Junior college All-American guard Alexis Tolefree will come back home to finish her college career after signing with Arkansas last week.
Tolefree (5-8) of Jones County Community College in Mississippi chose the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU and several others. She recently officially visited the Bulldogs and Arkansas.
“When I took my visit, I absolutely fell in love with the coaching staff,” Tolefree said. “I’ve always wanted to be a Razorback since I was a little kid, and having the opportunity now is great."
She starred for Conway before becoming a second-team All-American selection as a sophomore and first-team All-American as a freshman in junior college. She averaged 21.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.6 assists this season, and shot 43.1 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the three-point line.
She signed with Ole Miss in the early signing period in November but opted out of her national letter of intent after Rebels coach Matt Insell was fired March 2.
Tolefree has a good relationship with second-year Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors.
“He’s really a cool guy and he just told me how it was and how it would be when I got there and made me feel welcomed,” Tolefree said.
Jones County Coach Missy Bilderback said Tolefree is an intense competitor who can score.
“Lexx is an amazingly talented player that can score in so many ways,” Bilderback said. “She is great in transition and can just flat shoot it, but her confidence and love of competition is what separates her. The bigger the moment, the better she is. She’s a great person, and [I'm] thankful for all she did for our program at Jones County Community College.”
Tolefree led Jones County to a 56-6 record in two seasons and scored a season-high 50 points with 12 three-pointers in the Region 23 championship victory over Copiah-Lincoln. Tolefree credits her teammates for getting her the ball in the 50-point game.
“They saw early in the game I got hot, and they continued to feed me the ball,” Tolefree said. “I felt like I couldn’t miss.”
Her family in Arkansas now will be able to see her play more often.
“They’re excited for me to be back home, and they're ready to be able to watch me play again,” she said.
Tolefree joins Little Rock Central small forward Erynn Barnum and combo guard Rokia Doumbia of IMG Academy in Florida as a part of the Razorbacks’ 2018 class. Two transfers, Chelsea Dungee of Oklahoma and A’Tyanna Gaulden of Florida State, will be eligible to play for the Razorbacks for the 2018-19 season after sitting out this past season.