Arkansas basketball: Hogs find centerpiece in Reggie Chaney
Arkansas basketball received their sixth 2018 commitment with top-100 Reggie Chaney. Recruiting is trending up for the Razorbacks.
Under the leadership of head coach Mike Anderson, Arkansas has consistently been a factor in the SEC, including multiple NCAA tournament appearances. The Hogs have never been a recruiting hotbed, and the addition of high-profile figures to the SEC like Bruce Pearl, Rick Barnes, and Avery Johnson have made life even harder for Anderson to recruit top players.
Combine those issues with the high number of upperclassmen on the 2017-18 roster, there was a chance that the program could slide down the hierarchy of the SEC. The staff, however, had different plans, which included a major push to get as many players signed before the early signing day as possible.
Six players have already committed, including three-star guys Desi Sills, Isaiah Joe and Jordan Phillips. Two others, Keyshawn Embrey and Ethan Henderson, are four-star prospects. Reggie Chaney, however, is the biggest prize of them all.
The 6’8″ power forward is a four-star prospect, ranked by 247sports as the No. 89 player for 2018. Originally from the state of Texas, Chaney took official visits with TCU, Wichita State, and Texas A&M along with Arkansas this past month. The opportunity to play immediately, along with the comparisons by the coaching staff to former Hog and current Bulls player Bobby Portis, won him over.
He’s an old-school power forward in that he only shot one 3-pointer in his junior year. Chaney averaged 12.2 ppg and 7.3 rpg and has an all-around solid game on offense and defense.
With a number of seniors in the frontcourt including Trey Thompson set to leave after this year, there’s a need for immediate contributions for Arkansas to remain to the NCAA Tournament picture. Chaney is likely the last 2018 commit and now fans have a clear view of next year’s roster.
Next: Arkansas 2017-18 preview
There’s plenty to be excited about right now with this program. There are some programs in the league with questions marks thanks to the FBI Investigation into college basketball, but Arkansas is just sitting back and relaxing with a job well done.