Texas Hoops Star Visits Arkansas

Bailey high on the Hogs

Victor Bailey

— When your mom is a former three-time Olympic sprinter and your dad a former NFL player, you’ve got a great head start in the gene pool.

Round Rock, Texas, McNeil senior shooting guard Victor “V.J.” Bailey (6-4, 175), who visited Arkansas last week, is the son of current Texas track coach Tonja-Buford Bailey – who competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics - and former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Victor Bailey.

“You could say that I got some great athletic genes since my mom was an Olympic speedster and (1996 bronze) medalist and my dad an NFL player, but I have put in a lot of hard work to get where I am today,” Bailey said. “They have been great mentors to me even though I chose a different sport.

Bailey, a consensus four-star prospect regarded as the top shooting guard in Texas, got to see all that Arkansas had to offer on his unofficial visit last Wednesday.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” Bailey said. “I got a chance to look over the campus, check out the new practice facility, the arena and the new academic facility, meet with coaches and some of the guys and even got a chance to watch them play.

“I also got a chance to check out their strength and conditioning program and just everything they have in terms of helping to develop players. It was impressive.

“There’s a lot of talent on the team and I think it is a program that is definitely on the rise.”

One of his favorite parts of the visit for Bailey – the No. 90 overall prospect nationally in the 2017 class per ESPN.com - was getting a chance to know Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson.

“We talked and he is real big on family and real big on being more than just a coach to his players,” Bailey said. “I truly believe that and that’s real big for me because I am truly looking for a place that is a family and not just a program.”

Bailey, who recently attended the NBPA Top 100 Camp, has offers from Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, UNLV, Missouri and Nebraska and interest from Illinois, Kansas, Ohio State, Texas, SMU and others.

“I’ve been to see Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Tulsa here lately,” Bailey said. “I’ll go see a few more schools and then start narrowing things down after the summer.”

Bailey and his RM5 Elite AAU team will play in the Nike Peach Invitational July 6-10 in North Augusta, S.C. and also play in tournaments in Dallas and Las Vegas before July is over.

He averaged a team-leading 16.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in EYBL action this spring.

“I think I have played pretty well, but we started out slow and just couldn’t get enough wins to qualify for the Peach Jam,” Bailey said. “We are looking to close strong.”