MANSFIELD, Texas -- University of Arkansas basketball Coach Eric Mussselman spent Friday and part of Saturday in Atlanta for the Nike EYBL event before flying to Dallas in the afternoon for the Adidas Gauntlet to catch guard Kyree Walker in action.
Walker, 6-6, 220 pounds, of Phoenix Hillcrest Prep is an ESPN 5-star prospect, No. 4 shooting guard and No.13 overall prospect in the 2020 class.
Arkansas assistant coach Corey Williams watched Walker and California-based Dream Vision's first two games of the weekend. Walker scored 13 and 10 points in those games.
On Saturday, he said he planned to put on a show for Musselman on Sunday, and in the first game he had 16 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in a 89-75 victory over the Atlanta Celtics with Musselman and Williams courtside.
"It was a really good game for me and the team," Walker said. "We played team basketball."
He enjoyed seeing Musselman at the game.
"It was good," Walker said. "Coach Musselman text me before the game and told me he was coming, so I expected him."
Walker followed up the first game with 19 points, 5 assists and a steal in an 82-62 victory over Team Loaded NC about two hours later. He's averaging 15.4 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists while helping lead Dream Vision to a 7-0 record in Gauntlet play this spring.
ESPN national director of recruiting Paul Biancardi said there's a lot to like about Walker's game but sees room for improvement.
"He's a powerful and explosive open floor athlete," Biancardi said. "Definitely at his best in the offensive conversion game. In the half court, he is a better passer than advertised. He makes open shots and finishes his drive at a good level. The next step would be to get that all important middle game. At times, settles for tough shots and makes some, but it hurts his percentages. He should tighten up his impressive frame, to optimize his ability."
He said during the weekend he would probably decide if he would reclassifying and become a 2019 recruit after summer basketball is complete. Arkansas appears to be in good shape to get an official visit from Walker.
"Probably, I have to talk to my parents, talk to the coaches and see what's the best for me and I'll try and get everything situated by the end of the day," he said.
Musselman also saw Walker's high school teammate and Arkansas point guard target Dalen Terry, 6-7, 205 pounds, play for Compton Magic Elite on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
He has offers from California, Utah, Marquette, Southern California, Arizona State and others.
Sy expecting to visit
Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman and staff are still expected to get an official visit from one of the nation's top junior college prospects.
Power forward Khadim Sy, 6-10, 250 pounds, of Daytona (Fla.) State College, has officially visited Pittsburgh, East Carolina and Ole Miss. He'll visit LSU this week and is expected to visit Arkansas afterward.
"I think Khadim shows a level of skill that's unprecedented for his size," Daytona State College coach Brock Morris said. "At 6-10 he has the ability to shoot the three-pointer. He made 32 percent of his 100 attempts this year. He also has the ability to drive the basketball from the perimeter or from the post position either direction. And he still has a power game that you would expect from someone 6-10, 250 pounds."
Sy started in 28 games for Virginia Tech during the 2016-17 season and averaged 4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.4 minutes a game while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor and blocking 20 shots.
He left the program in September after his freshman season for Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College , but returned to Tech a month later, but left again in August of 2018 for Daytona State.
Sy, who's rated the No. 6 player in the nation by Juco Recruiting, averaged 16.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 block shots a game while shooting 55.1% from the field this past season for the Falcons.
"He's also a very, very good student," Morris said. "Excels in the classroom. He's got a big personality and is a natural leader in the locker room. Players gravitate towards him and I think fans do as well. He brings a lot of energy to a program outside the basketball court."
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 04/30/2019