Arkansas Basketball: Will All-American JD Notae return to the Razorbacks next season?

Could we see All-American JD Notae return to the Arkansas Basketball program with his final year of eligibility?

It’s the question on the minds of almost all Razorback fans now that the team has been eliminated from the March Madness tournament. With the offseason about to ratchet up in activity and movement, we hope to get some answers sooner rather than later.

Although guard JD Notae was a senior during the 2021-22 season, he has a year of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA Extra Year of Eligibility rule implemented during the height of coronavirus.

Notae, a 6’2″ guard, averaged 18.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG last year to help the Hogs have a fantastic season, which saw them upset No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga in the 2022 March Madness tournament.

The Covington, Ga. native is in a position to pick whichever path he wants for 2022-23 and the options are virtually limitless for Notae. He’s going to have to first decide what his priorities are as a basketball player. Is it a championship, is it to make money, is it to be a star player, or is it to be an NBA player?

Let’s dive into those options now, which are in no particular order.

Option No 1. JD Notae spurns the Arkansas Basketball team by transferring

While this seems like the least likely option of the three scenarios I’ll provide, it’s still a possibility. Again, it will come down to what Notae wants. If he wants to be “the guy,” and continue to be a top scorer, he will likely need to leave the Razorbacks to do that.

Arkansas has three 5-star recruits coming to The Hill beginning next season: Anthony Black, Jordan Walsh, and Nick Smith. They will all be a priority in the offense, getting designed plays to get the ball in their hands.

JD Notae would be the odd man out of the starting line-up in this scenario. He would likely have to come off the bench so Arkansas Basketball Head Coach Eric Musselman can utilize these gifted players’ dynamic skill sets.

It would be tough for Notae to go to another team, but it may be the best option if he’s unwilling to take on a new role with the Hogs next season.

Notae knows what it takes to come off the bench and be successful. He was the SEC Sixth-Man of the Year during the 2020-21 season. He could do it again, but would his NBA Draft stock suffer as a result?

If he wants to leave and transfer, it’s hard to pinpoint where he might land. He was not a ranked recruit coming out of high school, but he was certainly in demand when he decided to transfer out of Jacksonville University to come to Arkansas.

Based on the teams he was considering during his last transfer, teams like Creighton, Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State could be in the mix again.

I would throw in teams like Memphis, LSU, Texas A&M, and Miami as potential destinations Notae should consider if he desires another transfer. Those would all be spots he could likely start and be part of really good tournament-worthy teams.