Category: Pro Hogs: Non-NFL

Arkansas native Moses Moody brings NBA title trophy to Little Rock

Former Arkansas basketball player Moses Moody won the NBA title this year with Golden State.

A year after Bobby Portis brought the NBA Championships trophy to the state capital, Moses Moody has done the same.

Moody and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics in six games last month to capture their fourth NBA title in the last eight years. On Friday, Moody brought the championship trophy to the town he called home for a bulk of his life.

Moody was in town to promote AR Kids Read at the Hoop Session event. Little Rock mayor Frank Scott Jr. proclaimed the day as “Moses Moody Day” and gave him the key to the city.

Moody played high-school basketball at Little Rock Parkview and North Little Rock High before his senior season in Florida. After high school, he spent one year with the Razorbacks upon which he was named SEC Freshman of the Year after averaging 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game and helping the Hogs to the Elite Eight.

Last year, Little Rock native Bobby Portis brought the trophy to the city after his Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns.

Movin on’ up: Kjerstad receives promotion to High-A

It did not take long for Heston Kjerstad to make an impression, as he is receiving a promotion just 22 games into his professional career.

[autotag]Heston Kjerstad[/autotag] is having a memorable welcome back to the game he loves.

Since being sidelined due to a mix of the COVID-19 pandemic, a heart condition, and a hamstring injury through the first two seasons of his professional career, the former Razorback is finally getting a chance to prove his worth in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He is doing so at a high pace by receiving a promotion just one month after making his professional debut.

The Orioles announced Monday that Kjerstad has been promoted from Single-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen, and is set to suit up for the Ironbirds on Tuesday night when they face Jersey Shore for a six-game series.

Kjerstad says that he welcomes the challenge of moving up another level.

“I’m just ready for a new challenge, another level of play, and just continuing doing what I’ve been doing and keep enjoying baseball,” Kjerstad said. “There are a lot of great players. It’s unreal. The guys I was facing in Low-A, there were numerous guys throwing 98 with unreal changeups and everything. Everybody can play and everybody can compete, so you’ve got to be ready every day.”

Kjerstad played in 22 games for the Delmarva Shorebirds, where he batted .463 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 80 plate appearances.

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Former Razorback earns All-Star nod

One of the most decorated players to ever wear the Razorback uniform is headed to his first MLB All-Star Game.

It is always a great feeling to get your first one.

Former Arkansas outfielder [autotag]Andrew Benintendi[/autotag] learned Sunday that he will be traveling to Los Angeles for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which is set to take place on July 19, for the first time in his career.

Benintendi was announced as a reserve during ESPN’s All-Star selection show prior to the Sunday Night Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

Benintendi is currently batting .317 for the Kansas City Royals with 98 hits, three home runs, and 35 RBI. He will be the Royals only representation, as catcher Salvador Perez will miss the game due to an injured thumb that has sidelined him since the end of June.

During his two year career at Arkansas from 2014-15, Benintendi became one of the most decorated Razorbacks in history. Some of his awards include: Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy, National Player of the Year by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, and was named First Team All-American by a host of publications.

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Look: Former Razorback assistant drops 30 points, earns WNBA All-Star Game MVP

Former Arkansas graduate assistant Kelsey Plum had a WNBA All-Star game performance to remember on Sunday.

A former Razorback assistant had the WNBA All-Star performance of a lifetime on Sunday.

[autotag]Kelsey Plum[/autotag], who served as a graduate assistant under head coach [autotag]Mike Neighbors[/autotag] from 2020-22, scored 30 points in Sunday’s WNBA All-Star Game for Team Wilson in their 134-112 win over Team Stewart at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill, a performance that earned her the Most Valuable Player award.

Plum, who currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces, is having the best season of her career to this point, as she averages 20 points and six assists in 34 minutes per game.

Arkansas Women’s Basketball won at least 18 games per season while Plum served as a graduate assistant on Neighbors’ staff, making the NCAA Tournament both times.

Here is a look at the best images from Plum’s MVP performance:

 

Jaylin Williams officially signs rookie contract with Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is dedicated to developing Jaylin Williams into a solid NBA player based on his rookie contract.

Former Arkansas forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] has officially signed his rookie contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Saturday that Williams, the 34th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, has signed a four-year deal worth $8.2 million total.

Williams entered the NBA Draft after two successful seasons at Arkansas, where he appeared in 63 games with 40 starts. During his time in Fayetteville, Williams averaged 7.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Williams saw most of his playing time during his sophomore campaign. He started in 35 of the 37 games that he appeared in, averaging 10.9 points per contest. His most impressive stat, was his NCAA-leading 54 drawn charges.

So far in NBA Summer League action, Williams has appeared in two game with the Thunder. In his debut on July 5 against the Utah Jazz, Williams scored two points and secured six rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 98-77 win.

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WATCH: Isaiah Joe buries game-winner against Jaylin Williams’ team

Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams aren’t just former Arkansas teammates, but high-school ones, too.

Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams have known each other for a long time.

The two former Arkansas basketball players are also former Northside High School basketball players in Fort Smith.

