AJ Derby, who transferred from Iowa.

"I'm proud of him," said Berna, who will work toward a master's degree in sports management. "I'm glad we're graduating together."

Arkansas Coach Jimmy Dykes said he isn't surprised Berna is graduating in 3 1/2 years because of her organizational skills and attention to details.

"I think Calli is a kid that wakes up every morning with a plan for that day and she just strings those together over the course of the year," Dykes said. "She's going to be great at whatever she decides to do.

"I know one of her goals right now is to get into broadcasting, and I think she'll be tremendous."

Berna worked some Arkansas volleyball games this season as an analyst for the SEC Network.

"If I was a local TV station, I'd be trying hard to get her on the air because she's smart, she knows how to work, she knows how to prepare as an athlete, and those things transfer over into how to do a job," said Dykes, who worked for ESPN the previous 15 years as a college basketball analyst. "She's articulate, personable. She knows sports. She's got a good on-air presence about her."

Berna, in her third season as a starter, is averaging 5.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists in an SEC-high 36.7 minutes.

"I wish I didn't have to play her quite that many minutes, but right now that gives us our best chance of winning," Dykes said. "She's just so consistent. Every day I know she's going to have a consistent effort, a consistent attitude and a consistent desire to get better."

Berna has 552 career assists to rank second on Arkansas' all-time list and her per-game average this season is second in the SEC, but she is shooting 24.2 percent from the field (15 of 62) and 59.1 percent from the free-throw line (13 of 22.) That's down from last season's 43.5 percent from the field and 66.7 percent on free throws.

"There obviously are things individually I can get better on, but if my team's winning, that's how I grade myself," Berna said. "My job is to get the ball to the scorers."

Dykes said Berna's passing ability is impressive, but he is hopeful she can raise her scoring average by a few points.

"I need her shooting eight or nine times a game as opposed to three or four," Dykes said. "She knows that and we're working on it, trying to get her to be more aggressive."

The Arkansas-Oklahoma game will mark the first time Berna has played in Verizon Arena.

"We're excited to go play for our central Arkansas fans," she said. "If they like what they see Sunday, they'll probably come up to Fayetteville and catch a couple more games.

"We want to show them what Arkansas basketball is all about."

Berna said her family and Derby's family have a dinner planned Friday night since she and Derby will practice Saturday. She isn't worried the graduation celebration and ceremony will have an impact on her focus for the Oklahoma game.

"I think Coach Dykes trusts me enough to know that once I graduate, it's time to get ready for Oklahoma," Berna said. "I don't consider it a distraction at all."

Sports on 12/18/2014