NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Arkansas of last decade

By Joey Loose | Jul 28, 2022

Mar 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis (10) looks for an open teammate as Wofford Terriers forward C.J. Neumann (31) defends in the second half of a game in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veteran Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

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Daniel Gafford Arkansas Razorbacks (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

4. Daniel Gafford – Arkansas

An impactful recruit from El Dorado, Gafford arrived at Arkansas in 2017 as one of Mike Anderson’s new pieces to turn things around for the Razorbacks. A 6’11 forward, Gafford made a certain impact at Arkansas and in the SEC, spending just two seasons in college ball before moving on to the NBA in 2019. All things considered, his work in the frontcourt was impressive

Gafford was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after a season in which he averaged 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, but his sophomore season was even better. He was putting up 16.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in year two, notching 10 double-doubles. Among those performances was a 29-point, 16-rebound outing late in the season against Alabama

In that second year, Gafford led the SEC in field goal percentage and player efficiency rating and was part of the All-SEC First Team. Unfortunately, the Razorbacks struggled during an otherwise prosperous season for Gafford. That same season he also ranked in the top 5 in rebounds and blocks, all leading to him being drafted by the Chicago Bulls a few months later. He was a stout defender and rebounder and was a phenomenal piece for Arkansas, it’s just a shame he wasn’t part of some of these more recent Arkansas seasons.

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