Dunning played in just 16 games, averaging 3.1 points per, in his first and only season with the Razorbacks. He was part of a five-man Class of 2022 coach Eric Musselman recruited to campus of which all players were ranked in the Top 100 nationally. Guard Joseph Pinion is the only one of the five who have not announced intentions to leave.
But Dunning, an Alabama native, never cracked the rotation on the wing as Ricky Council, Jordan Walsh and Pinion were ahead of him in the pecking order at the position.
UAB won 29 games last year and finished third Conference USA, ultimately falling to CUSA rival North Texas in the NIT. The Blazers will join the American Athletic Conference for the 2023-24 season.
Barry Dunning ‘s decision to transfer makes sense for both parties given Arkansas basketball’s recent portal additions.
After hinting at a possible return to Arkansas next season, freshman wing [autotag]Barry Dunning Jr.[/autotag] has entered the transfer portal. Tobias Bass of The Athletic was the first to break the news on Twitter.
Dunning arrived in Fayetteville as a highly-touted four-star recruit. He was ranked in the top-100 of all major recruiting outlets and was a two-time recipient of the Gatorade High School Player of the Year award in his home state of Alabama in 2021 and 2022.
Despite the impressive high school resume, Dunning was never able to crack into the main rotation last season after showing some flashes during their European exhibition tour last summer. He appeared in 16 games for the Razorbacks where he only recorded 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.
It’s not a complete surprise to see Dunning have a change of heart after the addition of transfers [autotag]Khalif Battle[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Davenport[/autotag] earlier this week. They bring a similar skillset to Dunning, but have major Division I experience that will make it tough for him to crack the rotation again next season.
Arkansas is still awaiting decisions from [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag], who is still eligible to return, along with [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] and [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag]. As active as [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] has been in the portal this off-season, it’s hard to believe the Razorbacks are done making moves.
🚨Arkansas guard Barry Dunning has entered the transfer Portal
Arkansas Basketball’s record-breaking 2022 signing class got more great news on Wednesday, as Nick Smith Jr was listed as the top player in the class.
Arkansas Basketball head coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] has had plenty to celebrate this year. He recently led his squad to their second-straight Elite 8 appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is bringing in one of the top signing classes in the nation for the 2022 recruiting cycle.
“It’s cool, I mean I’ve never really been the No. 1 player in the nation before,” Smith said to 247Sports. “It’s been a good journey for me to show my talent on the court and it is definitely a blessing to see somebody think that I’m the No. 1 player in the class.”
What makes Smith the No. 1 player in the country? Eric Bossi of 247sports explains:
Today’s game dictates that guards must be capable of generating their own offense. Whether it be out of pick and roll action, with a shot clock winding down or just a situation where guy needs to go and make a play, if a guard can’t generate offense on their own, their ceiling will be limited. Smith can do all of that and he does it with an electric first step, bounce at the rim and some flair.
Joining Smith in the 247sports top-150 list, are the remaining four members of Arkansas’ record-breaking signing class. [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag] (14), [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] (19), [autotag]Derrian Ford[/autotag] (69), [autotag]Barry Dunning[/autotag] (126),[autotag]Joseph Pinion[/autotag] (142).
Two gems of the 2022 recruiting class have been named All-Americans by Sports Illustrated
Two of the gems in the 2022 signing class for Arkansas Basketball have garnered national attention, yet again.
[autotag]Nick Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag], two five-star signees that will join the Razorbacks next season, have been named All-Americans by Sports Illustrated.
Smith was named first-team All-American by the publication, while Walsh earned third-team honors.
Here’s why Smith was named first-team All-American, according to Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated:
Smith dominated the competition all summer running with Brad Beal Elite (Mo.) then carried that over to the high school season, posting 26 points, seven assists, and six rebounds a game for North Little Rock (Ark.). Smith capped off his high school finale with a state title, posting 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the win. Smith was the best player during practices at the McDonald’s All-American games, a telling feat for what is widely regarded as the most competitive practices of the year.
Link Academy’s Jordan Walsh (23) drives to the basket during the second half of the GEICO Nationals semifinal between Prolific Prep (Calif.) and Link Academy (Mo.), Friday, April 1, 2022, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.Link Academy defeated Prolific Prep 59-53.
GEICO Nationals 2022: Prolific Prep (Calif.) vs. Link Academy (Mo.) semifinal, April 1, 2022
Jordan believes that Walsh has everything that you want in a player:
Walsh is a highly productive wing that checks off many boxes on and off the stat sheet. This season, he led Link Academy (34-2) to the GEICO Nationals title game, averaging 11 points, seven rebounds, 3.2 assists and one block a game. At 6’7”, Walsh has great length and agility, making him a capable defender at multiple positions and rebounder.
