I noticed in Dudley’s story that he did not play high school or AAU basketball last season. What is the reason for that and also how is he so highly recruited if he hasn’t played basketball in over a year?
I don’t know why he didn’t play. I’m sure someone knows, and they may or may not say. As for being highly rated, I was told the rankings are based more on potential than actual skill (by the time their SR’s it changes) but he’s being rated for his freshmen year, which is more off potential. It may go up or down based on the next two years. Playing for the Hawks (with the others commits) should help his skill set and our chances of him being a Hog.
He had a knee injury right before the season started.
Nothing nefarious.
As for his rating, he played high school basketball in the ninth grade, started with four juniors and averaged a double-double and was named District 17-6A’s newcomer of the year
He was invited to and has participated in several elite camps, including the USA Basketball Junior National Team one.
Good to hear. Glad it wasn’t anything nefarious.
Thanks Dudley, good info.
Added in some more details
FWIW, from today’s column.
Arkansas men’s basketball Coach Mike Anderson and his staff hosted one of the better junior prospects in the nation, forward DeShang “D.J.” Weaver, Saturday and he left with a scholarship offer.
Weaver, 6-7, 200 pounds, of Houston Cypress Falls, also has offers from Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Houston, TCU and others.
He’s accumulated the offers despite missing his sophomore season along with this spring and summer sessions after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October of last year.
Weaver, rated a 4-star prospect by ESPN, will play next spring and summer with the already talented 17-under Arkansas Hawks.
“I saw him at the Adidas Camp as a ninth grader, and I thought he was a top 10 player in the 2018 class before he got injured,” Hawks founder Bill Ingram said. “He’s a huge addition.”
Weaver attended Arkansas’ Elite Camp in August 2015. At the time, future150.com rated him as the No. 2 small forward and No. 11 overall prospect in the nation for the 2018 class.
The starting five of the Hawks are committed to the Hogs: junior forwards Reggie Perry, 6-10, 225 pounds, of Thomasville, Ga.; and Ethan Henderson, 6-9, 190, of Little Rock Parkview; and junior guards Isaiah Joe, 6-2, 160, of Fort Smith Northside; and Desi Sills, 6-1, 170, of Jonesboro. Sophomore point guard Justice Hill, 5-11, 160, of Little Rock Christian is committed as a part of the 2019 class.
The Hawks finished this spring and summer with a 35-5 record and ranked 10th nationally by Individual Hoops.
“He plays unselfish and he shoots it really well,” Ingram said of Weaver. “He’s going to make us so much better because he’s so versatile and give us a little more depth. He can play two or three positions.”
Weaver’s mother, Angela Williams, ran the 100 meters, 200 and 400 relay for Trinidad in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics and is now the women’s track and field coach at Prairie View A&M. She’s good friends with former Arkansas jumping great and fellow Olympian Mike Conley, who founded the Hawks with Ingram.
“She said they wanted to play for an organization that’s family-oriented,” Ingram said. “That’s what we try to do, so it’s a perfect fit.”