FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ basketball program locked down two-thirds of its 2017 early signing period haul on Wednesday when El Dorado center Daniel Gafford (6-11, 223) and Little Rock Mills small forward Darious Hall (6-7, 210) inked their national letter-of-intents with the Razorbacks.
Those two join Little Rock Parkview guard Khalil Garland (6-6, 190) - who will sign Friday at 3 p.m. - as a trio of four-star prospects that form a class ranked 10th nationally by ESPN.
Gafford is ranked as the top player in the state, the 48th-best player nationally per ESPN and averaged 14 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks last season for the Wildcats.
He chose the Razorbacks over Kansas, Florida, Vanderbilt and others.
“We are really looking forward to having Daniel in a Razorback uniform,” Anderson said. “This young man committed to us as a sophomore and that really speaks to his dedication to this program. He is a tremendous athlete that can score, block shots and has a big time motor to run the floor.
“Daniel is oozing with potential and his ability to score in multiple ways makes him a special talent down low. He comes from a great family and we couldn’t be happier to have this high character young man join our family here at Arkansas.”
Hall - ranked just outside ESPN’s Top 100 - averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds per game during his junior season and chose Arkansas over Memphis, Alabama and UALR.
He played AAU ball for Team Magic Elite last spring and summer on the Adidas Uprising Gauntlet circuit while averaging 15.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.0 assists in 11 games.
“Darious is a young man that had a breakout season last year and is one of the best wing players not only in our state, but in the country,” Anderson said. “He’s a long, athletic guard that plays with great energy and can really score.
“His rebounding ability and versatility as a guard makes him a dynamic player. Darious is the ultimate competitor and will fit right into our system. He comes from a fantastic family and he’s always wanted to be a Razorback and now that dream has come true.”