Qualls elevating his play for Hogs

Arkansas' Michael Qualls drives to the hoop in the second half of Friday night's game against Louisiana at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Arkansas' Michael Qualls drives to the hoop in the second half of Friday night's game against Louisiana at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas senior guard Mardracus Wade said he could feel the hair on his skin stand up as he watched 6-6 teammate Michael Qualls dunk over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville’s 6-10 Keaton Jackson in the season opener two weeks ago.

“I was like, ‘Wow. That’s crazy,’ ” Wade said of the dunk, which can be seen on several major media outlets’ websites. “He has unbelievable athleticism, and once his athleticism catches up tohis game ability, I think he can be one of the top players in the country.”

Qualls, a sophomore forward from Shreveport, seems to be playing catch-up in a hurry. Last season it took Qualls 14 games to reach 49 points, but he’s scored that many in the first three games this season.

“He’s developing,” Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said. “The off season he worked extremely hard to get better.”

Up Next

ARKANSAS VS. CALIFORNIA

WHEN: Monday, 2 p.m Central

WHERE: Maui Invitational, Lahaina, Hawaii

RECORDS: Arkansas 3-0, California 4-0

TV: ESPN2

Qualls is averaging 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 30.0 minutes as the Razorbacks (3-0) prepare to play California (4-0) on Monday in the Maui Invitational. He is shooting 53.3 percent from the field, including 4 of 10 on three-pointers, and 76.5 percent from the free-throw line.

“‘I’m just trying to be better than I was,” Qualls said. “Every game, I just want to be better. Even if it it can be one more rebound, one more charge taken, one more blocked shot, I just want to become better every game.”

Qualls had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots in 32 minutes in the Razorbacks’ 89-78 victory over SMU on Monday night in Walton Arena to impress Mustangs Coach Larry Brown.

“He’s my kind of kid,” Brown said. “You don’t have to throw him the ball. He just plays.

“Every day I go out to recruit, I tell our guys look for guys with no necks, long arms and split high and I don’t have to beg them to play hard. He’s a perfect example of that.”

Qualls said it was flattering to hear that kind of praise from Brown, a Naismith Hall of Famer and the only coach to win NBA and NCAA championships.

“That feels great,” Qualls said. “That means he sees something in me.”

Qualls said he viewed himself as a role player last season, when he averaged 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 14.6 minutes, but he understood as a sophomore that he needed to expand his game with the team losing guard BJ Young and forward Marshawn Powell, the Razorbacks’ top two scorers. He’s hit 16 of 30 field goal attempts and 13 of 17 free throws.

“In the off season I put up a lot of threes, a lot of mid-range shots, a lot of free throws, because I feel like with the way refs are calling the games now, I’m going to get fouled a lot,” Qualls said. “I want to make that my bread and butter, at the free-throw line.”

Anderson said Qualls is working to become an all around player and play his best on a consistent basis.

“His ball-handling is so much better, he’s improved his jump shot,” Anderson said. “He can go block shots. He can go rebound any time he wants to. I think he’s coming along.

“He’s hungry. He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, but more than playing with confidence, he’s doing all the things we ask him to do.”

“I think still there’s a lot of great basketball in front of him if his mind-set is right.”

Sports, Pages 18 on 11/21/2013