On Thursday night, for the first time in ages, they found themselves in opposing uniforms when Joe’s 76ers played Williams’ Thunder in the NBA Summer League.

Joe was taken in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. Williams was taken in the second round this year. And in the game, it was the vet who bested the rook.

Joe’s 3-pointer proved to be the game-winner in Philadelphia’s 80-79 win over Oklahoma City. He scored a game-high 19 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including a 4-for-6 game from 3-point range. Joe could become a part of the 76ers regular rotation in 2022-23 after playing 55 games last year and spending more time in the NBA than the G League.

Williams grabbed two rebounds in his 13 minutes. He is hoping to crack Oklahoma City’s NBA roster for as many games as possible, but is a strong candidate for the Thunder’s G League team.

Former Razorbacks Joe, Smith named to 76ers Summer League Roster

There’s another NBA team with two former Hogs on their roster…

Arkansas fans were ecstatic to find that former guard [autotag]JD Notae[/autotag] had been named to the Golden State Warriors Summer League Roster, as he would be teaming up with a former teammate in [autotag]Moses Moody[/autotag].

It appears that the Warriors will not be the only NBA roster that features two former Razorbacks.

The Philadelphia 76ers revealed their Summer League roster over the weekend, and they also feature two former Hogs in [autotag]Isaiah Joe[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Smith[/autotag].

Joe has played in 96 total games since joining the 76ers in 2020. He played in a career-high 55 games in 2021-22, where he averaged 3.6 points per contest. For Smith, he is getting a chance with the 76ers after spending a season with the Toronto Raptors, where he played in just two games with the Raptors’ G-League affiliate, Raptors 905.

The 76ers will be playing in a two-city Summer League competition beginning Tuesday, July 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah against the Memphis Grizzlies. They will then move to Las Vegas beginning Saturday, July 9 to play the Toronto Raptors.

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JD Notae added to NBA Summer League Roster

Notae, who was not selected during the 2022 NBA Draft, is set to be reunited with a former Razorback this summer.

After a week of waiting, former Arkansas guard [autotag]JD Notae[/autotag] will finally get an opportunity to continue his career in the NBA.

The Golden State Warriors released their roster for summer league action on Wednesday, and Notae was included in the 19-man roster.

Notae said in a press conference Wednesday that he is excited about this opportunity, and hopes to leave an impression for Warriors executives.

“Just try to pick up on the terminology as quick as I can,” Notae said. “And just go out there and play my butt off. At the end of the day, that was our culture at Arkansas. Just go out there and play hard. And at the end of the day, if I do that, I can leave everything else on the court.”

What motivates Notae even more, is that he gets a chance to play with former Arkansas teammate, [autotag]Moses Moody[/autotag]. Moody was also named to the Summer League roster, and is excited to reunite with Notae.

 “We left off on a pretty good foot when we made it to the Elite Eight together. That’s my dawg,” said Moody. “So we’ve been hanging out and everything since he’s been here. So I was happy to see he was on the roster.”

Notae and Moody will reunite on the court again for NBA Summer League action beginning Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

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LOOK: NBA Draft selections from Arkansas since 2001

Jaylin Williams became the 9th former Razorback since 2001 to be selected in the NBA Draft. Who are the other eight?

Arkansas is no stranger to developing talent that carries over to lengthy careers at the next level. The Razorbacks have continued that trend since the turn of the century.

With the selection of Jaylin Williams in the 2nd round by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2022 NBA Draft, the total number of Razorbacks selected to the NBA Draft since 2001 has risen to nine.

Out of those eight prior selections, there have been two NBA Champions, as well as a handful of players who have gone on to play eight-plus seasons in the NBA.

Currently, A Razorback has been taken in four straight NBA Drafts (Jaylin Williams, Moses Moody, Isaiah Joe, Daniel Gafford), and seven are currently on NBA rosters.

Here’s a look at every Razorback taken in the NBA Draft since 2001.

PHOTO GALLERY: First look at Jaylin Williams as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder

Jaylin Williams is officially a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder!

Arkansas forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] became the third player in the [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] era to be selected in the NBA Draft last Thursday when he was selected 34th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“He’s going to be a great fit with the Thunder. He is a player that should be able to come in right away and contribute due to his high basketball I.Q., his ability to rebound and his play on dribble-handoffs,” said Musselman following Williams’ selection. “Our staff is extremely happy for Jaylin and his family.”

Williams has been a valuable member of Razorbacks Basketball over the last two seasons. In 63 career games at Arkansas, Williams has scored 499 points, pulled down 485 rebounds, and has a free throw percentage of 0.731.

During his sophomore campaign in 2021-22, Williams scored 10.9 points per game to go along with 9.83 rebounds per game for head coach Eric Musselman’s squad that ended their season in the Elite 8 for the second straight season.

Some notes of Williams’ introduction to the Thunder franchise, he met with fellow player of the same name who was also drafted by Oklahoma City, Jalen Williams. He also received his jersey number, he will wear No. 6 as a member of the Thunder.