The Recruiting Guy

Ohio forward seeks help to NBA

A basketball sits in a rack at Bud Walton Arena in this undated photo.

ESPN four-star small forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton will be focusing on how University of Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman and his staff can prepare him for the NBA during his official visit to Fayetteville this weekend.

"The main thing is I want to see the player development," said Ambrose-Hylton, a Toronto native. "I'm trying to get to the next level."

Ambrose-Hylton, 6-8, 196 pounds, of The International Sports Academy in Willoughby, Ohio, had more than 25 scholarship offers before he narrowed them down to Arkansas, Dayton, Alabama, North Carolina State and Southern California about three weeks ago.

He and his mother, Michelle Ambrose, were expected to arrive in Fayetteville late Thursday night for his visit that starts this morning. He said he's looking forward to seeing how Musselman's NBA background can benefit him.

"I want to see how they develop the guys," Ambrose-Hylton said. "He understands what players need in terms of getting to the next level in term."

ESPN also rates Ambrose-Hylton as the No. 14 small forward and the No. 58 overall recruit in the nation for the 2020 class.

Recruits have been impressed with Arkansas' detailed breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of their game. Musselman has given Ambrose-Hylton a quick rundown of what the Hogs can do for him.

"Coach Musselman said how he really wanted to work with me on my shots and how even though I'm a good shooter from outside, he thinks he can get me to that lethal kind of shooter where I'm a knockdown shooter on open shots or contested," Ambrose-Hylton said. "He wants to work with me on my handles."

Ambrose-Hylton averaged 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and a blocked shot per game for UPLAY Canada during the regular season in the highly competitive Nike EYBL in the spring and summer. He averaged 20.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.8 steals per game in the season-ending Peach Invitational at Augusta, Ga.

He has made official visits to Dayton and North Carolina State prior to his trip to Arkansas. He also plans official visits to Southern Cal on Oct. 18-20 and Alabama on Oct. 25-27.

Ambrose-Hylton, who communicates with the entire Arkansas staff, said he has been researching Musselman and his teams at Nevada.

"I watched a lot of game film of them when Coach Musselman was at Nevada to see how he plays the wings and the type of tempo," he said. "Watching that let me know how they used the wings like the two, three and four."

Ambrose-Hylton earned a spot on the Canadian national team that competed at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Greece during the summer.

His mother has enjoyed staying in communication with Musselman.

"She likes how nice Coach Musselman is and how he's always hitting her up," Ambrose-Hylton said.

His mother's opinion will count in his college decision.

"She definitely has input and she will definitely help me with my decision even though generally it's on me," he said.

Ambrose-Hylton said he is also looking to learn about what Arkansas has to offer off the court.

"Definitely academics and tutors, how they'll help during the season," he said. "Also get a tour of the campus and see the community vibe and see if I can see myself there on a daily basis."

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 10/11/2019