The Recruiting Guy

Decision on top schools coming soon from Monk

Bentonville's Malik Monk, (5) dribbles around North Little Rock's Kambrion Dickerson (12) during the Class 7A Boys State High School Basketball Championships in Hot Springs on Saturday, March 14, 2015.

LAS VEGAS -- Arkansas men's basketball Coach Mike Anderson and his three assistants were on hand to watch Arkansas Wings Elite guard Malik Monk play in the Bigfoot Hoops tournament Wednesday night.

Monk, one of the top prospects the state has produced, was focused on the game.

"I didn't even see them, I don't pay attention to the coaches," Monk said. "I'm just trying to win."

Monk, 6-4, 190 pounds, of Bentonville, is rated the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 5 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN. After Wednesday's game, he turned his focus to playing in the prestigious Chris Paul The 8 tournament, also in Las Vegas.

Monk plans to announce his top schools after returning to Arkansas, but it will go beyond five schools and include the Razorbacks.

Malik's brother Marcus Monk, who played receiver at Arkansas in 2004-2007, said the family will get together after the tournament.

"We'll sit down and he'll go over everything with us," Marcus Monk said. "We'll go over everything and just have a sit down and get all the facts out and then he'll release how many schools. But there's more than five, though."

Malik Monk said he knows what he wants in a school.

"Good coaching on and off the court, good teammates and just an up-and-down pace," he said.

Monk averaged 26.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season for Bentonville, which lost in the Class 7A championship game to North Little Rock. He was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps basketball player of the year.

Anderson has made it known how much he wants Monk.

"Every college has a chance anyway, so I can't respond to somebody differently because they say I would be the face of their program," Monk said. "So I just have to look at it the same"

Marcus Monk said he and his mother are there to listen and to be Malik's sounding board.

"Our job is to help manage the process, not the decision. It's his decision," Marcus Monk said

Malik Monk said he will wait until the spring signing period to choose a school.

Offers go up

Little Rock Southwest Christian Academy forward Eric Curry, who also plays for the Arkansas Wings Elite, has seen his scholarship offers go up with his play this spring and summer.

Iowa State is the 12th school to offer a scholarship.

Curry, 6-8, 195 pounds, received an offer from Arkansas on July 13, adding to a list that includes Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, SMU and Virginia Commonwealth.

"I really like Arkansas. I like their program a lot," said Curry, who also said the number of offers is humbling. "I think I can fit in well into their system, but I'm still open.

"It's a very exciting process. I mean I'm just taking my time on it, but it's very exciting."

Curry, who averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for Southwest Christian last season, said his mother, Audrea Phipps, has been getting educated about recruiting.

"She is new to this, but we're just grateful for all of the colleges recruiting me," Curry said.

"I am very excited for my son, but beyond the excitement, I am very proud," Phipps said. "He is such a great kid that deserves it all. He has worked so hard."

Diet working

Power forward target De'Ron Davis of Aurora (Colo.) Overland played at the Real Deal in the Rock in April at about 250 pounds. He has since lost about 20 pounds, and the results on the court show it.

Davis, 6-10, 235, has more than 20 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Indiana and others. ESPN rates him the No. 14 power forward and No. 59 overall prospect in the nation.

"I'm just focusing on my diet," said Davis, who's paying for the Colorado Hawks in the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships. "I started my diet about a month or two before [the Real Deal]."

He said Indiana, Arizona, Colorado, Arkansas, UCLA , Notre Dame and Texas are recruiting him the hardest. He said he'll reveal his top schools soon, probably after the tournament.

Davis, who has attended two Arkansas summer camps, the last one in 2012, said Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson has told him he could have a similar career as former Hog Bobby Portis.

"They said I can do the same thing he did and more," Davis said.

E-mail Richard Davenport at

rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 07/24/2015