re: Arkansas Basketball Recruiting Thread *Muss Years Archive - do NOT delete*

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Dallas Thomas, a four-star small forward in the class of 2024, has narrowed his list of schools down to five: Arkansas, Clemson, LSU, Memphis, and Missouri.

The 6-foot-7 junior out of Little Rock (Ark.) Parkview Magnet has officially visited Missouri and unofficially visited Arkansas and Memphis.

Along with his five finalists, Thomas also received offers Houston, Texas A&M, Illinois, Texas Tech, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and others.

According to the On3 Industry Rankings, Thomas ranks as the No. 58 overall prospect in the 2024 class. He’s also the nation’s No. 18 small forward and the No. 2 player in the state of Arkansas.

Thomas discusses each of his final five schools and future potential official visits in an exclusive interview here (On3+).

Thomas discusses his game, what he’s looking for in a school
In a previous interview with On3, Dallas Thomas broke down his game and said what he’s looking for in a future program.

“I’d like to think I have an all-around game,” he says. “Just being able to do a little bit of everything on the court. Whatever my team needs me to do. If they need me to defend, I’ll defend. If they need me to score, I’ll score. Recently, I’ve gotten physically stronger. I’ve been in the weight room and also I’ve been working on my ball handling, as well as my shooting. I like to watch a lot of Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy, and Kevin Durant.”

Thomas also knows what he’s looking for in a college.

“Whatever school has a lot of pro experience, I would have a lot of interest in. A school that can develop me, trusts me, and where I can fit in the system.”

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3. SF Ron Holland
School: Duncanville (Texas)
Status: Uncommitted
Scouting Summary: “It is the motor for Ron Holland; that is what you notice first. He has good positional size, but it is how hard he plays – on both ends – that gets people talking. Holland has performed at the highest levels, with Team USA, on Nike’s EYBL circuit, and at Duncanville High. Coming into his junior season, the question mark was the skill set; he has shown some improvement. While the jump shot is still below average, he can use the dribble to get downhill, and he’s developed confidence in his pull-up jumper. Holland is great in transition; he plays above the rim and has the upside to be an excellent defender – both on and off the ball. Production and winning, that is what he has done for a while.”

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Ron Holland makes a jump

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Ron Holland finishes the 2023 class cycle at No. 3, back in the top five, which is where he started when the class debuted. The past 12 months have been fluid for the five-star small forward. It started with a poor April and May 2022 (three sessions) on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. He then went to Spain with the USA National u16 team and won a gold medal. Holland then sat out of July travel ball play. The 6-foot-8 Duncanville (TX) High wing then went on to have one of the country’s very best 2022-23 high school seasons averaging 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game and was a standout during the post-season all-star games.

This is a great example of why it is important to get consistent viewings of players in multiple settings over long periods of time. After his gold medal winning performance in June, his consistently dominant high school season, and his stand-out performances from the post-season all-star circuit, Holland jumped from No. 14 to No. 3 in this On3 150 update.

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Biggest movers in the top 100

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SF Ron Holland (No. 3) – A finalist for the Naismith High School Men’s Player of the Year and the On3 MVP of McDonald’s All-American week. The 6-foot-8 small forward is one of the more versatile defenders in the class and one of the most accomplished players internationally, winning two gold medals. His noted improvement on the offensive end and how young he is compared to his peers were added drivers behind the rise.

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Five-Star SF Ron Holland
Ron Holland
Size: 6-8 / 195
School: Duncanville (Texas) High
Uncommitted

Previous On3 Ranking: No. 14
New On3 Ranking: No. 3

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Ron Holland, a multiple time USA Basketball gold medalist and finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award. He’s also the youngest five-star in the final ranking, and will graduate high school at 17, not turning 18 until July.

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This dude is going to the pros

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COMMITTED TRANSFERS

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KHALIF BATTLE | Temple

4-star, No. 19 overall, 94 player rating

After averaging 17.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game at Temple last season, Battle will arrive at Arkansas with the expectations of shouldering some of the scoring load left behind by the likes of Nick Smith, Ricky Council and others. Here's what 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham had to say about the top transfer commitment for the Razorbacks.

"Khalif Battle is arguably the best bucket-getter in the transfer portal right now. He averaged 17.9 points a game and inflicts his damage at all three levels but particularly the three-point line where he drilled 35-percent of his 8.1 attempts a game this season.

"Despite coming off the bench for Temple most of the year, Battle was still able to lead the team in scoring. On 13 occasions, Battle scored more than 20 points this season in 27 games played. Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman will see if he can tap into his scoring to create another JD Notae-type player."

