Anthony Black's Choice Nears

Argument for what guard lists as considerations point toward Hogs unless need to stay home

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Mar 28, 2022 5:35 PM EDT
Original:
Mar 28, 2022

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In a about an hour, coveted Duncanville, Texas, guard Anthony Black will make intentions known that he's sat on for quite some time as he and his Panther teammates made their way through the UIL Texas high school state basketball tournament.

He'll announce his decision between Arkansas, Gonzaga, Oklahoma St., TCU and the G League at an event known as the Powerade Jamfest at the Wintrust Arena.

This event has hosted players Arkansas fans know well, such as Lebron James and Malik Monk.

USATSI_9937573 — Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

But where will Black go?

He outlined his considerations in a story posted earlier by Sports Illustrated's Jason Jordan, so let's add those in with a bit of common sense and see what shakes out.

If Black wants to stick close to home so his mother can watch him play home games easily, then it's TCU and the rest can return to their regularly scheduled portal watch.

While Arkansas and Oklahoma St. are relatively short drives, it's not 30 minutes. As for Mark Few and Gonzaga, they're dramatically closer to Russia than Duncanville.

Oklahoma St. is cause for concern simply because it's hard to figure out how the Cowboys fit into the puzzle. They're not a threat for a national championship, they're not close to home, they don't have a reputation as a school that improves a players chances of looking strong at the NBA combine.

The fact they are in this equation should worry all other parties concerned because the Cowboys have come up with something no one else has out of left field and we probably won't know truly what it was until Black is in the NBA.

It's the kind of outlier that has reporters asking around about a potential girlfriend and where she might be going because nothing else makes sense.

Then there's the G League. Black lists the chance to learn from NBA coaches and the chance to think about basketball 24/7 as a major reason to consider the option. However, he also mentions his desire to experience March Madness in the same breath.

Here's why the G League most likely won't win out. I happen to live down the street from a G League team. However, most of my neighbors don't know that. They're pretty invisible.

Yes, players there are technically associated with the NBA, but it is not an experience anyone should ever wish upon a player with aspirations.

It's an arena with maybe 200 people, most of which are dads who are there because their kids got free tickets at their elementary school and they want to go see if the circus is still there from when they went to the same tiny arena two weeks ago.

No one knows who any of the players are except for a few diehards who are there to catch an old college favorite who is desperately clinging to hope of getting called up so he can get two minutes every three nights on the end of an NBA bench.

Nothing could be worse for a player's brand. The only player who gets any promotion is whoever is brought in to be an attraction because he's super tall.

That guy gets a life-sized cutout that stands in the local Pizza Hut or Subway where kids can ask to take a picture and ask "Daddy, who's that guy?" to which the dad responds, " I don't know."

So there's that, or a life on campus at the University of Arkansas. You're still getting an NBA coach, Eric Musselman coached at both Golden State and Sacramento, but now you're in a place full of great memories, lifetime buddies, and a massively larger pool from which to choose a date.

The NIL money is dramatically more than the $37,000 a G League player gets, plus you've got a room, food, better workout equipment and a non-stop PR machine behind you to help you build your brand. Instead of being invisible down the street from an IKEA, you're on some form of ESPN or CBS every game.

Your value is going up and up while you get to play alongside an incoming recruiting class that on paper is better than most G League teams.

Then there's March Madness.

Highlight after highlight as the world hangs on the edge of its seat to see if their bracket is going to be busted because one of the greatest collections of talent since the Fab Five got tripped up by the next St. Peter's or ripped America's Cinderella heart out by 30.

Black's been in Bud Walton. He saw what the atmosphere was like.

Fans on Court-Auburn — Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas fans lose their minds at a white-out game upset of No. 1 Auburn at Bud Walton Arena. — Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports

It's intoxicating. In the G League, it's intoxicated because at least 50 of the hundred and change are trying to drink their way out of the experience of having to be at a G League Game.

We'll know soon where Black chooses. If it's Arkansas, this may be one of the most anticipated college basketball seasons in decades.

That much talent dripping on one floor is must-watch. It's Jerry Tarkanian Runnin' Rebels, Houston Cougers Phi Slamma Jamma, Michigan Fab 5 must-watch TV and college basketball hasn't had that in a long time.