Danberry, 1 other leave Razorbacks

Jordan Danberry (right) announced Tuesday that she is leaving the Arkansas women’s basketball team and will transfer. Tatiyana Smith announced she is leaving for undisclosed medical reasons.
Jordan Danberry (right) announced Tuesday that she is leaving the Arkansas women’s basketball team and will transfer. Tatiyana Smith announced she is leaving for undisclosed medical reasons.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas will travel to Tulsa today with two fewer players on the roster.

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Tatiyana Smith

Sophomore guard Jordan Danberry has quit the team and will transfer, while senior center Tatiyana Smith has quit basketball for an undisclosed medical reason, Razorbacks Coach Jimmy Dykes said Tuesday.

ARKANSAS at TULSA

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Donald W. Reynolds Center, Tulsa, Okla.

TV: CST

Records: Arkansas 6-0; Tulsa 2-4

Series: Arkansas leads 19-3

Last Meeting: Tulsa won 74-67 in Fayetteville last season

Notable: Tulsa is coached by Matilda Mossman, who was 67-27 as Arkansas’ head coach from 1981-84

Both players were among six who knelt for the national anthem prior to an exhibition game earlier this month, but Dykes said that incident had nothing to do with either's decision to stop playing basketball for the Razorbacks.

"We don't even talk about that anymore," Dykes said when asked about the anthem incident. "It had nothing to do with that at all."

Danberry was averaging 4.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Razorbacks (6-0). The Conway native was a five-star recruit out of high school, according to ESPN, and was the state's Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior in 2014.

As a freshman, Danberry played in all 30 games and started 13 times. She led the team with 70 assists and averaged 6.7 points per game.

Danberry had not started any of the six games this season and was averaging 12 minutes per game. Dykes did not give a reason for Danberry's departure, but he said he did not think playing time was a factor.

"I met with her [Tuesday] and told her how much I appreciated her saying yes to be a Razorback to start with," Dykes said. "She was one of the first young ladies I recruited. I told her I would help her going forward in any way I could at all because I want her to have success as a person wherever she goes. I want her to have some success beyond basketball."

Dykes said he will allow Danberry to transfer anywhere she wants, including to an SEC program.

"If she wants to play in the SEC or one of the nonconference teams we have scheduled next year, then we have to figure out how to guard her when that happens, I guess," Dykes said.

Without Danberry on the roster, Dykes said he expects freshman Aaliyah Wilson and junior Devin Cosper to earn more playing time off the bench.

The Razorbacks also have received a boost from freshman guard Jailyn Mason, who also was one of the six players to kneel for the anthem Nov. 3. Mason has started all six games and earned the SEC freshman of the week award Tuesday after scoring 18 points combined in victories over Memphis and Navy in Reno, Nev., last week.

"If we were going to lose someone, it would probably be [better] at the guard spot more than on the inside," Dykes said.

Dykes indicated that he was not permitted to provide any details about Smith's medical situation. Smith, a Plano, Texas, native who transferred last year from Arkansas Baptist College, has not played this season, but Dykes said she is on track to graduate in the spring.

Sports on 11/30/2016

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