FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas senior guard Daryl Macon’s first two shots in Friday night’s Red-White game were really deep 3-pointers that found nothing but net.
He had 11 of his 17 points on the night in the first half of his White team’s 95-69 over the Red and said he wanted to make a statement early.
"I have a chip on my shoulder right now," Macon said. "I have a point to prove. Each and every game I am going to come out strong.”
Macon is mad because the Razorbacks were picked sixth in the SEC Media poll and he was not on either the first or second team all-conference teams.
"I don't want to say, but yes, that's it," Macon said. "As far as our team they picked us sixth and individually I personally thought that I should have been on the first or second team.
“At the end of the day, it's a personal opinion. I see that they picked us sixth and they didn't want to pick me for the All-SEC team so this is how I am going to play from here on out so at the end of the season, they won't have a choice.”
Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson loves what he sees out of Macon.
“I think the biggest thing is that maturity for Daryl,” Anderson said. “Last year, a lot of things were going fast. I think this year, it’s kind of slowing down for him. As it slows down for him, now these guys will play off each other. I think you saw it tonight with him and (fellow senior guard Jaylen) Barford. They kind of played off each other, so I think when you win, all the individual accolades will come.
“Obviously, different things motivate different guys different ways. The most important thing is the team and I think he’s worked on his game. That’s why when you look at the percentage and his shot, right now it’s effortless because he’s put the time in.
“You talk about having a chip, a log, whatever you want to call it, yeah, we all have it on our shoulders. The key is you have to go out and get better, improve each and every night when you go out and play teams.”
Freshman 6-11 center Daniel Gafford had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the winners while senior guard Jaylen Barford (14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists), freshman Darious Hall (14 points, 8 rebounds), senior forward Dustin Thomas (12 points, game-high 9 assists, 8 rebounds) for the winners.
Freshman forward Gabe Osabuohien had 11 points for the White team and two more for the Red squad when he switched jerseys and walk on Jonathan Holmes 4 points for the White squad.
Sophomore guard CJ Jones led the Red team and all scorers with 24 points while sophomore Adrio Bailey chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds, Anton Beard 18 points and 7 assists, senior Trey Thompson 4 points and 5 rebounds and redshirting transfer guard Jalen Harris 3 points.
“Overall I thought our guys came out and just had fun,” Anderson said. “One team, obviously you've got Macon and Barford, two of your better players. I thought Daryl set the stage right off in the game, making a couple of shots, getting some easy opportunities.
“The assist totals are something I always look at after the game and the White team really did a good job of sharing the basketball. Getting easy opportunities. … We play a game of runs and you saw that. But the potential is there.”
Anderson love the big effort from Gafford, who was one of the top 50 high school players in the country last season according to ESPN.
“Daniel had a big night,” Anderson said. “I've got to commend the guys for getting the ball to him in the right spots. He did a good job on the glass, ended up with 15 rebounds. But you look at the White team, they had balanced scoring. A lot more balanced scoring and got to the free throw line and of course they dominated on the glass.”
Anderson believes Gafford’s energy is a factor for his teammates.
“He started off slow, I thought,” Anderson said. “But I thought he got more engaged as the game went on. It wasn't just the way he scored. I thought our guys did a good job of penetrating and getting the ball to him or getting him on time. Then he had a lot of offensive rebounds.
“I think his energy is contagious. You get a big guy that’s that active, man, it just goes throughout your team. He’s long back there at that basket, too, in terms of making guys… He probably didn’t block a whole lot of shots, but what he does, he changes the trajectory. What I like about him, he rebounds above the rim. He goes and gets rebounds. He’s still got a lot of improvement to do, but you can see the potential there.
“…You see him run the floor like a guard. This guy, he runs like a deer. He’s probably in the best shape he’s ever been in. To play, especially in this style of play, I think it benefits a guy like him, very much like (former Razorback) Bobby (Portis). He can run the floor. Around that basket, man, he has good hands, too. A big guys with hands, that length, that athletic ability. He can make some plays.
Macon wasn’t surprised at all to see Gafford’s big night.
“It's exactly what I thought it was," Macon said. "He is explosive, active and is just willing to get better each and every day. You just got a glimpse of it. That is not even all of it. You just got a glimpse of it tonight. When you are playing basically 5-on-5 for 20 minutes with no breaks, it's tough. So you got a glimpse of it. He didn't give you everything he had."
Jones echoed that same type sentiment.
"That is what we see every day in practice," Jones said. "He does the same thing every day when we are scrimmaging.”
Jones was stuck behind several guards last season, but certainly should have the opportunity for a lot more playing time this season.
“I think the first year coming here, we had some pretty good guards in place with (Dusty) Hannahs here, with Manuale (Watkins) here,” Anderson said, “ and of course then you've got the junior college All-American guys coming in. And so it was one of those cases where he probably didn't get the minutes that could help him get to that level. But he wasn't quite ready for it.
“I think it's just a mentality now. I think his mentality is a lot different. Maturity has trickled in. The game has kind of slowed down for him. He's always a guy who could score and shoot the basketball, but he's doing more things. You see him go off the bounce. Very, very athletic. People don't know how athletic he is.
“There's a lot of room to grow for CJ, but I think it's more of a the mindset. In other words, saying, 'I know I know belong here. I know I belong out on that floor.' But how do you do that? You've got to prove it in practice each and every day. Then you've got to have some carry over into the game.”
Jones felt like he was going to have a big game.
"I am real comfortable catching and shooting," Jones said, "That is basically what I do. I had a good workout before the scrimmage so I kind of knew I was going to be on tonight. But I that is what I do - catch and shoot."