UA signee given first Hall honor
The names of NBA All-Stars litter the temporary banners hanging on the far side of the court at Little Rock Southwest’s Gryphon Arena.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown, Bam Adebayo — they’re just a handful of the 100 or so eventual NBA Draft picks who once played in the Real Deal in the Rock.
None of them, however, are Real Deal Hall of Famers. In fact, nobody held that honor until Friday night, when tournament founder Bill Ingram presented Magnolia’s Derrian Ford with a plaque, making Ford the inaugural inductee.
“This tournament has always been one that I want to come to,” Ford said after playing in the Mike Conley Jr. Arkansas vs. Tennessee All-Star Classic. “You always want to take care of home [because] home always takes care of you.” Ford, a two-time Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year and soon-to-be Arkansas Razorback, scored 29 points in Magnolia’s 59-56 state title victory against Blytheville earlier this month. The win also put a bow on Ford’s career with the Panthers — they went 101-6 during his four seasons, winning a Class 4A title in 2019 and splitting it in 2020 when their championship game was canceled due to covid-19.
The three-time Real Deal tournament MVP was glad to be back in Central Arkansas this weekend.
“When [Ingram] told me, I was excited because this is an honor,” Ford said. “There are so many great that have come to the Real Deal, as you can see [on the banners] … and hopefully my name will go up there soon.”
Joining forces
The 17-and-under Arkansas Hawks had a different look when they took the floor Friday night. In fact, many of the players weren’t even from Arkansas.
It’s the product of a merger between Bill Ingram’s Arkansas Hawks and Ernie Kuyper’s Hoop City Basketball Club, a program based out of Memphis.
“There hasn’t really been a challenge [to joining up] besides Bill’s in Little Rock and I’m in Memphis,” Kuyper said. “It’s hard from that standpoint, being far away from each other, but he’s great. He knows what he’s doing and we both trust each other.”
Ingram and Kuyper wanted to be able to give their respective players the best opportunity to play on big stages and get a chance to earn a scholarship, so they figured it best to put their egos aside and work together.
Their Hawks squad includes Maverick Miller, son of two-time NBA champion Mike Miller, 6-10 rising senior Brock Vice —who currently holds offers from Central Arkansas, Saint Louis and Tennessee Tech — and consensus three-star forward Jaret Valencia from Colombia.
The Hawks will mix-and-match practice locations throughout the season. They got together in Memphis this past week with most players on spring break.
“We’re going to do what’s best for everybody,” Kuyper said.
Just Peat it
Compton Magic past and present consider themselves part of a brotherhood. It’s a program with perhaps not as rich an alumni base as others but one that has made its presence felt in recent years.
Onyeka Okongwu, No. 6 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, played for the Magic. So too did Evan Mobley, who went No. 3 last year and is a strong NBA Rookie of the Year candidate this season.
Koa Peat, 15, is a long ways away, having just finished his freshman year of high school in Arizona, yet it’s not crazy to envision the 6-7, 190-pound small forward eventually putting his name in similar air.
Peat already holds seven college offers, most notably among them Kansas, Texas Tech, UCLA and Texas.
“It’s a blessing to be a part of this,” Peat said of his first season with Compton Magic. “I don’t feel any pressure. I’m just playing the game I love.” Peat poured in 22 points Friday night in a 65-59 win for the Magic’s 17-and-under team against the Arkansas Hawks. He was quieter Saturday as his team routed Team Real Deal 59-22.
His coaches weren’t afraid to put the ball in his hands, though. Peat barreled through the lane at will and the Magic began the second half of their Saturday rout with an easy backdoor lob to Peat.
“If we keep building chemistry with each other,” Peat said, “I think we can be a really good team.”
Hometown hero
The Arkansas Hawks’ 16-and-under squad has plenty of local flavor with Vilonia’s Dashun Spence, Farmington’s Layne Taylor and Jacksonville’s Bryson Hammond.
There’s plenty of representation for Little Rock Central, as three Tigers will play this summer with the Hawks this summer.
The youngest of them, rising sophomore Luke Moore, flashed with 10 points Saturday morning in a comfortable 73-43 win against Upward Stars.
“I have to come out and play like I’m older,” Moore said. “All these guys are good guys and they’re sharing the ball with me.”
Central teammate Annor Boateng — a four-star Class of 2024 prospect per 247Sports — added 20 points, and Moore identified fellow Tiger Daniel Culberson as the Hawks’ potential breakout player this summer.
Still, it’s Moore who was the only freshman named to the 6A-Central All-Conference team and helped Central to the state semifinals this season. The Tigers lost 58-40 to eventual champion North Little Rock.
“I wasn’t expecting to get the big minutes … but I came in ready as a freshman,” Moore said. “We didn’t get what we wanted but we’ll definitely be back for next year.”
Gallery: Real Deal in the Rock
