Anderson, Arkansas relying on highly-ranked JUCOs

FAYETTEVILLE — For fans, the lofty rankings of Arkansas’ class of 2016 junior college signees served as a basis for offseason optimism following a disappointing season, a sign of hope for a quick turnaround back to relevancy heading into Mike Anderson’s sixth season.

To most national pundits and the college basketball world as a whole, the JUCO haul went largely ignored, the latest example of the disconnect between how high school and junior college players are viewed.

JUCO players come with certain stigmas attached, fair or not, right or wrong: They’re in junior college for a reason. They have a protracted adjustment period.

Some check those boxes. Others don’t.

Jaylen Barford, a 6-foot-3 point guard, was ranked the No. 1 JUCO player in the nation by 247 Sports. Daryl Macon, a 6-3 combo guard originally from Little Rock, came in at No. 5. Arlando Cook, a 6-8 forward was No. 6.

Mike Anderson needs them to buck perception and be difference makers from day one.

Barford, a barrel-chested, attack-first guard, is the team’s expected point guard, a capable shooter who excels at using his strength to attack the basket and can also create for others. Macon can shoot, get to the rim and distribute while also being one of the best on-ball defenders on the team. Both have been starting-lineup fixtures since the second game in Spain in August. Cook may fill the role of an energy, glue-guy type off the bench.

Even with knowledge that the production doesn't necessarily translate, at least not to the same level, their JUCO numbers were enticing.

Barford: 26.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.8 steals, 58.8% FG, 35.5% 3PT, 78% FT

Macon: 23.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 49% FG, 37.6% 3PT, 82.9% FT

Cook: 16 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, 50.7% FG, 16.7% 3PT, 70.1% FT

Arkansas will count on them, especially Barford and Macon, making sizable, immediate impacts. The Razorbacks’ NCAA Tournament hopes are dependent on them being able to. Are expectations too high? How will their skill sets translate to Division I ball?

Early returns from the trip to Spain, preseason practices and exhibitions are promising. Barford and Macon have impressed and shown signs of being the impact players they need to be. But top-ranked JUCO recruits tend to be more of a mixed bag than their high-school counterparts. More than 100 high school prospects earn 4 star labels from ESPN every year. Only eight JUCO players did last year.

If a signee is ranked among the top-10 high school players in the nation, odds are they will be a major contributor. Results vary more for top-10 JUCO players, evidenced by a simple look at past highly ranked JUCOs.

If history is an indicator, Barford, as a top-ranked prospect, will make an impact in year one. Here’s how 247’s other top-ranked JUCOs faired the last four years in their first season at their new program:

2015: Dominic Artis, UTEP (6-3 G) — 11.9 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.1 rpg, 40.4 FG, 33.1 3PT, 65.8 FT

2014: Cinmeon Bowers, Auburn (6-7 PF) — 12.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 41.6 FG, 17.9 3PT, 47.8 FT

2013: Chris Thomas, Texas Southern (6-5 G/F) — 12.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 45.5 FG, 25.3 3PT, 56.2 FT

2012: J.T. Terrell, Southern Cal (6-3 G) —11.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 37.2 FG, 36.2 3PT, 76.4 FT

History isn’t the only indicator. Barford has looked the part of versatile floor general since arriving on campus.

“Without a doubt, he can control the team out there on the floor,” Anderson said. “It’s hard for people to stay in front of him. In the open floor, he’s very shifty. … The thing I love about him, he plays with great passion and energy.”

Macon has the look of a capable running mate for Barford, Dusty Hannahs or both. He brought his White team back from a sizable deficit in the Red-White game, scoring a game-high 28 and imposing his will on the game in a number of ways. He competes with an air of moxie.

“You watch him play and he’s just a fierce, tough competitor,” senior Manny Watkins said. “He brings that toughness that you just can’t teach. He’s just a natural-born scorer. Usually with a lot of scorers, they’re not good defenders. Daryl wants to guard the best player on the other team.”

The duo, along with Cook, are a big part of the reason there are heightened expectations for the Hogs — deservedly so — even with the reality that odds of getting an impact player decrease more quickly moving down the JUCO rankings than high school rankings, in part because there are a lot less JUCO prospects than high school players and also because there is far less emphasis and manpower put on JUCO recruiting analysis, which can lead to less accurate evaluations.

Cook was the No. 3 JUCO power forward prospect last year. Igor Ibaka, brother of Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka, was the No. 1 power forward in the 2015 class and played 23 minutes in seven games for Oklahoma State before transferring at the end of the season. That’s not to suggest Cook resembles Ibaka or will have a similar career path. Bowers was the No. 1 big in the 2014 JUCO class and had a good career at Auburn. Obviously every player and every scenario are different. But there tends to be more fluctuation in how JUCO players perform with respect to their rankings.

SEC schools signed six top-20 JUCO players in the 2014 and 2015 classes. Here’s a look at their first-year production:

2015, No. 2: T.J. Dunans, Auburn (6-1, G) — 11.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.5 rpg, 1.6 spg, 1.1 bpg, 46.1 FG, 33.3 3PT, 69.5 FT

2015, No. 13: Justin Leon, Florida (6-7, F) — 5.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 49.3 FG, 37.3 3PT, 46.2 FT

2015, No. 14: Mychal Mulder (6-4, G) — 0.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 20 FG, 16.7 3PT, 100 FT

2014, No. 1: Bowers, Auburn — SEE ABOVE

2014, No. 17: Roderick Lawrence, Ole Miss (6-4, G) — 1.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 30.8 FG, 35.7 3PT, 33.3 FT

2014, No. 18: Josh Gray, LSU (6-1, G) — 7.1 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.1 rpg, 1 spg, 39.6 FG, 26.4 3PT, 58.3 FT

Of course, as with high school recruiting, there are proverbial diamonds in the rough, too, under-the-radar JUCO recruits.

In 2014, Jabril Durham was the No. 22 JUCO prospect in the nation. He took a year to adjust, but ranked second in the SEC in assists (6.4) and third in steals (1.7) as a senior last year. That same class, Stefan Moody was the No. 32 JUCO prospect. Last season, he averaged 23.6 points per game for Ole Miss.

Coty Clarke was the No. 23 JUCO prospect in the 2012 class and became the consummate Anderson system fit his two years in Fayetteville. Anderson’s hit rate on JUCO transfers is pretty high dating back to his time at Missouri.

Coty Clarke, 2013-14 — 8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 46.9 FG, 44.2 3PT, 77.7 FT

Ricardo Ratliffe, 2011-12 — 12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 63.5 FG, 26.7 3PT, 66.9 FT

Matt Pressey, 2011-12 — 6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 40.6 FG, 31.4 3PT, 68.6 FT

Keith Ramsey, 2009-10 — 4.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 1 bpg, 58.7 FG, 37 3PT, 52.9 FT

All of those were at least role players, solid rotation pieces. Others — namely Clarke and Ratliffe — were good starters and borderline headline players. That’s what Anderson needs Barford and Macon to be. And not next year, right now.

The duo has a skillset that compliments each other. They should be able to play off each — and Hannahs — very well while making up a potentially salty backcourt in a starting lineup that won’t lack for scoring pop.

“I would call it a dangerous combination,” Macon said. “Jaylen can score, find teammates, plays D. He has the whole package. And I think I can do the same thing.”

Anderson and Arkansas are counting on it.