Former Hogs star Dusty Hannahs named to Team USA

Former Arkansas sharpshooter Dusty Hannahs will represent the United States as they try to qualify for the World Cup.

Dusty Hannahs was a sharpshooter for his two seasons at Arkansas. The only thing that’s changed from that sentence is that he’s no longer at Arkansas.

Hannahs was one of 12 players named to United States’ Men’s World Cup Qualifying roster on Tuesday. He will play with Team USA for two games during the squad’s final qualifying window against Uruguay and Brazil on February 23 and February 26. The United States needs just one win to automatically qualify for the World Cup.

Hannahs has spent this season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League. In 28 games, with 20 starts, he has averaged 17.3 points per game playing 31 minutes a night. 

During his two seasons with the Razorbacks, Hannahs led the team in scoring both years, averaging 16.5 points and 14.4 points per game while shooting 41% from 3-point range and almost 90% from the free-throw line in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. 

Arkansas made the NCAA Tournament during Hannahs’ senior season. The Razorbacks lost by seven points in the second round against No. 1-seed and eventual national champion North Carolina in Greenville, South Carolina.

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Jaylen Barford scores 24, Team Arkansas falls in TBT

Team Arkansas is out of the The Basketball Tournament, going 2-1 with a bunch of former Hogs.

Team Arkansas’ run at the TBT is over.

A team comprised largely of former Razorbacks basketball players took part in The Basketball Tournament this past week in hopes of playing for a $1,000,000 prize. But after winning their first two games in the Omaha Regional, Team Arkansas was beaten in the finale by Gutter Cats on Tuesday, 62-52.

Former Hogs guard Jaylen Barford led all scorers with 24 points while Dusty Hannahs joined in him double figures with 13. Team Arkansas was within three points in the fourth quarter before a Gutter Cats run at the end allowed them to reach the target score.

The Gutter Cats were led by Tyrese Rice, a former guard at Boston College, with 22 points. They advance to the final eight-team tournament in Dayton from July 28 – August 1.

Other former Razorbacks on Team Arkansas included Courtney Fortson, Trey Wade, Sonny Weems, Hunter Mickelson and Jimmy Whitt.

Ranking the 30 best players of the 2019-20 NBA G League season

With the NBA G League season likely to be canceled soon, Rookie Wire took a look at the best players to suit up this year.

As the NBA braces for a lengthy hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the growing belief around the league is that the G League season will soon be canceled.

The G League regular season was set to conclude on March 28 and the decision to end play is likely an easy one to make given the financial burden it places on organizations. While the season will soon be canceled, all G League players will be paid through the end of the year.

The NBA itself is preparing for the possibility of returning to play in mid-to-late June as the best-case scenario after the CDC recommended on Sunday that all events with 50 or more people be canceled for two months to help slow the spread of the virus.

With the G League likely set to be canceled, Rookie Wire decided to take a look at the best players to suit up this season as there have been some spectacular performances from around the league.

Players must have appeared in at least 20 games to be considered. Stats were used from the NBA G League, Basketball-Reference and RealGM.

30. Donta Hall, Grand Rapids Drive

Hall, who finished second in double-doubles among all players with 22, emerged as a strong post player with the Drive this season. He was named to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League Team and was solid all season long in his first year as a professional.

29. Christ Koumadje, Delaware Blue Coats

The 7-foot-4 center led the G League in blocks with four per game and was seventh in rebounding. He recorded two triple-doubles this season with points, rebounds and blocks and tied the mark for most rebounds in a game by an individual player at 24.

28. Kyle Alexander, Sioux Falls Skyforce

Alexander quickly became one of the best big men in the league this season and his play resulted in a two-way contract from the Miami Heat. He finished fifth in blocks and 14th in rebounding with the Skyforce to cap a productive first year.

27. Eric Mika, Stockton Kings

The former BYU product placed 29th in scoring among all players and second in rebounding. Mika recorded 16 double-doubles and tied the G League season-high of 24 rebounds by an individual player. He eventually earned a 10-day contract from the Kings in February but was not signed to a second one.

26. Paul Watson, Raptors 905

Watson was named to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League Team and continued his strong play for the rest of the season. Watson scored in double figures in each of his 30 games played in the G League and eventually earned a two-way contract from the Toronto Raptors.

25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1