Walsh, Council show well in combine scrimmage matchup

Participants walk on the court during the 2023 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, Monday, May 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Arkansas’ Jordan Walsh and Ricky Council showed well in a head-to-head scrimmage matchup Thursday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.

After quiet offensive games Wednesday in which they shot a combined 2 of 10 from the field, Walsh scored 15 points on 4 of 11 from the field and 6 of 7 at the free throw line, and Council had 9 points on 3-of-6 shooting and was 3 of 4 from the line.

Walsh was solid on the glass and in finding teammates for buckets for the second straight day. He finished with a team-high 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block over 21:13 in the lineup.

Council, who recorded one assist in 19 minutes, started the day strong, driving left for an and-1 on Team Hines’ first possession. In the second quarter, he added a layup in an isolation situation after an up-and-under move at the rim.

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Walsh in the second quarter assisted on back-to-back scores for Team Bradds.

He found Penn State shooting guard Seth Lundy for a right-wing three, then later dove on the floor, corralled a loose ball and hit an on-the-move teammate, who quickly scored on the other end.

To end the first half, Walsh attacked off the dribble and finished a layup through contact then made the ensuing free throw. The sequence gave Team Bradds a 51-48 lead at halftime.

Early in the third quarter, Council was the recipient of a pass near the rim following a teammate’s steal, and the wing finished a layup through contact and made the free throw. It gave Team Hines a 57-56 edge.

Later, with 4:57 left in the third quarter, Walsh caught a pass that was tipped by Council, drove into the lane and added an and-1, scooping in the layup with his left hand. Two minutes later, Walsh knocked down a left-wing three.

And he capped his third quarter with a defensive rebound and advance pass that led to a layup for Jazian Gortman of Overtime Elite. The final quarter was uneventful for the duo aside from a big one-handed dunk by Council following a baseline drive that was wiped away because he stepped out of bounds.

Council and Team Hines won the scrimmage 117-106.