One of the hottest names on this spring's Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit got a chance to look at Arkansas last winter and came away with a favorable impression.
Juwann Morgan (6-8, 210), a power forward from Waynesville, Mo., who has shined for MOKAN Elite, took in a Razorback game against Savannah State in December.
"I really enjoyed my trip down there and love the coaches, the facilitates that they have and the (practice) facility that they are getting," Morgan said. "It is a school that I am very interested in because Coach (Mike) Anderson is a great guy and a great coach and all of his staff are great people. I also really like the style that Arkansas plays."
Morgan went into the spring with offers from Missouri State and Vanderbilt and has since added Kansas State, Wake Forest and Iowa.
The Razorbacks are thought to be on the verge of offering along with Missouri, Creighton, Stanford and Wichita State also showing interest.
"I think Arkansas is and that would be a big one for me because of my relationship with the Arkansas coaches, who have been recruiting me for a long time and not just since I have been breaking out lately," Morgan said.
Morgan is averaging 16.5 points per game as his team has gone 6-2 in eight EYBL games in Sacramento and Frisco, Texas.
He had a breakout performance with 30 points and 11 rebounds against Southern Stampede in Frisco.
"I have been playing with these guys for a long time and my teammates just do a really good job of getting me the ball in positions to score," Morgan said.
Pushed to not be so modest, Morgan -- who averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds as a sophomore and 22 and 11 as a junior -- admitted he does some things well.
"I think I am tall, pretty athletic, can shoot the ball pretty well and a good rebounder," Morgan said. "I still need to work on my ball handling and putting on some more weight."
Waynesville is in a location in Missouri that allows him many choices close to home.
"Waynesville is located about an hour from St. Louis, two hours from Columbia and about three hours from Fayetteville," Morgan said.
Scout.com national recruiting analyst Evan Danleis likes what he has seen from Morgan this spring.
"At EYBL Sacramento, Morgan was one of the breakout prospects," Daniels said. "His numbers weren't eye popping there, but his talent was evident. Against Southern Stampede, it all came together.
"The 6-foot-8 power forward was aggressive on offensive," Daniels added. " Hit four mid-range jump shots, plus a catch and shoot three-pointer. He was also active in the paint, reeled in 11 rebounds and finished multiple times through contact. He finished with 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting."
Morgan is planning on seeing how the spring and summer goes, but does know that he wants to sign in the November early signing period.
"I am concentrating right now on just trying to become a better player with my AAU team, but as the summer goes along I will start thinking about recruiting more," Morgan said. "I definitely want to sign in November so I can just concentrate on my senior season."
Dudley E. Dawson is the recruiting editor for Hawgs Illustrated, an NWA Media publication.
Sports on 05/18/2014