Hog Calls

Beard a dwarf among giants for Hogs

Arkansas' Anton Beard puts up a shot during the second half of a game against Sam Houston State on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Comparing pedigrees, Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson admits it appears difficult for his Razorbacks at Kentucky tonight.

"You look position by position, you line our guys up against theirs, from a talent standpoint there's no way," Anderson said.

Yet he looks down the bench at Anton Beard and gives his Razorbacks a fighting chance in today's 7:30 p.m. game at the No. 6 Wildcats at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

The Wildcats have bigger, better more heralded players than Anton Beard.

But none fight any harder than the 6-foot junior guard who played for North Little Rock's 7A state championship team and was MVP in that 2014 state championship game.

Beard embodies the Razorbacks resiliency that Anderson sees after Arkansas lost its SEC opener at home to Florida then trailed by 13 during the second half last Tuesday at Tennessee.

Arkansas cut the deficit to two at half and ultimately prevailed, 82-78.

Beard led the Razorbacks in Knoxville with 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Grasping an injured shoulder but not coming out for treatment, Beard made a pivotal late steal killing a Tennessee threat.

"How about Anton Beard?" Anderson said. "He gets hit on the shoulder and it's sore and he probably makes one of the biggest steals going down the stretch that enables us to get the ball back and get to the free-throw line."

On the offensive boards Beard becomes the dwarf among giants.

"Little as he is, I think he's probably the second leading offensive rebounder on our team," Anderson said.

His 19 offensive boards for the 12-2 Razorbacks are behind only 6-10 senior Moses Kingsley's 32.

"You can't teach heart," Anderson said. "And he's crafty. He has great instincts."

Anderson and Nolan Richardson used to say similar things about Corey Beck.

"He will fight until the General is dead," Richardson said of Beck when he was an assistant with Richardson coaching national championship and runner-up Arkansas teams from 1993-95 with Beck on point.

Anderson lavished similar praise on Beard two years ago. Those 27-9 Razorbacks with Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls didn't fully assert themselves until then-freshman Beard was inserted on the point.

It all unraveled last year. Beard and two teammates ran afoul of the law on forgery charges.

Beard did his due in a court-ordered program.

For basketball it seems he wasted a year, suspended the first semester and never in sync playing the second semester on a 16-16 team.

However, for Beard last season's waste seems this season's salvation.

"You're getting a second life and I think he's taking advantage of it," Anderson said. "You don't take it for granted any more."

Regarding Beard, just take for granted that while no longer starting, he's apt to be finishing.

"Our bench is the strength of our team," Anderson said.

And Anton Beard is the strength of the bench.

Sports on 01/07/2017