Beard's 2nd chance starts in hometown

Arkansas guard Anton Beard will have his welcome home and welcome back parties rolled into one when the Razorbacks play Mercer tonight at Verizon Arena.

Beard, a sophomore from North Little Rock, will make his season debut before a hometown crowd after missing the Razorbacks' first nine games because of a disciplinary suspension.

"I think Anton's in a good frame of mind," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "I'm sure the nerves will be going, having the opportunity to play back home.

"How much he'll play, we'll see. But he'll play."

Razorbacks junior guard Dusty Hannahs said he expects Beard to play well.

"I think he'll be effective right away," Hannahs said. "He's always played good. He's not one of those guys that's afraid of the lights.

"You know he's going to bring toughness and energy and a desire to win. That's kind of infectious when someone like that's on the floor."

Beard was suspended indefinitely from all team activities after his arrest July 22 on suspicion of passing counterfeit money at a Fayetteville business.

In September, Beard was charged with three counts of first-degree felony forgery. After agreeing to enter a drug court diversion program, he was reinstated to the Razorbacks and began practicing Nov. 16.

The drug court program is not just for people with issues; it's also for first-time, nonviolent offenders.

"He feels grateful to have the opportunity to still be here," Anderson said. "So I'm sure there are a lot of things he wants to correct.

"How do you correct that? By going out and doing the right things. So it's a life lesson for him."

Beard hasn't been made available for interviews since returning to the Razorbacks, but Anderson and Beard's teammates said he's been practicing hard and is excited to play.

"I think he'll be more than anxious, and I think he'll be chomping at the bit to play," Anderson said. "I'm probably going to have to temper him a little bit to just go out there and be you.

"He sees this team is playing well, and I think he'll try to come in and add to it."

Senior guard Jabril Durham said Beard, who has watched the past five home games from Arkansas' bench, will be motivated when he returns to the court tonight.

"Ever since he got back to practice, you can tell he's got a little chip on his shoulder," Durham said. "It seems like he's got something to prove, that he's still here and he's one of the top guards in the SEC.

"He wants to come out and do the things he did last year to help us win."

It will be Beard's first game in nine months. He last played in the Razorbacks' 87-78 loss to North Carolina on March 22 in the NCAA Tournament.

Beard averaged 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last season, and he started the final 16 games. As the only returning starter from a 27-9 team, he was expected to play a bigger role this year before his suspension.

"He's not the savior," Anderson said. "He's just a guy that's going to come in trying to get back into the rhythm of things, because right now our guys are playing at a pretty good level."

The Razorbacks said Beard has raised the competitive level in practice since his reinstatement.

"He's everywhere on the court and does all the dirty, gritty things -- taking charges, digging for the ball down low, and he rebounds real good for a guard," senior guard Anthlon Bell said. "His leadership is going to be big, too.

"A guy coming in with the experience he got last year is going to really help us."

Anderson said Beard has been embraced by his teammates.

"He's part of the family," Anderson said. "I think in times of trouble or when someone makes a mistake, you don't just abandon your family member.

"These are 'we' guys, and they include him as being a part of that."

Durham said during his suspension, Beard never stopped being a teammate.

"He got in trouble, and we wrapped our arms around him just like he's our brother -- and he is our brother," Durham said. "We're glad he's back with us."

Sports on 12/19/2015