Hannahs made good decision to leave Texas Tech

Arkansas' Dusty Hannahs (3) looks to pass the ball as Texas Tech's Toddrick Gotcher (20), left, and Matthew Temple (34) defend in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Sarah Bentham)

On a warm day in mid-May, Dusty Hannahs emerged from the Pulaski Academy gym dripping with sweat.

He had been putting up jumpers for two hours and was ready for a break and a visit with former Pulaski Academy teammate and Arkansas football player Hunter Henry. The two chatted briefly before Hannahs headed back to the gym for more shooting.

The work has paid off for Hannahs, a junior shooting guard for the Hogs.

Heading into Wednesday’s key SEC road game against Florida, the Little Rock native is averaging a team-leading 17 points per game and is having one of the better seasons among newcomers in the league.

Coming out of high school in 2012, Hannahs wasn’t highly recruited.

He received interest from several Division I schools, including Arkansas, but committed to Texas Tech in September 2011 after a visit. Hannahs was hoping to be a part of Red Raiders coach Billy Gillispie’s comeback and an effort to rebuild the program, which had hit rock bottom.

Hannahs headed to Lubbock knowing it wasn’t going to be easy, for him or the team, but never could have envisioned what happened to Gillispie as the coach entered his second season.

NCAA rules violations coupled with a mass exodus of players and student managers, who claimed abuse, put pressure on Gillispie and by September he had resigned after an emergency room visit and an extended stay at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Despite the bizarre circumstances, Hannahs found some success and started 17 games while averaging 6.9 points per game and led the Red Raiders with 46 three-pointers. He averaged 8.9 points over the final 10 games.

At the end of the season, interim coach Chris Walker wasn’t retained. Tech hired successful veteran coach Tubby Smith to lead the Red Raiders.

Hannahs started only nine games as a sophomore and averaged 7.7 points per game. He hit three-pointers in 22 of 31 games and nailed all seven of his three-point tries at West Virginia.

After that season under Smith, Hannahs decided he needed a change and transferred to Arkansas. It was the best thing he could have done for his career.

The transfer probably didn’t register with too many Hogs fans at first. Hannahs' stats were average, and most thought the Hogs were getting a walk-on role player that could hit some three-pointers off the bench.

The difference between Hannahs at Tech and now is monumental thanks to the year he had to grow, both physically and mentally. Hannahs is bigger and stronger and more athletic.

With an improved body, more maturity and hours of working on his game, Hannahs has enjoyed great success. The cornerstone of his game, his dead-eye shooting touch that he regularly displayed in Lubbock, is intact.

Smith got an up-close view of how much Hannahs, who played on all-star teams overseas the past two summers, has improved when he scored 25 points - including 21 in the first half - against the Red Raiders in a 75-68 win in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday.

“We gave Hannahs a great opportunity (to play emotionally),” Smith said following the game. “I thought he came out focused and ready to play.”

The Red Raiders are going to have a better chance than Arkansas to make the NCAA Tournament this season, which would have been Hannahs’ senior year if he had stayed in Lubbock.

However, Hannahs has become a star in his home state and has helped a team that had few expectations, thanks to the departure of stars Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls to the NBA Draft, to improve and upset No. 5 Texas A&M and beat Tech in the same week.

I’m not sure of too many accomplishments that could have occurred at Texas Tech that would trump what Hannahs is experiencing this year, and there is plenty of basketball left to play. Plus next year looks tremendously bright with the return of many key players, including Hannahs' former Arkansas Wings AAU teammate Moses Kingsley, who may be the most improved player in the country.

A solid nucleus of Hogs will welcome a group of talented junior college players that could challenge the upper echelon of the SEC again.

Arkansas coach Mike Anderson has to not only be pleased with Hannahs’ play on the court, but he is a good leader, too. He earned academic honors both years at Texas Tech and should again at Arkansas.

Anderson has preached unselfish play and tried to promote cohesion. Hannahs couldn’t be a better example of that. He has had two years to be around his teammates and lead them. It is easy to see that they have taken to him.

Hannahs knew he needed a change of scenery. He has proven all year it was a win-win for him and the Hogs.

Smith found out last week what he was missing, if he didn’t already know.