Category: Pro Hogs: Non-NFL

Steve Kerr: “Moses Moody is Undoubtedly a Long-Term Starter In This League”

Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr discussed Moody’s development on “Dubs Talk”, a podcast dedicated to Golden State Warriors basketball.

Former Arkansas Razorback and current rookie for the Golden State Warriors Moses Moody has gotten significant playing time during his first season in the National Basketball Association and has been productive by scoring 3.3 points per game in 9.5 average minutes played per game.

How big of an impression has Moody left on his head coach, Steve Kerr? Kerr discussed Moody’s development on “Dubs Talk”, a podcast dedicated to Golden State Warriors basketball from NBC Sports Bay Area by saying that Moody has adjusted well to the NBA.

“Moses, in a lot of ways, is the most advanced of the rookies including James Wiseman when you throw him in the mix given where he is in his development,” says Kerr. “Moses is really far along just because he has an advanced feel for the game.”

Kerr says he has an idea of why Moody is so advanced in his game, it is because of his time as a Razorback.

“He has the most experience of James (Wiseman) and Jonathan (Kuminga) by playing a full season at Arkansas and playing for Eric Musselman, a former NBA coach,” says Kerr. “Playing games that really matter, NCAA Tournament games playing in front of 12,000-15,000 people, that all matters. Moses came in at a more developed stage than James and Jonathan, and his game shows that.”

Wow. What a compliment by one of the best coaches in the league.

To hear everything that Kerr had to say, click the tweet below.

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Former Hogs pitcher Drew Smyly wins World Series title with Atlanta

Former Arkansas pitcher Drew Smyly pitched in two World Series games to help Atlanta to the crown.

The Atlanta Braves beat Houston Astros on Tuesday night, 7-0, to win the 2021 World Series in six games and former Arkansas pitcher Drew Smyly was among the Braves who helped capture the crown.

Smyly had his best season since 2016 in his first year in Atlanta, splitting his time between the starting rotation and as a long relief pitcher. He pitched 126 2/3 innings (second most of his career) and had 117 strikeouts with a 4.48 earned-run average. In the World Series, he tossed two games against the Astros and he threw another in the National League Championship Series against Los Angeles.

Smyly is the fifth former Arkansas baseball player to win a World Series, joining Andrew Benintendi in 2018 (Boston), Dallas Keuchel in 2017 (Houston), Eric Hinske in 2007 and 2009 (Boston and New York Yankees) and Dick Hughes in 1967 (Boston).

For his career, Smyly is the second most successful Arkansas pitcher ever to play in the Major Leagues. He has a 10.2 WAR, ranking only behind Cliff Lee’s 43.2 and Keuchel’s 22.2.

Had the Astros won, Arkansas still would have had a World Series winner. Pitcher Ryne Stanek pitched in five of the six games in the series. Stanek arrived at Arkansas in 2011, the year after Smyly left.

Kevin Kopps now a finalist for AAU Sullivan Award

Kevin Kopps, along with Olympians Caleb Dressel and Simon Biles, named finalist for USA’s best amateur athlete.

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Back in September, here on Razorbacks Wire, we exhorted you to go online and vote for former Arkansas pitcher Kevin Kopps as a finalist for the AUU Sullivan Award.

Nice work.

The ex-Hogs pitcher was one of five finalists named Wednesday for the honor given to the nation’s top amateur athlete. His company? It’s awfully good.

Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Caleb Dressel, water polo player Maddie Musselman and mid-distance runner Athing Mu are the other four finalsts. That means Kopps is the only participant of traditional team sport among the finalists. It also means he’s the only one who didn’t compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which, as a reminder, were actually in summer 2021).

Not as though you need much reminder on Kopps’ domination with the Diamond Hogs last year, but he had an 0.90 earned-run average, a 0.76 WHIP and struck out 131 batters in 89 2/3 innings. Opposing batters hit just .162 against him.

Those numbers earned him the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, was named National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball and was the SEC Pitcher of the Year.

The San Diego Padres selected him in the third round of the MLB Draft following his college season and he excelled there, too, carrying a 0.61 earned-run average with 22 strikeouts over 14 2/3 innings as he made his way up to Double-A ball in his first season as a pro.

Former Arkansas guard Moses Moody makes NBA debut

Former Arkansas guard Moses Moody is officially an NBA guard now after debuting on Wednesday.

The 2021-22 NBA season began in earnest Wednesday and one former Arkansas basketball player made his NBA debut.

Golden State Warriors rookie Moses Moody scored two points in six minutes in the Warriors’ 121-114 to win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Moody was the 14th overall pick in the draft over the summer. The Little Rock native played one season at Arkansas, but was a first-team All-SEC selection and arguably the best player on a Razorbacks team that had its best season in more than 20 years.

Moody scored his first career basket, and his only basket of the game, on All-NBA first-team selection and former Kentucky Wildcats big man Anthony Davis.

Four other former Arkansas players made NBA opening day/night roster. Another Little Rock native, Bobby Portis, would have played in Milwaukee’s season opener on Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, but an ongoing hamstring injury kept him from suiting.

The other three former Razorbacks ballers are guard Patrick Beverley (Minnesota Timberwolves), guard Isaiah Joe (Philadelphia 76ers) and center Daniel Gafford (Washington Wizards). All three of their teams open the season Wednesday night.

Was Kevin Kopps the best amateur athlete in the country last year? Vote for him

Kevin Kopps was the best player in college baseball last year. Now he’s up for best amateur athlete period.

It doesn’t take much convincing of anyone who follows college baseball to say Kevin Kopps was the best player in the sport last year.

The former Arkansas reliever won the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, was named National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball and was the SEC Pitcher of the Year.

Now he’s one of 38 amateur athletes up for the AAU Sullivan award. The honor has been bestowed annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur in the United States.

Kopps’ 2021 baseball season was the stuff of legend. He had an 0.90 earned-run average, a 0.76 WHIP and struck out 131 batters in 89 2/3 innings. Opposing batters hit just .162 against him.

His stuff was so good the San Diego Padres selected him in the third round of the draft this summer. It’s rare for a player without leverage to be taken that high.

You can vote for Kopps for the AAU Sullivan award at www.aausullivan.org. Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 27.

Previous winners of the award include Mark Spitz, Bill Walton, Carl Lewis, Michael Phelps and Tim Tebow.