FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Mike Anderson has won his biggest recruiting battles each of the last two years, and neither dealt with incoming freshmen.
Guards Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford announced their intentions to return to Arkansas for another year last spring after a grueling NCAA Tournament loss. Freshman forward Daniel Gafford did the same Monday.
“The NBA might be in my future, but Fayetteville, Arkansas, is where it’s at," Gafford said in a video statement. "I’ll be back for another year playing in Bud Walton for you guys."
Gafford coming back for his sophomore season gives Arkansas an anchor around the rim and a tremendous shot-blocking presence. He is likely to serve as a veteran voice considering the youth on Arkansas' projected roster for next season. Gafford was special for a large part of his freshman season, and regularly provided glimpses as to why NBA folks continue to fawn over his potential.
He had his struggles and some called into question his readiness for a league with bigger, faster and stronger forwards and headier guards, but Gafford made an immediate impact after making his first start on a national stage against then-No. 14 Minnesota.
Gafford derived 53 percent of his positive scoring value at the rim in halfcourt settings and 25 percent at the rim in transition. He provided flare regularly at the rim and, on top of his rebounding and shot-blocking prowess, put immense pressure on his matchups to race down the floor. Few forwards could.
Simply, he runs the floor with intensity and grace and finishes efficiently at the rim.
Gafford’s at-the-rim points above median figure - which calculates how many additional points a player scores when compared with what a "median" player would have scored with those shot attempts - of 69.4 was far away the best of any Arkansas player. Jaylen Barford was second at 15.4.
Anderson is on record saying Gafford is arguably the most athletic big the program has ever seen. Following the announcement, Anderson laid out how monumental Gafford’s return is for 2018-19.
“Obviously this is great news for us,” he said in a statement. “He’s the centerpiece to what we are doing here, and this gives him the chance to build on the tremendous freshman year he had. Daniel is a special player and the sky is the limit for him.”
Offensively, Arkansas will revolve around Gafford, and perhaps that could give way to more pick-and-roll action. The Razorbacks were highly successful when the freshman was involved in those situations. He had highlight moments against Tennessee in the SEC opener and again just weeks later against Missouri doing just that.
It became a late-game staple for Anderson early in conference play when Arkansas was in dire need of a score. And, with a fresh complement of guards relatively new to the pace of the college game (minus Jalen Harris), Gafford could be a safety valve of sorts. As unproven college scorers, they will likely look to him with great frequency — as they should.
On the defensive end, Gafford is the foundation for what should be an improved and more defensive-minded group over the previous two seasons. Anderson's 2017-18 club finished with the second-worst defensive efficiency rating of his coaching career. Only his first Arkansas team (102.4) was worse.
With Gafford, Darious Hall, Adrio Bailey, Gabe Osabuohien, Ethan Henderson and others in the fold, length will be a plus for Arkansas, and forced turnovers and high deflection totals - a hallmark of Anderson's best defensive teams - may see an uptick given proper player progressions.
The rising sophomore could be in the running for not only league but national accolades heading into next season. Gafford was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team this season and will be a strong candidate for preseason all-conference honors later this year.
Regardless, Monday was a big day for Anderson and Arkansas basketball.