Arkansas nabbed one of the top scorers in all of high school basketball on Friday when the five-star guard Dario Acuff Jr. made the call to the Razorbacks. Acuff chose João Calipariprogram about the finalists Kansas and childhood dream school Michigan and gives Arkansas fans yet another reason to be optimistic about the program’s direction post-Eric Musselman it was.
Below, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy explores what Arkansas is accomplishing with Acuff, as well as what it means for the bigger picture.
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WHAT ARKANSAS IS GETTING
One of the most lethal scorers in the class of 2025, Acuff can take control of the game due to the fact that he is a legitimate threat to score from almost anywhere on the court. He makes incredibly difficult shots look easy at times and puts enormous pressure on opponents with his ability to strip defenders of rebounds.
The downside to this, however, is that the five-star point guard sometimes struggles from an efficiency standpoint and is prone to allowing a bad start to turn into bad games as well as less-than-ideal body language.
When things are going well, though, there’s no one in this group you’d rather have with the ball in their hands. Acuff shines as a shot creator and has a pull-up game that makes him lethal from mid-range and the 3-point arc. He absorbs contact incredibly well and is as reliable a finisher in traffic as he is in high school basketball due to his strong upper body and impressive body control. He became a better ball handler last year and sees the court well from a passing standpoint. He’s at his best when he lets the game come to him and avoids difficult shots.
Defensively, Acuff has the athleticism and lateral quickness to frustrate defenders, even if his 6-foot-2 frame doesn’t lend itself to elite versatility on that end of the floor.
The Detroit-born standout averaged 23.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in the EYBL this summer and showed some encouraging signs from an efficiency standpoint during July’s Peach Jam play-in tournament, while shooting 47 percent from the floor in a small, five-game sample size. .
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WHAT IT MEANS FOR RAZORBACKS
For Arkansas fans, Friday’s news looms larger than the obvious on-court benefits of landing a high-level scorer like Acuff. Not that there was any huge doubt about the level at which John Calipari would be able to recruit in Fayetteville, but beating Kansas and Michigan State to a five-star makes it clear that the Razorbacks have the budget and clout to delve into the deepest parts. of the recruiting pool in the program’s new era.
Obviously, what happens on the court will determine how Calipari is judged, but winning a battle like this certainly provides some semblance of peace of mind in the off-season.
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