Barford, Macon to play in prestigious senior showcase

Former Arkansas guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon will participate in one of the country's most prestigious senior showcases this week in Portsmouth, Va.

FAYETTEVILLE — Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford will head to the East Coast this week looking to better their chances of playing professional basketball.

The duo will play in the 66th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament at Churchland High School in Virginia, which begins Wednesday and wraps up Saturday.

One of college basketball’s first major events of the offseason, the tournament serves as another – perhaps final – opportunity to stand out against strong competition in front of foreign scouts and representatives of each NBA team.

“They'll be up there for the rest of the week. Hopefully they can go up there and impress,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said following the team’s end-of-season banquet Monday night. “They've got their names out there. Now this gives them an opportunity to go out and solidify their names even more when you bring in 64 of the top seniors.”

Those seniors are divided into eight teams of eight players, and each team is guaranteed three games.

Barford will team up with Butler’s Kelan Martin, St. Mary’s star Jock Landale, Virginia’s Isaiah Wilkins as well as Oklahoma State’s Jeffrey Carroll.

Macon will play alongside Jerry West Award finalist Kendrick Nunn of Oakland, Chris Chiozza of Florida, Texas Tech’s Zach Smith and Wichita State’s Shaquille Morris.

“I heard a lot of big-name players have played there and I think there’s some great competition that’s going to be there this week,” Barford said. “I don’t think we’ve got to prove so much. We’ve just got to play our games and keep doing what we were doing during the season — just be ourselves.”

Macon said he’ll enter the tournament with the same chip on his shoulder he’s always carried with him.

“It’s another great opportunity for us to showcase our talents,” Macon said. “Trying to get our name out there one last time. We’re just chasing a dream. We work hard. I think everything is going to fall into place.

“I want to go out there and give it my all and represent the state well.”