The Recruiting Guy

Hogs' pledge called one of Texas' best

Jordan Phillips

Grace Prep Academy Coach Richie Alfred believes Arkansas Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson landed one of the top players in Texas when guard Jordan Phillips pledged to the Hogs last Sunday.

"He's such a versatile player," Alfred said. "He does so many things well. He handles it like a guard and passes it like a guard, and he has worked hard on his pull-up jump shot and mid-range game. That's the biggest improvement I've seen from him."

Phillips, 6-7, 210 pounds, picked the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville over scholarship offers from TCU, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Fresno State, SMU and others.

He was the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Player of the Year as a sophomore after leading the Lions in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He transferred to Cedar Hill for his junior year and averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds.

Grace Prep played without a home gym until recently when construction on a new on-campus facility was completed. Because the school lacked a facility, Phillips transferred to Cedar Hill for his junior year.

"We didn't have a gym, weight room, we didn't have the year-around training he needed, but Jordan and I have always had a great rapport," Alfred said.

Alfred praised Phillips' rebounding and defensive potential along with his character.

"He's a really good kid and makes it really enjoyable for me," Alfred said.

Phillips has a 3.5 grade-point average and plans to major in business.

"Grace Prep isn't an easy school, but Jordan has never struggled here academically," Alfred said. "He's always taken care of his business."

Battle of bulge

The waist lines of college coaches usually expand during the contact months of December and January while making in-home visits with prospects and their families.

When Arkansas Razorbacks defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads was the head coach of Iowa State, he went beyond the usual loosening of the belt to intense pain.

He and one of his assistants were scheduled to make two in-home visits in one evening, but the assistant failed to inform one mother not to cook for the visit.

"The first home we go to we eat a Mexican meal, and I commented on the beans that she had fixed and she said, 'Oh, you want some more beans?' and I said sure, so she fixes me an extra bowl of beans and we had tacos or fajitas -- something along those lines -- and they had dessert, too. I left there very full."

Rhoads and the assistant left for the next in-home visit, but it wasn't without difficulty.

"We spent a half-hour driving in circles trying to get out of the neighborhood," Rhoads said. "He couldn't get us out of the neighborhood. We were driving, and I said, 'You realize we've gone by this place three times.' "

The coaches eventually arrived at their next destination to find out the recruit's mother also prepared a big meal.

"I said, 'You didn't tell her we weren't coming for dinner?' and he said, 'No coach, we have to honor her. She cooked for us,' " Rhoads said. "So I said, 'All right, I'll manage this.' "

The mother insisted in fixing Rhoads' plate.

"She takes my plate for me and she puts a bed of rice down, two full chicken breasts, beans and Hawaiian rolls to go along with that, and then we had a pineapple upside-down cake to finish it off," Rhoads said. "I wasn't going to offend her. I finished off that plate, along with the upside-down cake. I was now in pain. Like bad pain."

It finally came time to leave, and Rhoads had choice words for the assistant.

"We got to the car, and we waved goodbye and closed the door," Rhoads said. "I unbutton my pants and zipper as fast as I could, and I told that assistant coach, 'If you ever do that again, you risk being fired.' I was in that much pain."

The good news is Rhoads signed both of the recruits.

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

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Sports on 10/15/2017