Junior point guard Jaylen Fisher showed why he's considered one of the nation's best at his position during the Battle of the Border on Dec. 6 at North Little Rock High School.
Fisher had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in a 56-47 loss to Little Rock Parkview during that game.
"I know I'm a good distributor," Fisher said. "I love the game. Mostly, I think it's my defense."
Fisher, 6-2, 185 pounds of Arlington (Tenn.) Bolton has approximately 15 scholarship offers including Arkansas, Memphis, Tennessee, Baylor, Florida and Southern Cal. His love of defense comes from playing for Memphis-based Team Thad and Coach Norton Hurd in the spring and summer and Bolton Coach Harold Scott.
"They put it in our minds you're not going to get anywhere if you didn't play defense before the offense came," said Fisher, who played in Real Deal in the Rock basketball tournament in April. "That was all I had. That's how I scored before I was able to do it on the offensive end by playing defense."
ESPN rates him its No. 6 point guard and No. 29 prospect in the nation for the 2016 class. The Hogs extended an offer to him during the summer.
Bill Ingram, Battle of the Border organizer and founder of Real Deal in the Rock, said Fisher is an elite prospect nationally and was the best player at Battle of the Border.
"He's a great talent," Ingram said. "I haven't seen a better point guard in the nation. His uptempo style would be a game-changer for the Razorback program. He was the best player at Battle of the Border and he played great at Real Deal."
Fisher said he likes Arkansas' uptempo style that focuses on high energy defense.
"I like the way they play," Fisher said. "They play full-court defense. They're tough and they don't back down from nobody. I like that. I like run and gun and full-court man.
He said he talks to Coach Mike Anderson and assistant coach T.J. Cleveland on a regular basis.
"We have a good bond right now," Fisher said. "I talk to coach Cleveland a lot more. He tells me that he likes my defense and the way I run my team and how I'm a floor general on the court. He said they need one of those."
Fisher said he's looking to visit Fayetteville in the next few months.
"I think I'm going to try and get down there this spring," Fisher said.
WATCH, NO TALK
Several Houston area high school coaches and prospects will take in part of Arkansas' bowl practice Saturday. NCAA rules prohibit members of the Arkansas coaching staff from talking to the recruits, but the recruits can watch the Hogs go through drills.
PITCHING IN
Arkansas linebacker commitment Derrick Graham, 6-4, 225, 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Wauchula (Fla.) Hardee said he plans to return to Fayetteville during the Jan. 16-18 weekend to help recruit other Florida athletes to be Razorbacks.
The Hogs are expected to host numerous top prospects from Florida that weekend.
Graham and his older brother P.J. made an official visit to Arkansas for the Northern Illinois game in September. He and his brother will pay their own expenses for the return trip to Fayetteville.
HILL HEADS TO SAN ANTONIO
North Little Rock receiver and Arkansas commitment K.J. Hill will arrive in San Antonio on Sunday to report for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl to be played at the Alamodome Jan. 3 at noon on NBC.
Hill, who was the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Offensive Player of the Year as a junior, played his final two seasons at North Little Rock, accumulating 3,784 all-purpose yards and 42 touchdowns. He caught 128 passes for 2,238 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed 71 times for 506 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also returned 12 kickoffs for 393 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 37 punt returns 647 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Hill started his career at Bryant was named to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Super Sophomore team after catching 48 passes for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushing 27 times for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Another Razorbacks commitment, punter Blake Johnson, 6-1, 190, of Los Alamitos, Calif., also will participate in the game along with linebacker-defensive end and Arkansas target Porter Gustin.
Gustin, 6-4, 238 pounds, 4.63, of Salem Hills High School in Utah has scholarship offers from more than 30 schools, including Arkansas, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Arizona State, UCLA, Oregon and Florida State. ESPN rates him its No. 8 athlete and the nation's No. 129 overall prospect.
The Hogs are hoping to get one of Gustin's two remaining official visits in January.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 12/26/2014