FAYETTEVILLE -- It hasn't been finalized, but Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said the Razorbacks probably will take a basketball tour of Spain in August.
Anderson said the exhibition games in Spain, along with 10 practices on campus before the trip, should help the team's four newcomers mesh with the returnees. "I think that's going to be big," Anderson said Monday. "Now we get a chance to get some feedback on the players we have, and kind of get them acclimated to what takes place up here with Razorback basketball.
"That's been my mindset since the season's over -- how can we get this group to come together quicker than most?"
Arkansas finished 16-16 this season a year after playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 and finishing 27-9. Anderson led Alabama-Birmingham and Missouri to a combined six NCAA Tournaments in nine seasons before coming to Arkansas -- including each of his last three teams at those schools -- but the Razorbacks have one NCAA Tournament appearance in his five seasons.
"My mindset every year is I want to be in the tournament," Anderson said. "I'm just used to that. So even right now, I don't really watch the games because I'm dialed in on trying to figure out what it's going to take for us to get back there."
Anderson said he'll hold individual meetings next week after the players return from spring break, but that he anticipates all of the Razorbacks with remaining eligibility to return for next season.
Arkansas' signing class is
led by Jaylen Barford, Daryl Macon and Arlando Cook -- rated among the top junior college players in the nation -- and Adrio Bailey from Lakeview High School in Campti, La.
Barford, a 6-4 point guard from Jackson, Tenn., averaged 26.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season at Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College.
Macon, a 6-4 shooting guard from Little Rock Parkview, averaged 23.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season at Holmes (Miss) Community College.
Cook, a 6-8 power forward from St. Louis, averaged 16.0 points and 10.1 rebounds this season at Connors State (Okla.) Community College.
Barford and Macon will have a chance to play big minutes with the Razorbacks losing senior guards Anthlon Bell and Jabril Durham.
Macon was coached at Parkview by Al Flanigan and at Holmes by Jason Flanigan -- Al Flanigan's son who played at Ole Miss -- and Anderson said he reflects their toughness along with being a versatile scorer.
"Daryl is a gym rat," Anderson said. "He's going to come up here and work. He's proud of the state he's from and having an opportunity to don that shirt means so much to him."
Anderson said Barford is a pass-first point guard with good vision who can create for others along with his own scoring ability.
"I think he's got a chance to be a heck of a defensive player as well," Anderson said. "The thing I like about him is he commands respect out on the floor with his team.
"Even as he came in on his visit talking to our guys, you could see he's beyond his years in age."
Anderson said Cook can fill a void the Razorbacks had this season as a forward who can play inside as well as on the perimeter.
Bailey, a 6-8 forward, averaged 19.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.9 blocked shots as a senior at Lakeview this season and was ranked among the top players in Louisiana.
Anderson compared Bailey's athleticism to former Arkansas guard Michael Qualls.
"You've got another guy that's a highlight waiting to happen," Anderson said.
Anderson said he expects all the signees to be eligible to enroll at Arkansas for summer school.
"That's the plan, and they're all doing well so far," he said.
If all the Razorbacks' underclassmen are back, the team will return six of its top eight scorers with guard Dusty Hannahs, who averaged 16.5 points, center Moses Kingsley (15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds), guards Anton Beard (7.0 points), Jimmy Whitt (6.1 points) and Manny Watkins (5.1 points) and forward Trey Thompson (3.1 points, 4.3 rebounds).
Kingsley, a second-team All-SEC pick by the coaches and media, said before the SEC Tournament he plans to return to Arkansas for his senior season.
Under a new NCAA rule, Kingsley could enter his name into the NBA Draft and attend the scouting combining without forfeiting his college eligibility. A player can withdraw from the draft up to 10 days after the combine.
"That's something Moses and I are going to sit down and talk about," Anderson said. "We'll know more in terms of what he actually wants to do, but certainly we'll get some feedback for him."
Dustin Thomas, a 6-7 junior forward from Texarkana, Texas, will be eligible to play for the Razorbacks after transferring to Arkansas from Colorado and redshirting last season. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds as a sophomore at Colorado.
"I thought he really helped out practices," Anderson said. "He was rugged, he was pushing guys around.
"He's one of those mean guys, and we can use that toughness on this basketball team."
Anderson was an Arkansas assistant for Nolan Richardson for 17 seasons from 1986-2002 when the Razorbacks made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, went to the Final Four three times and won the 1994 national championship.
"The standards of Arkansas are tremendously high and I understand that," Anderson said. "So to me a 16-16 season, I'm not satisfied with that.
"You have to look back and see what took place and there are some things you've got to get better at. You evaluate your program, evaluate myself, evaluate our staff, evaluate our players."
Sports on 03/22/2016