He loves the upward trajectory that the Razorbacks’ basketball program is on, including an in-state recruiting roll that consists of three 2017 in-state signees and five standout commits already in the 2018 and 2019 classes.
This comes during a stretch when Arkansas coach Mike Anderson has led the team to two NCAA Tournaments in the last three seasons.
“If you have a coach like Mike Anderson, if you have a program like Arkansas, you have facilities and fans like we have in this state, why would you want to play anywhere else?” Moncrief said at Anderson’s golf tournament in Rogers on Monday.
“If you’re one of the top players in this state, you’re going to get to the NBA as quickly here as you would Kentucky or anywhere else.”
Moncrief, who played at Little Rock Hall, paired up with Conway’s Marvin Delph and Fort Smith Northside’s Ron Brewer as the catalysts for a Razorback revival in the late 1970s under former coach Eddie Sutton.
All three could have gone to more high-profile programs than Arkansas with offers from the likes of Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, LSU, Minnesota and others.
“I think (former Arkansas assistant coach Pat) Foster had put out the word, ‘He’s going to Arkansas,’ so people stopped recruiting me real early,” Moncrief said. “They got off me real early. Those schools hung in there, but for me, it was either Arkansas or Arkansas State, because that was home for me.”
He noted that athletes such as Sylvan Hills’ Archie Goodwin (Kentucky), North Little Rock’s KeVaughn Allen (Florida) and Lepanto’s Malik Monk (Kentucky) — who played three seasons at Bentonville High — have a right to choose where they want to go.
But Moncrief - who is Arkansas' career leader in rebounds and second in scoring - said he doesn't have to like the decisions.
“It pains me,” Moncrief said “… Of course, people have the opportunity to make their choices, but considering what Mike is building here, this should always in my mind be your first option. Because most kids want to go where? The NBA. You should do it from here.”
Moncrief has some ideas on what kept Arkansas from landing past in-state prospects and why the Razorbacks are on such a roll now.
“Sometimes it is your recruiting, sometimes it is your staff, a lot of times maybe it is the climate and other teams in the conference,” Moncrief said. “I think the SEC is very competitive and you have great schools that you are recruiting against and you have some outstanding cities that you are recruiting against — LSU in Baton Rouge and Vanderbilt in Nashville; all these great cities to choose from.
“But I think Mike has convinced players that he can grow their game, they can become a better player and he has also tapped into the junior college sc... Click here to read full article
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