Category: Pro Hogs: Non-NFL

Watch Daniel Gafford swat Conley, posterize Gobert in Mavs’ Game 3

That’s Arkansas’ own, El Dorado’s own, Daniel Gafford, if you please, Rudy.

Daniel Gafford was thrust into the spotlight on Sunday. He was ready.

The Dallas Mavericks big man played 29 minutes, his high in the postseason, in Mavs’ Game 3 win over Minnesota. Coach Jason Kidd was almost required to run Gafford, who had played 21 minutes in each of games 1 and 2, more after Dereck Lively was lost with a neck injury in the first half.

Gafford, who was acquired in February from Washington, clinched the game for the Mavericks. Dallas led by six points with 54 seconds left when Gafford slid across the paint to block a Mike Conley lay-up. A half-minute later, on the other hand, Gafford was on the receiving end of a lob from Luke Doncic which he dunked in the eye of NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

Dallas won the game 116-107 and took a 3-0 lead in Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks can clinch on Tuesday.

Gafford is in his fifth NBA season and averaged career offensive highs after moving to Dallas. He put up 11.2 points on 78% shooting with 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game for the Mavericks in the regular season.

Before turning pro, Gafford played two seasons at Arkansas after joining from El Dorado High School. He averaged 16.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game his sophomore season.

Williams, Joe get best of Gafford as Thunder hammer Mavericks in NBA Playoffs

Game, Blouses. Jaylin and Isaiah’s OKC bunch had little trouble with Gafford’s Mavs in Game 1.

Former Arkansas forward Jaylin Williams scored 11 points and nine rebounds. Former Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe scored six points on two 3-pointers. And ex-Razorbacks center Daniel Gafford notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

More importantly for all three, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their Western Conference second-round series on Tuesday.

Williams, Joe and Gafford headline what remains of an Arkansas contingent in the NBA playoffs. Bucks guard Patrick Beverley and Bucks forward Bobby Portis – both former Razorbacks players, as well – were likely the most famous duo. But Bevereley was frustrated as Eastern Conference’s No. 3-seed was knocked out in the first round.

The Thunder are having no such trouble as the West’s No. 1. They have yet to lose in the 2024-25 playoffs, sweeping New Orleans in the first round and handling Dallas with ease in the opener.

Mavericks star Luka Doncic shot just 6 of 19 from the floor and scored 19 points in the loss. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, his counterpart on the other side of the court, scored 29.

Game 2 between the teams is set for Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

Baltimore promotes outfielder Heston Kjerstad to majors

Kjerstad is back in The Show. Can he stay this time with the Os?

Outfielder Heston Kjerstad made his MLB debut Tuesday after Baltimore promoted the former Arkansas star from Triple-A Norfolk.

Kjerstad, the No. 2 overall pick from Arkansas by the Orioles in 2020, made his big-league debut last year, playing in 11 games for the Birds. He started the 2024 season with the Tides and has slashed .349/.431/.744 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI in just 102 plate appearances.

On Tuesday in his debut against the Angels, Kjerstad went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the Orioles’ 7-4 loss.

The spot in the majors opened when Baltimore outfield Austin Hays was placed on IL with a calf injury. Hays was an All-Star for the Orioles in 2023, but was hitting just .111 with zero extra-base hits at the time of his injury.

Kjerstad entered the year as the No. 29 prospect in all of baseball and the fourth highest-rated prospect in the Orioles system. Despite being drafted in 2020, Kjerstad didn’t truly start his career until 2022 after a heart condition knocked him out of the entire 2021 season. A hamstring injury delayed his beginning in 2022, even, as well.

Kjerstad joins Dominic Fletcher and Andrew Benintendi as former Arkansas outfielders now in the Major Leagues.

Arkansas athletes pick up four medals in World Indoor Championships.

The World Indoor Championships are no joke and these Hogs showed out.

Tara Davis-Woodhall, Nikki Hitlz, Chris Bailey and Alexis Holmes – all current or former Arkansas track-and-field stars – each medaled over the weekend at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Davis-Woodhall captured gold while the other three each landed a silver medal. She became the first American winner of the long jump since 2016 as she leaped 23-2.5 to capture the gold.