Currently, Arkansas has the 2nd best recruiting class for the 2022 cycle. Joining Smith and Walsh in the class are five star [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag], four-stars [autotag]Derrian Ford[/autotag], [autotag]Barry Dunning[/autotag], and [autotag]Joseph Pinion[/autotag] from high school, as well as [autotag]Trevon Brazile[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag], [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag], and [autotag]Makhel Mitchell[/autotag] from the transfer portal.
Arkansas Basketball signee Barry Dunning learned early in his career that there is a high payoff for playing the game the right way.
With the signing of three five-stars, two four-stars, and three players through the Transfer Portal, Arkansas Basketball and head coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] are setting up for future success by winning on the recruiting trail.
One of the new additions to the 2022-23 roster will be freshman [autotag]Barry Dunning[/autotag], a 6-6 small forward from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Ala. In his senior season, Dunning averaged 25.3 points and 12.9 rebounds, which led him to be named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Alabama for the second straight season, as well as being named Alabama’s Mr. Basketball.
In the latest episode of the “AHSAA Podcast” Dunning, as well as his high school head coach Phillip Murphy, joined host Caleb Brooks to discuss the 2021-22 season for the Yellow Jackets. While Dunning played a key role in McGill-Toolen’s run to the Alabama High School Athletic Association Final Four, his biggest contribution was moving the ball and helping his teammates perform to the best of their abilities. Dunning says on the podcast that moving the basketball and seeing his teammates score brings him as much joy as scoring 25 points himself in a playoff game.
“Just seeing everybody eat, it’s the best thing ever,” says Dunning. “I smile when I see someone shoot a three, or even get a dunk, everyone will be surprised if I do some type of flashy or crazy pass and they get a layup. It’s just a good feeling.”
Helping teammates achieve their goals of having great stats is something that Dunning has applied his entire career. Dunning’s high school head coach, Phillip Murphy, says that is the first thing he teaches his players when they begin playing in his program, to play basketball “the right way.” Murphy has taught this mindset well, as Dunning has balanced being a great player as well as being a great teammate.
“You can see by his career stats that he has scored over 2,000 career points, he’s the all-time leading scorer in school history and has over 1,000 rebounds, he’s the all-time leader there,” says Murphy. “You can play the right way, and still get numbers.”
Why does Murphy work tirelessly to instill this mindset into his players? He says that its all about helping them in the next step of their career.
“When they get (to college), we would like to think that they are ready to go as soon as they walk on that floor. They understand terminology, and learn to play the game the right way.” says Murphy.
Listen to Caleb Brooks’ entire interview with Barry Dunning and his high school head coach Phillip Murphy below, starting at the 34:25 mark of the podcast.
Arkansas signee Barry Dunning added another accolade to bring the Hogs recruiting class even closer to greatness.
Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman had already clinched the best recruiting class in school history when the news broke Thursday. But what was announced just added more frosting to the proverbial cake.
Dunning, a 6-foot-6, four-star wing from Mobile, averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and almost two blocks a game his senior year for McGill Toolen is the fifth straight winner of the award who signed with an SEC school. Three of the previous four chose the Crimson Tide, while Trenton Watford signed with LSU.
Arkansas’ recruiting class ranks No. 2 in the country with three five-star players and three four-star players. Only Duke, the team that beat Arkansas in the Elite Eight over the weekend is ranked higher, with four five-star recruits.
The Razorbacks landed their second commitment of the week as [autotag]Trevon Brazile[/autotag] of Missouri has announced that he will transfer to Arkansas. Brazile announced the news via Twitter Wednesday afternoon.
Brazile, a freshman for Missouri during the 2021-22 season, played in 25 games for the Tigers with 23 starts at the four position. In those games, Brazile averaged 6.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In two games against Arkansas this season, the freshman from Springfield, Mo. averaged 5.5 points. In the February 15’s game against the Razorbacks, Brazile scored eight points and pulled down eight rebounds in Arkansas’ 75-57 win in Columbia.
In high school, Brazile was the No. 38 small forward in the nation for the 2021 recruiting cycle. , and the No. 4 best recruit from the state of Missouri, and was rated as a three-star recruit by 247sports. Brazile received interest from Missouri, Cleveland State, Montana State, and Wisconsin before ultimately choosing the Missouri Tigers.
Brazile entered the transfer portal on March 22 following the departure of head coach Cuonzo Martin. According to Curtis Wilkerson of HawgSports.com, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Illinois also had interest in landing Brazile.
Arkansas Basketball currently has the second-best recruiting class for the 2022 cycle, and No. 1 in the SEC. The class includes three McDonald’s All-Americans in [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Smith Jr[/autotag]., and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag], as well as the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year in [autotag]Barry Dunning[/autotag].