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TRAMON MARK | Houston

4-star, No. 22 overall, 94 player rating

Mark was a critical contributor to an impressive run of success at Houston under head coach Kelvin Sampson the past few seasons, and averaged 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game as a lockdown defender for a No. 1 seed last season. He exploded for 26 points and 9 rebounds against Auburn in the NCAA Tournament. Mark is currently going through the NBA Draft process. Here's more on Mark's impact from Branham.

"Tramon Mark has been a valuable piece to Houston’s run over the last three years and now he is off to find a bigger role at Arkansas, which has fashioned itself as the portal king the last few cycles.

"Mark is a talented and versatile wing who has shown ability to play some on the ball coming out of high school. Mark impacts the game in just about every way from defense to rebounding, slashing and creating but his biggest weakness lies in his long-ball. If Mark takes his jumper to the next level, he will find himself cracking future draft boards."

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KEYON MENIFIELD | Washington

4-star, No. 51 overall, 93 player rating

One of Arkansas' priorities early in the offseason was to add some seasoned ball-handling and playmaking alongside freshman point guard Layden Blocker, and the Hogs did exactly that with the early addition of Menifield, who chose the Razorbacks over Alabama, Ohio State, Louisville and others.

Menifield is coming off a Pac-12 All-Freshman campaign in 2022-23 where he scored 10.0 points, dished out 3.1 assists and grabbed 2.9 rebounds per game. There's some electric qualities to Menifield's game, and could make a major impact in the SEC with improved strength and weight.

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EL ELLIS | Louisville

4-star, No. 66 overall, 92 player rating

The theme for Arkansas in the offseason has been making additions that will help the offense catch up to what has been a stingy defense the last couple seasons, and Ellis certainly fits that mold. The ACC's third-leading scorer averaged 17.7 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game last season.

An argument could be made that Ellis was a victim of circumstance on a Louisville team that struggled mightily in 2022-23. Given the responsibilities placed on his shoulders on a nightly basis, his numbers are actually quite impressive. In Fayetteville with a better supporting cast and more suitable role, Arkansas will hope for an impactful, but more efficient, version of Ellis, who is also testing the NBA Draft waters at the moment.

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JEREMIAH DAVENPORT | Cincinnati

3-star, No. 180 overall, 89 player rating

While Davenport might be the lowest-ranked of Arkansas' five current commitments out of the transfer portal, his importance can't be understated. The Razorbacks are somewhat thing at the all-important 3-4 hybrid position at the moment, and he slots well there at 6-7, 215 pounds. Arkansas clearly needs to be an improved three-point shooting team, and Davenport should provide a lift there as well as a career 34.7% shooter from beyond the arc with 205 made threes.

Davenport is a graduate transfer coming off a 2022-23 campaign at Cincinnati where he averaged 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with 72 made three-pointers. He scored in double figures in the previous two seasons.

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TOP TARGET TO MONITOR

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GRANT NELSON | North Dakota State

4-star, No. 3 overall, 97 player rating

Arkansas fans have been enamored with Nelson since he showed well at Bud Walton Arena against the Hogs in the season-opener. Now that the versatile, 6-11 forward's 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game have come available via the portal, he has become one of the most frequently asked about names in Fayetteville.

Nelson is currently going through the NBA Draft process and his name has generated quite a bit of early buzz at the combine. There's a very real chance that he stays in and begins his professional career. However, if he withdraws by the May 31 deadline and returns for another year of college, expect Arkansas to be right in the thick of things when it comes to landing his services.

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Jahki Howard will be the first to tell you he didn’t have the kind of summer he wanted a year ago. His effort was down, he was forcing shots and things simply didn’t seem to be going in the right direction.

Those days seem to be behind him now, however, as the four-star wing is off to a blazing start this spring and should see his once-falling ranking improve because of it.

Howard is averaging 17 PPG on 63% shooting through eight games on the Nike EYBL circuit. He’s also shooting 45% from three-point range. He’s using his elite length to shine on defense and has recorded a pair of doubles on the back of motivated rebounding efforts for a loaded New Heights Lighting Team.

Rivals recently spoke with Howard, who is currently the No. 77 prospect in the 2024 class, about his recruitment and the work that has led to his breakout start.

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ON SCHOOLS IN CONTACT:

“Recently, Georgetown, Kansas and Utah, NC State and Arkansas have been in touch. We’re talking but there’s so much going on with transfers and everything else that coaches are busy,”

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ON OTHER SCHOOLS TO WATCH CLOSELY:

“Utah, Arkansas and NC State, I’d say.”

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Howard was a five-star prospect when the first 2024 rankings dropped two years ago and still has massive upside. He seems much more at ease recently and isn't trying to do too much from a scoring standpoint.

His jumper has clearly improved over the last year and so have both his temperament and basketball IQ. Obviously, he’s not a perfect prospect but things are once again headed in the right direction for the Overtime Elite standout.

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