Hiltz won silver medal in the 1,500-meter run. Her time of 4:02.32 made her the first American to ever win silver in the event. She is the first American to medal in the event at all since 2003 when Regina Jacobs won gold.

Chris Bailey ran the anchor leg for the men’s 4×400 relay team to win silver with his compatriots and Alexis Holmes did the same for the women’s 4×400 relay team. The men ran in 3:02.60, a half-step behind Belgium, which ran a 3:02.54. The women finished in 3:25.34 behind Netherlands’ 3:25.07.

All four athletes train in Fayetteville.

Former Razorback Council making big statement on court with 76ers

Sixers guard Ricky Council is coming into his own after starring at Arkansas.

Just a year ago, Ricky Council IV was letting his play do his talking on the court for the Arkansas basketball team. Now the undrafted rookie is making his statement on the NBA court, for the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I feel like I’ve made a statement for sure,” he said during the recent All-Star break. “Now it’s just up to everybody else, if they felt the same way.”

The 6-foot-6 athletic guard made his NBA debut on Jan. 2, and has proceeded to become more of a factor in Philadelphia of late, with some increased playing time.

The Sixers have being limited by a rash of injuries this season, so they have turned to Council for an extra boost in the lineup. In the last three games before the All-Star break, the Durham, N.C., product averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, on 46.7 percent shooting from the field.

Since being called up from the G-League’s Delaware Blue Coats, Council has taken the court in 13 games for Philadelphia. He has played just under 10 minutes per game, but has averaged 6.8 points and 2.1 rebounds over the last six weeks.

He has scored in double-digits four times, including his career-high 19 points, along with 10 rebounds, at Washington on Feb. 10.

“Ricky is an incredible athlete, who plays really hard, he makes things happen, he uses that to be a defender and a rebounder, first and foremost,” Sixers Head Coach Nick Nurse said. “That’s a pretty good start, then he’ll battle on the offensive glass and get a bucket or two.”

Council, who transferred to the Razorbacks from Wichita State prior to last season, departed Arkansas after his junior year to pursue his professional dreams. After going undrafted in the June NBA Draft, he signed a two-way contract with the Sixers on July 1. He was then waived and re-signed on Oct, 25.

In 16 G-League games, council led Delaware with 24.4  points and 5.6 rebounds a game. Now, it’s looking like Philadelphia maybe have found a diamond in the rough.

“It’s just game by game,” Council said. “They tell me to stay ready. They’re proud of me. My teammates, for one, are super big in keeping positive thoughts in my head and just being able to stay ready so the coaches are just showing trust in me when they put me in the game. That’s all I need to see.”

It will be interesting to see how much faith the Sixers have in the youngster once play restarts after the All-Star break. Philadelphia will return to the court to host New York on Thursday night.

“I’ve said it about him a lot, but he does everything hard, everyday, every walk through, every practice, he’s focused and ready to go.” Nurse said. “It’s good to see him reap some rewards from that.”

Report: Former Hogs star Daniel Gafford traded to Dallas Mavericks

El Dorado High grad and former Hogs center Daniel Gafford will finally get to play for a contender, it appears.

Daniel Gafford has played on bad basketball teams for just about the entireity of his NBA career.

Reports, however, state the former Arkansas Razorbacks center and Natural State native will finally get a shot to make the NBA postseason and play with two of the best players in the world in doing so.

Gafford was, per reports, traded from the Washington Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday for Richaun Holmes and a first-round pick. The 6-foot-10 center is expected to help Dallas defensively most, where the Mavericks rank in the bottom 10 in the NBA when it comes points-in-the-paint allowed.

Gafford can add a bit on the offensive end, as well. His 10.9 points per game are a personal best now in his sixth season. He’s shooting 69% from the floor and playing a career-high 26.5 minutes per game. The numbers all suggest the 2023-24 season is the best the El Dorado High product has put together as a pro.

Gafford was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 39 pick overall, in the second round, of the 2019 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Wizards in 2021. Before turning pro, Gafford played two seasons in Fayetteville where he averaged 17 points and almost nine rebounds a game his sophomore year.

Former Hogs outfield Dominic Fletcher traded to White Sox

After raking for Arizona last year in the majors and minors, Fletcher will get an opportunity for an everyday gig with the White Sox.

Dominic Fletcher should have every opportunity to become an MLB regular in 2024.

