Arkansas women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors and other college coaches will likely be at North Little Rock High School numerous times in the future in hopes of landing some impressive talent.
Junior guard Kennady Tucker (5-11) and senior forward Yo’Myris Morris (6-2) have scholarship offers from the Razorbacks and others.
Tucker averaged 12.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 4.5 assists this past season while Morris averaged 16.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 2.1 steals and 1.6 assists for the 28-3 Charging Wildcats.
“She’s one of these the sky is the limit kids," said North Little Rock Coach Daryl Fimple of Tucker. “She’s kind of a multiple facet kid. She’s a bigger guard. She has an SEC body.”
In addition to the Hogs, Tucker has offers from Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and others. She was pleased to get her recent offer from the Hogs.
“I was glad to receive the offer,” Tucker said. “When you get an offer from your home state, it’s always good to stay home.”
Neighbors stressed how she could impact the program.
“He told me I would really play an important part on the team,” Tucker said. “He would love to have me there.”
Tucker is planning to attend a coming Arkansas camp. She has several other schools on her visit list.
“I plan on going to Louisville, and I’m going to try and go to South Carolina. And I might go to Vanderbilt, and I might make a trip to Tennessee,” Tucker said.
Fimple said Tucker has excellent tools for her position.
“She’s a kind of a bigger point guard type of kid,” Fimple said. “She can get out on the break and defend multiple positions and shoots it well enough. I think she’s the best player in her class in Arkansas.”
Another promising future Charging Wildcat is freshman Amauri Williams (6-4). She started for the ninth-grade team as an eighth-grader and is expected to be highly recruited.
Neighbors, who led Washington to a 29-6 record and the Sweet 16 this past season, was 98-41 in four seasons, including the Final Four in 2016 for the Huskies. Chantel Osahor and Kelsey Plum were All-Americans under Neighbors. Plum was also the consensus National Player of the Year.
Morris is impressed with Neighbors’ resume.
“I think it’s great to have an Arkansas guy to come back to Arkansas after where he took Washington,” said Morris, who set a school record with 27 double-doubles. “I think it’s a good move, and I think it will help the Arkansas program.”
She has numerous other offers from schools like Florida, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Fimple said Morris excelled despite being injured.
“She’s probably be a three or four in the SEC,” Fimple said. “She can run. She averaged a double-double, and she was playing with a stress fracture for the entire year.”
Fimple said Tucker and Morris are excellent students.
“They’re such good kids,” Fimple said. “They’re wonderful kids to be around.”