Arkansas Basketball: Razorbacks adds to historic class with 5-star Anthony Black

Impact of Arkansas Basketball landing Anthony Black

Razorback nation are a getting a Texas 6A state champion. More specifically Black is the UIL 6A Offensive Player of the Year and State Tournament MVP. In the 6A final vs. McKinney (TX), a dominant winning performance to say the least, Black tallied 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Showcasing the consensus 5-star potential. It must be added that Duncanville only loss this season to 6A rival Richardson (TX), but Black only played in the 4th quarter.

If Black played the entire season it might be a good argument that Duncanville could have gone undefeated with a fully cleared Black. There might be a good amount of people that do not know who Black is because of his mystique due to him not playing as much as he would have wanted and due to the late ascension in the recruiting rankings, there is much to love about his game.

What is Arkansas getting out of Black as a player, what does he offer?

The Razorbacks are getting a modern age prototypical point guard something of the Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey, Tyrese Haliburton mold. This past season at Duncanville he averaged 13.5 ppg along with 5.8 rpg and 4 apg, exhibiting the potential of a triple-double machine.

His most fascinating skill would be his playmaking due to his vision and height to see over the defense. Strong and quick enough to get by the first defender he’s able to make the open pass to a teammate. He processes the game like no other. Playing with athletes at Arkansas will benefit him, causing opponents to be wary of offensive sets that could unlock his playmaking as a tertiary creator. Black would be the engine to making the Arkansas offense go.

In transition, Black can be a nightmare for opposing defenses that do not turn around quick enough. He often locates teammates right as they put their hand up or if their is a sliver of space to get an open look, he will find you.

(via Theo Visuals /YouTube)

Defensively he can be a problem with his imposing wingspan, strong low center of gravity, quick-twitch in hips, and more impressively his defensive IQ. Black’s defensive acumen is rather impressive for someone of his caliber. He’s not just focused on being dominant on the offensive end he takes upon the challenge of guarding the opposing best player.

Here is a defensive deflection caused by him on 2023 5-star point guard Isaiah Collier.

(via Texas High School Basketball /YouTube)

Instinctively he has quick hands. A deflection right here forecasts that guarding against quicker guards will not be as much of a problem slower footed big guards happen to be prone to.

(via SportsCenter NEXT /YouTube)

Arkansas will be loaded next year, no doubt about it. Eric Musselman has assembled a squad to finally put Arkansas in the Final 4. Back-to-back years ending in Elite 8 losses do not sit well with the Razorback faithful. Getting Black who is a real point guard, a position Coach Musselman has not really had from a pure point guard aspect. This changes the outlook of how Arkansas will approach the SEC gauntlet. Speaking of the SEC, Black is athletic and physical enough ideally to hold his own.

With Smith and Walsh by his side, this may be the best team in not only the SEC but the entire NCAA men’s college basketball world. The landscape has changed thanks to Black playing at Arkansas. He is the missing piece to the Arkansas offense that has long coveted a pass-first point guard who can push the pace. They presumably become title contenders.

Black is sure to draw a lot of scouts and professional personnel at his games this upcoming season. Figuring out will he be at Arkansas for one or two years will unfold as the season progresses. Remember big playmakers are a hot commodity right now. Fans are in for a spectacular show every time he touches Bud Walton Arena.