After playing in 28 games last year and making Major League debut with the eventual National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks, Fletcher was traded over the weekend to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Christian Mena.

Fletcher impressed in his time in The Show, slashing .301/.350/.440 in 102 plate appearances. But with Arizona’s outfield solidified by Lourdes Gurriel, Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll, playing time was hard to come by in the desert without injuries.

Fletcher, 26, will get a chance to start for Chicago this spring. He is joining an outfield in which only Luis Robert and former Diamond Hogs star Andrew Benintendi have spots locked in. Fletcher will compete with Jake DeLoach, Oscar Colas and, to a lesser extent, Gavin Sheets, who also plays first base.

With Arkansas from 2017-19, Fletcher slashed .298/.360/.497 with 42 home runs and 201 RBI while patrolling centerfield. At just 5-foot-6, his home run totals in the pros haven’t matched his collegiate statistics, but Fletcher has continued to show an ability to rack up extra-base hits throughout his four years in the Diamondbacks system.

Pitchers and catchers report for the White Sox on Valentine’s Day and the rest of the players will show up five days later. Chicago opens spring training February 23 against normal cross-town rivals the Cubs.

Four former Hogs remain in NFL playoffs

Either Dre Greenlaw and Brandon Allen will make it or Frank Ragnow and Dan Skipper will. The former Arkansas football players will all play for a shot at the Super Bowl.

Either Frank Ragnow and Dan Skipper will get a shot or Dre Greenlaw and Brandon Allen will.

Those four former Arkansas football players all still remain in the NFL Playoffs, their teams set to play each other in the NFC Championship on January 28.

Ragnow and Skipper are offensive linemen for the Detroit Lions. The Lions made their first NFC Championship in franchise history when they beat Tampa Bay over the weekend.

Ragnow is considered one of the best, if not the best, center in the NFL. He’s been a starter for all six of his seasons with the Lions and been named to the Pro Bowl three times.

Skipper has been a back-up tackle for the Lions for most of the last six seasons. He played in all 16 games with five starts last year and played in 11 games with one start this year.

Greenlaw has been a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers since 2019 and a starter every year. The 49ers have made the NFC title game four of the last five seasons, the same amount of time Greenlaw has been on the team.

Allen is a back-up quarterback for the Niners, as well. He did not see any time in the regular season and previously made his way to the Super Bowl with Cincinnati Bengals.

All four former Razorbacks played together in Fayetteville under coach Bret Bielema. Allen, the oldest, played from 2012-2015. Skipper joined in 2013 and played through 2016, while Ragnow and Greenlaw joined in 2015. Ragnow played two seasons before going pro whereas Greenlaw played four years at Arkansas.

Jordan Walsh makes NBA debut with Celtics

Boston is hopefully adding Jordan Walsh to the rotation for the second half of the season, as the former Hog made his NBA debut Wednesday.

Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr., Ricky Council IV and now, Jordan Walsh.

All four members of Arkansas’ Sweet 16 team from a year ago have now earned minutes in the NBA this season.

Walsh made his initial appearance with Boston on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs in a 117-98 victory.

Walsh missed a shot but grabbed four rebounds in the three minutes of action he received at the end of the game.

He will likely end up being a rotational piece on a Celtics team that is looking to get back to the NBA Finals after narrowly missing out a year ago in a Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat and then losing in the NBA Finals the year prior to Golden State.

Boston is back on the hardwood on Friday night against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on ESPN.

Pro Hogs: Joe goes 7 for 7 in OKC’s dominant win over Warriors

Isaiah Joe, filling it up per usual from distance. Oklahoma City may be a threat in the Western Conference this season.

All Arkansas fans know of Isaiah Joe’s prodigious 3-point ability from his two years here.

Joe is putting the rest of the country and the NBA world on notice nowadays with performances like last night.

The Fort Smith native had 23 points and went 7 for 7 from the perimeter in Oklahoma City’s 128-109 victory over Golden State.

It’s early in the season, but the Thunder are currently 8-4 in the Western Conference, just 1.5 games behind defending NBA champion Denver for first place.

The Warriors were without Stephen Curry, who is dealing with knee soreness and Draymond Green, who is serving a 5-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he put Rudy Gobert in a headlock and wouldn’t let go.