NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Arkansas favorites to land Moses Moody and KK Robinson?

Arkansas is looking to add to their 2020 recruiting class. The Razorbacks hosted two of their “top targets” this weekend in Moses Moody and KK Robinson.

2020 four-star guards Moses Moody and KK Robinson took official visits took Arkansas this weekend. The two Arkansas natives are friends and have said to be interested in playing college basketball together, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat.

Arkansas first-year head coach Eric Musselman got a late start on the recruiting scene this year, so he decided to focus on bringing in transfers. Musselman, who made a habit of bringing in transfers while at Nevada, released all three of the incoming players that former coach Mike Anderson recruited. He did bring in transfers Jimmy Whitt Jr., Connor Vanover, Jeantal Cylla, JD Notae, and Bebe Lyiola. Whitt and Cylla are eligible to play in 2019-2020 as they are grad transfers.

Musselman got his “first official” recruiting class off to a strong start last weekend by securing a commitment from 2020 6-4 point guard Davonte Davis. The former Oklahoma State commit is ranked as the 79th best prospect by ESPN. Meanwhile, 247Sports Composite has the Jacksonville (AR) native rated No. 98 in his class, and 247 Sports has him as a three-star prospect and situated at No. 135 in their rankings. Davis de-committed from Oklahoma State the first of October and gave his verbal pledge shortly after receiving an offer from the Razorbacks.

Davis is a big lead guard who is a crafty ball-handler and has shown the ability to score. He does have issues with turnovers but does always go hard.  The Razorbacks are projected to have three more scholarships available in 2020. With Musselman loving his teams to play uptempo, he will be looking to add a few more guards. Whitt is slated to be the only current backcourt member expected not to be back next season. However, Jalen Harris, Ty Stevens, and Mason Jones will be seniors. Isaiah Joe, Notae, and Desi Sills will be juniors.

Moses Moody

Moody told

Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

that he felt love from the Arkansas coaching staff and fans during his visit this weekend.

"“It was definitely a good visit. The coaching staff did a good job showing love, so at the end of the day it was definitely a positive visit. I heard from a lot of fans (wanting me to commit) and that was definitely a positive. I felt the love from the community.”"

Moody, who took an unofficial visit to Arkansas on June 30, has also taken officials to Ohio State (Aug. 30), Kansas (Sept. 4) and Michigan (Sept. 27). He is also still reportedly considering USC, Oregon, Florida, and Virginia.

The Little Rock (AK) native had a strong summer campaign as he was named All-EYBL while playing for Bradley Beal Elite, averaging 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game during regular-season play. Moody is ranked is a consensus top-50 prospect that is listed No. 29 by ESPN, while 247Sports Composite tabs him at No. 42 and 247Sports, has him at No. 44. Rivals have the 6-6 wing rated as the 50th best player in the country.

Moody possesses excellent tools for a wing, although he is not incredibly explosive, he is a smooth athlete. Shooting is the Montverde Academy product’s biggest strength, and he is terrific off the catch. Plus, Moody projects as a good defender due to his size and anticipation.

Khalen “KK” Robinson

Robinson was also very impressed with his visit; he told

 Nikki Chavanelle of  Rivals’ HawgBeat

.

"“I really liked it, getting to chill with Isaiah Joe as my host, getting to know more about Arkansas. I really got to see the background and everything that goes on down here, so I really liked it a lot.“Seeing the plan and the details the coaches have for me and Moses up here. I haven’t seen him in so long, so seeing him just brought joy and I really liked it. We had a long talk last night and we really want to play with each other and it really showed.”"

Robinson is a consensus top-100 player in the class, although he is rated in the bottom three-fourths of the rankings. The 6-foot point guard is ranked at No. 90 and No. 80 by ESPN and Rivals, respectively. Meanwhile, 247Sports Composite has him at No. 72 in class, and 247Sports spotted him at No. 71.

The Bryant (AK) native has also taken official visits to TCU, Illinois, and Kansas. Despite being smallish in stature, Robinson has an excellent physique and possesses good speed as well as quickness. He likes to get to the hoop off the dribble, but can also knock down open looks from beyond the arc.

Prediction

Both Moody and Robinson has been a priority for Arkansas for quite a while. And the Razorbacks seemed to have good vibes going into the visit with both players. ESPN gave the Hogs a 60% chance to land Moody and a 40% chance to pick up a commitment from Robinson. However, I believe that they have strengthened their chances as a result of how much both players enjoyed the weekend.

Moody said that his decision could come sometime in November or maybe later. He added that it is possible that he could make another visit. Right now, Oregon seems to be the biggest threat to Arkansas, although Michigan and Virginia, which has not offered him but has shown interest, are also possibilities. But if Moody and Robinson do choose to play alongside each other, Kansas is the only other legit possibilities. Moody has strong ties to Arkansas, so I firmly believe they will win out.

Kansas has two more scholarships available for 2020, as they already secured a commitment from 6-10 center Gethro Muscadin (Haiti). The Jayhawks need adding quality guards to their roster next year. Robinson is among UK’s top-5 recruits choices for coach Bill Self.

Robinson is expected to decide in two or three weeks. I would now give Arkansas at least a 50% chance, more likely a 60% chance of securing Oak Hill Academy product.

Arkansas is also in the mix for Chris Moore, Keon Ambrose, Kyree Walker, Josh Hall, Jaylin Williams, and Rondel Walker. Williams and Walker are projected to be the most likely of the six players to select the Hogs.