FAYETTEVILLE -- For going on three seasons Jacorey Williams secretly has been the Arkansas Razorbacks' most athletic basketball player south of Michael Qualls.
The Williams secret became public Friday night at Walton Arena. With 6-6 junior soaring swingman Qualls, along with senior guard Ky Madden, for disciplinary reasons benched the first half of Arkansas' 110-74 exhibition victory over the University of Central Oklahoma, Williams became the most athletic available Razorback. He was the off-the-bench catalyst sparking Arkansas from down 17-13 at 12:40 of the first half to up 49-38 at intermission.
Finishing with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and a steal and assist in 14 minutes, the 6-8, two-year letterman junior reserve forward from Birmingham, Ala., scored 12 of those points, 6 for 6 from the field, when Coach Mike Anderson's Hogs needed them that first half.
Anderson appreciated that Williams and fellow junior reserve forward Keaton Miles, the transfer from the University of West Virginia tallying 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, 3 steals, 2 assists and 0 turnovers in 12 minutes, infused Arkansas energy within themselves.
"He [Williams] is letting the game come to him," Anderson said. "When he first got out there you could see he looked like that old guy trying to go get it, but as the game went on I thought he got into a rhythm that wasn't predicated on offense."
Anderson was impressed not just with what Williams didn't do but what he did.
"He does a great job of moving inside where the zone is and he can really run the floor," Anderson said. "He is our most conditioned athlete right now and he is jumping out of the gym as well. He is playing the game right way. This is Year Three and he is figuring some things out."
Williams seems to have figured that opening the game on the bench allows him to observe how the team needs him to impact the game over trying too hard to force his impact on the game.
"I was just sitting there observing the starters, how they were playing and how the opponent was playing," Williams said. "And we came in and adjusted. We just wanted to come in and exert as much energy as we needed to get the lead."
Miles also said he began on the bench observing where he best could fit before summoned.
Miles observed well, Anderson said because he certainly brought what was needed.
"You cannot talk about quality minutes, until you talk about a guy who played 12 minutes with three steals and a couple of blocked shots," Anderson said. "That's quality minutes."
Though finishing with a team high seven rebounds plus 11 points and 2 blocked shots in 20 minutes, sophomore star forward Bobby Portis said he was part of a "sluggish start" until Williams and Miles energized Arkansas off the bench.
"They gave us quality minutes out there," Portis said. "Keaton and Jacorey came out there and did their thing."
Sports on 11/10/2014