What a Jimmy Whitt Transfer Would Mean for the Arkansas Razorbacks
By Cory Thone
Rumors are flying that true freshman guard Jimmy Whitt is going to transfer from the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Missouri native saw action in pretty much every game this year, and averaged 6.1 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist per game. Whitt was a 4 star recruit in high school, and was ranked the #77 player in the nation when he came to Arkansas.
Let’s get this out of the way right at the top of the article: Losing Jimmy Whitt would suck, but it will not sink the team. Whitt is a great prospect, and he should be able to see the progress that guys like Rashad Madden, Anthlon Beard, and Jabril Durham made in their time under coach Mike Anderson and his staff. Staying at Arkansas would be a smart move in the long run.
At the same time, though, I can understand why Whitt might want to take off. Next year, the Arkansas Razorbacks bring back Dusty Hannahs and Anton Beard, both of whom will play before Whitt will. Whitt will also be competing with 2 JUCO All-American guards who will be joining the team for next season in Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon.
Maybe Whitt sees the writing on the wall for next season, and has decided he’d rather play somewhere that he can make an immediate impact. He certainly has a high ceiling for his abilities, particularly on offense. But if you want to start for Mike Anderson, you better be able to guard your man for 94 feet and play great off the ball basketball, which is where Whitt struggled all season. If he stuck around, I have no doubt that he’d turn into a great all around player. But in terms of playing time, Whitt might draw the short stick for at least one more season.
If he goes, he goes. Obviously I want Jimmy to stick around. But, as I said earlier this week, Whitt isn’t the player I’m afraid of losing. We can lose Whitt and be ok. Moses Kingsley is the one that Anderson needs to convince to stick around.
Whitt would add a lot of depth to next year’s team. He’s dependable and talented, and would provide a nice break for the first 5. And while his potential transfer isn’t a dealbreaker for the Hogs, it really would be the crap icing on the poop cake that was 2015-2016 for the Arkansas Basketball team.
First off, the Hogs went 16-16 this year, which is Mike Anderson’s worst overall record at Arkansas. However, his 9-9 conference record is NOT his worst, so hooray for small victories! The Razorbacks lost 10 of their 16 games by 10 points or less, several of which were in overtime. This was a whole calendar year’s worth of “So Close” moments. Not only were the Hogs very close to winning several games, but they were close to signing several great players in the last 12 months. Ted Kapita, the 4 star PF who committed to Arkansas and would have contributed in a huge way on the court this year, was academically ineligible. Sadly, that wouldn’t be the last time this year that the Hogs would get less than positive news about recruits.
If it wasn’t grades that were keeping players away from Fayetteville, it was something else. Anderson and his staff let the #1 player in the state of Arkansas go somewhere else for the second year in a row.
The recruiting woes that the Hogs have suffered under Mike Anderson will only amplify if Whitt leaves, but we’ll get to that again in a moment. Losing Kevaughn Allen and Malik Monk to conference foes in back to back years has left a pretty sour taste in a lot of fan’s mouths about the recruiting abilities of this staff.
More razorbacks: Is It Ok for Hog Fans to Jump on the Little Rock Bandwagon?
Finally, when it comes to recruiting in general, if Whitt leaves, then the Hogs will be left with a huge gap in talent for the 2015 class. The only remaining signee will be Lorenzo Jenkins, who played for a total of 7 minutes this year and scored 3 points. The 2015 class, which at this point can be considered just Jimmy Whitt, would not exist anymore if he transfers.
Was it bad luck? Poor planning? Terrible execution? Probably a perfect storm combination of anything bad that could have happened to this team and the staff over the last 12 months.
Between arrests, recruiting struggles, a close game losses, I think I speak for all Hog fans when I say “enough is enough!” and begin to wonder what ancient deity that we as a fan base have enraged.
If Whitt leaves, then Arkansas will be ok, but lack some much needed depth. If Kingsley leaves, then Arkansas is in trouble for next year with a lot of question marks in key positions. And that is NOT the kind of offseason that Mike Anderson needs right now.
Mike and the Hogs need a nice, quiet, drama free offseason that builds up to an NCAA tournament appearance. Because fans will have a hard time swallowing another .500 season, regardless of how unlucky the circumstances around it are.