re: 2022-23 Basketball MegaThread

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ANTHONY BLACK, ARKANSAS

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Anthony Black missed the start of Arkansas’ summer practices because he was helping Team USA’s U18 team win a gold medal. When he came back, Black immediately stunned the Arkansas staff with how well he knew the playbook.

“I’ve never seen a player come in the middle and literally knew almost our entire playbook that we’ve known so far,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. “I was kind of speechless. He literally was asking about third and fourth options on plays and we have guys who are here from Day 1 who are still trying to figure out the second option. I thought I was with an NFL veteran QB who was asking questions and had just missed a couple OTAs or something."

Black’s eye-popping talent and keen basketball IQ has been extremely evident throughout the first month of the season. With Nick Smith Jr. sidelined with an injury, Black stepped up as the go-to decision-maker for Arkansas, and the Hogs' effective field-goal percentage jumps nearly 5.0% with Black in the game, per Pivot Analysis. He just creates good shots. Even against stiff competition in the Maui Invitational, Black was the best player on the floor. He had 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals against Creighton.

Black's usage rate has dropped a tad now that Smith is back in the mix, but the 6-foot-7, 200-pound freshman just looks like a pro. His positional size is off the charts. He’s shooting 40% from 3-point range. Black has flashed some terrific moments as a playmaker and as a defender, especially against pick-and-rolls. There’s still room to grow, but Arkansas is getting everything it wanted and more out of Black through the first nine games of the season.

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