The Recruiting Guy

Two recruits find comfort in Hogs' family style

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo COMING TO TOWN: Arkansas men's basketball coach Mike Anderson is scheduled to address the Roy L. Murphy Razorback Club's annual banquet Monday at Hot Springs Intermediate School Gymnasium.

Two prospects visiting Arkansas Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson and his staff over the weekend quickly noticed the Hogs having a strong family atmosphere.

Power forward Reggie Chaney and guard Jordan Phillips ate dinner at Anderson's house Saturday night.

"When I went to coach's house they treated me like family even though I'm just a recruit," Chaney said. "They treated me like family like I was already on the team."

Chaney, 6-8, 230 pounds, of Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev., has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, DePaul, TCU, Wichita State and others.

He said he was surprised by what he experienced during the Fayetteville visit.

"The trip was amazing -- hung out with the players," Chaney said. "That was a lot of fun. Meeting new people and just seeing the town of Fayetteville. That was pretty neat. Seeing the campus, I didn't know how beautiful it was, and how nice the facilities are. I was blown away by that."

Chaney averaged 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks for the 33-4 Pilots.

One of the highlights of the trip, Chaney said, was spending time getting to know the Razorbacks players.

"Seeing them play and practice and how hard they went," he said.

Chaney said he will also take official visits to Texas A&M, Wichita State and TCU and is considering four other schools for a possible fifth visit.

He said his time in Fayetteville helped the Hogs.

"They're definitely one of my top schools for sure," he said. "I definitely will consider going to Arkansas."

He was taken aback that Razorbacks fans knew of him.

"That surprised me," Chaney said. "They love Arkansas."

Assistant coach Scotty Thurman has been the lead man in the recruitment of Chaney.

"Scotty Thurman is a really cool guy," Chaney said. "We get along pretty well. He was a good player back in the day. I didn't know that, I was too young. He's a really good coach. I like him a lot. We've built a really good bond."

Phillips, meanwhile, said it didn't take long for him to sense the family atmosphere.

"That really showed me a lot," said Phillips, 6-7, 210, of Arlington (Texas) Grace Prep Academy. "I also really liked the coaches. It was all just so cool, and I really loved being down here. Just loved it."

Phillips said he received his scholarship offer from Arkansas a week ago when he hosted Anderson, associate head coach Melvin Watkins and Thurman for an in-home visit.

Phillips said he also has offers from TCU, Fresno State, Virginia Tech and Georgetown, among others.

"I got to see them work out and they have some really, really great players and a couple of others that are real nice," Phillips said. "They are one of those teams that people are going to have to be looking out for nationally."

Phillips suffered an ankle injury that limited him in the spring, but he came back to average 23 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals per game during the summer.

Phillips has visited Fresno State and has plans to visit Georgetown on Sept. 22 and Virginia Tech on Sept. 29 before making a decision.

"I am just going to see how those two other visits go and probably some time soon after that is when I will make my decision," Phillips said. "I'll do that after sitting down with my family and seeing which school is the best fit."

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 09/19/2017