'He's a real dude': Notae a no-maintenance star for rising Razorbacks

Arkansas guard JD Notae reacts on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, during overtime of the Razorbacks' 80-76 win over No. 1 Auburn at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. Visit nwaonline.com/220210Daily/ for the photo gallery.

FAYETTEVILLE — Recruiting trips and visits are often centered on entertainment, pulling out all of the stops to try to sway a prospect into a commitment.

That was the common thread in essentially every one Eric Musselman experienced in his time as a college coach. And then JD Notae provided a memorable breath of fresh air.

Now a guard with a legitimate shot to win the SEC scoring title, Notae remains the cheapest recruiting venture Musselman has had over the years. There was no expensive dinner. There was no taking advantage of a coach with a credit card.

“All he wanted to do is talk basketball, get a hamburger and a pizza,” Musselman recalled Wednesday. “He didn't order three steaks to take back to his hotel room. And that's the dude he is, man.

“Everybody on staff loves JD Notae. Everybody on the team likes JD Notae, because he's a real dude, and he's tough, he’s competitive, he’s appreciative. I've never been on a visit where you don't have to entertain a guy.

“All he wants to do is either watch game tape or talk. He’s just a no-maintenance type of guy to be around.”

It is a humanizing anecdote in Notae’s unique journey. Once a small-college standout at Jacksonville (Fla.) University, he has become one of the top two-way players in the SEC.

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After winning the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2020-21, he is likely to comfortably land on an all-conference team at the conclusion of the regular season. Notae, simply, has been as instrumental in his team’s success — and complete turnaround — as any player in the SEC.

“When we can keep JD on the court, we’re a better team in all aspects — defensively and offensively,” Razorbacks forward Jaylin Williams said. “He’s our floor general. He runs the offense. He’s guarding their best, if not their second-best, player at all times.

“JD does everything for us, and when we can keep him on the court we’re a better team.”

According to CBB Analytics, he has been Arkansas’ most valuable player in SEC games. Notae has a net rating of 36.1, and the Razorbacks’ offensive rating improves 18.9 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor.

Perhaps most impressive is that the team’s defensive rating is 17.1 points better per 100 possessions when Notae is in the lineup. It improves 10.8 points with Williams on the floor.

Musselman, however, did not feel as if Notae was putting his best foot forward on the defensive end Tuesday at Florida. And he let the guard know about it in the second half with a brief, old-school chewing.

Musselman got his point across. Notae responded and finished the game giving up one score on five Gators field goal attempts as the nearest defender. Then the interaction was forgotten, which speaks to their closeness and special bond.

“JD and I are on the same wavelength,” Musselman said. “There's one player I never worry about during the course of a game with interaction and communication and being on the same wavelength, and that's JD. I mean, since he's been here, even during his sit-out year, in practice or whatever, I mean, he's the one guy.

“He knows exactly what I'm thinking, whether I say something, don't say something. He can read my body language probably as good as any player I've ever coached.”

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Notae concerns himself with little else other than doing what he can to help Arkansas win games and perfecting his craft. After missing a potential game-winning three at Alabama on Feb. 12, he returned to the Razorbacks’ practice facility that evening and worked on the exact same shot.

The guard’s drive and work allow him to make the difficult look effortless at times. In the last three games, he is 8 of 16 from three-point range.

In that span, he is 7 of 11 on off-the-dribble threes, including 3 of 4 on the right wing and 2 of 3 from the top of the key, and has hurt opponents with an increasingly lethal shot fake and side-step combo move beyond the arc.

“JD does work on that,” Musselman said. “He really, really does. I told an NBA buddy of mine, we were talking about our team and I said the thing that makes him so dangerous to guard is he shoots from anywhere. He’s like (Golden State Warriors star) Steph Curry in the fact that those guys just shoot from wherever, whenever. You think they’re absurd shots and they go in and they stretch the defense out.

“It really puts pressure on defensive teams, because I never know when he’s going to shoot, so I don’t know how the heck they’d ever know when he’s going to shoot. I have no idea half the time when he pulls.

“But I do want the ball in his hands.”

Notae created separation – in more ways than one – from Florida late in the second half by putting the move to ideal use. His left-wing three-pointer, after a nice cross-court find by Au’Diese Toney, put the Razorbacks up 75-71 with 1:06 remaining.

“I just saw (the defender) flying at me, so I gave him a little up-fake,” Notae said. “I’ve been working on that all week. I just let it ride.”