Central Arkansas Christian junior guard Christyn Williams, the most heralded girls basketball recruit the state has ever produced, is down to seven schools, including Arkansas.
Williams, 5-11, also lists UCLA, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Baylor, South Carolina and Tennessee among her top schools.
"I've made relationships with the coaching staffs and they all have the same qualities, like family atmosphere and easy to talk to," said Williams, who has 27 scholarship offers. "The head coaches, they all treat me with respect. They all have good qualities and I'm going to have a really hard decision from the seven schools because it's going to come down to the little things."
Williams is rated as the nation's No. 1 guard and No. 2 overall prospect for the 2018 class by ESPN.
Morrilton forward Shekinna Stricklen was previously the highest rated in-state prospect.
Stricklen, who signed with Tennessee, was ESPN's No. 3 wing and No. 8 overall prospect prospect in the 2008 class.
Stricklen was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm and now plays with the Connecticut Sun.
Longtime Arkansas Democrat-Gazette high school basketball editor Tim Cooper said he believes Williams is the best player the state has produced.
"Williams plays basketball on a different level," said Cooper, who has covered high school basketball since 1993. "Her decision making is what impresses me the most. You can't relax on defense for even a second because she's that quick to take advantage of any mistake. If there's a weakness in her game, I don't see it."
Williams was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sophomore of the Year after averaging 29 points, 11 rebounds and 7 steals last year.
Williams, who has visited Arkansas, Connecticut, Tennessee and Baylor, plans to visit the Razorbacks, Huskies and Notre Dame this fall.
She has hosted all of her finalists for in-home visits with the exception of South Carolina, which will make in-home visit in the spring. Arkansas Coach Jimmy Dykes and assistant Tari Cummings made an in-home visit on Sept. 19.
Williams said she got to hear Dykes talk about the program's focus on recruiting in-state talent.
"He tells me don't be from Arkansas, be Arkansas," Williams said. "That's what he closed out with during our home visit."
"I totally understand what he's saying, but at the end of the day I still have to be open minded to the other schools, so I couldn't really say much, but I completely get it."
Williams talked about some of "the little things" that could make a difference in her decision.
"Like the freshmen, do they stay in dorms or apartments and how far away is the school?" Williams said. "Is is too close to home. Stuff like that."
Hog Five
The five members of the 16-under Arkansas Hawks who have committed to the Arkansas basketball program received attention from Razorbacks fans while attending Hogs' 52-10 victory over Alcorn State at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
They visited several tailgates before kickoff and stayed for much of the game before leaving to conduct a workout in front of numerous fans at the War Memorial Fitness Center after the game.
Four of the Hawks are juniors -- forwards Reggie Perry, 6-10, 225 pounds, of Thomasville, Ga., and Ethan Henderson, 6-9, 190, of Little Rock Parkview; and guards Isaiah Joe, 6-2, 160, of Fort Smith Northside and Desi Sills, 6-1, 170, of Jonesboro. The fifth Hawk committed to Arkansas, sophomore point guard Justice Hill, 5-11, 160, of Little Rock Christian ,is a 2019 pledge.
The five commitments signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans.
"It really made us feel like superstars," Perry said. "This is the type of place we were looking for when we made our decisions."
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 10/02/2016