Desi Sills entering NCAA transfer portal

Arkansas guard Desi Sills (3) plays against Vanderbilt during the second half of a game Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas guard Desi Sills is entering the NCAA transfer portal.

Sills, a junior guard from Jonesboro, made the announcement in posts to his Facebook and Instagram accounts on Wednesday, less than two days after the Razorbacks’ loss to Baylor in the Elite Eight.

“Dear Razorback Nation, I would like to start off by thanking you all for these last three years,” Sills wrote. “I am grateful for all the things my teammates and I were able to accomplish and the memories we were able to make in this year of uncertainty & thanks for pushing me every day in practice to make me a better player.

“I would like to thank Coach (Mike) Anderson’s staff for recruiting me & Coach (Eric) Musselman for allowing me to continue to play for my home state. It has truly been a pleasure to play at Bud Walton Arena.”

Sills averaged 7.7 points per game in his three seasons at Arkansas. As a sophomore, he added a career-high 10.6 points per game and entered the 2020-21 season as a second team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches.

Sills played in 98 games with the Razorbacks and earned a start in 47, including 15 last season. He saw his minutes decrease from 31.2 per game as a sophomore to 20.7 as a junior.

On his Instagram story, Sills later added, "I'm going somewhere I can be Desi Sills and not be (held) back! That's that on that. I'm a certified (bucket), y'all will see in the near future."

Sills scored in double figures 10 times in 2020-21, but did so only once over the final 17 games of the season. His two highest-scoring games – 23 and 22 points – came against Auburn on Dec. 30 and Jan. 20.

He also added 15 points on five three-pointers at South Carolina on March 2.

The 6-2 guard scored 7 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had 9 assists in Arkansas’ four NCAA Tournament games. He is the first Razorbacks player to announce intentions to transfer or depart the program since season’s end.