Anton Beard

[hawg66]

Deserves a thread. He played really well last night. Anton is looking like the player we all expected after his freshman year. Way to persevere.

[Junkyard Hog]

He definitely looks better.

Much quicker after losing some weight.

[incHOGnito]

I would have liked to see him convert those "And 1s" earlier in the game but he hit the free throws in the clutch. That's what you want from your Senior
PG.

[bigred223]

Yes Anton did a great job finding driving lanes without forcing it.

[Youngsta71701]

He definitely looks better.

Much quicker after losing some weight.

+1, I was thinking the same thing. Much much quicker.

[runich]

He is at his best driving for contact baskets and dishing off.  I rarely ever want to see him take long range shots...not his strength.  If he keeps that in mind, or improves his outside game, this team will be SO much better.

[Hogs49ers]

Yes, he has taken a lot of flack over his time here on the Hill, but he has battled and worked really hard in the offseason to get where he is.  So my hope is that he does not continue to be the guy a lot of our fans go after when things go awry because I know once that happens and the fans go against him early on in his career here, it is really difficult to change that narrative, but he deserves better with how he is playing. 

He plays with so much dawg in him, and really annoys some of his opponents because he is relentless.  When he starts knocking down the open 3s he is taking, he could easily have some 20+ point nights this year!  His defense looks much improved too, I feel like I have seen him jump in front of so many passes during his time here, and does a good job of it when the other player is cutting across the baseline and is kicking it back out for a 3, he seems to trick them into throwing it right to him.

[HogMantheIntruder]

I've been really impressed with the growth I've seen in Anton from last season to now. I could actually say the same for Barford, which is impressive considering how great he was last year. This team seems to have really bought in, and I think they know that this could be a special season.

I'm anxious to see how they do against Oklahoma and (hopefully) UNC, along with the national attention they should start receiving if they play to their potential. "Arkansas" just looks so much better with a number preceding it.

[Hogs49ers]

I've been really impressed with the growth I've seen in Anton from last season to now. I could actually say the same for Barford, which is impressive considering how great he was last year. This team seems to have really bought in, and I think they know that this could be a special season.

I'm anxious to see how they do against Oklahoma and (hopefully) UNC, along with the national attention they should start receiving if they play to their potential. "Arkansas" just looks so much better with a number preceding it.

Barford looks like a beast getting in there and banging down low for the rebounds with guys twice his size, I love it!  He has definitely improved in that area and I feel like he will finish 2-3 in rebounds for this team!

EDIT:  Wow yah I just checked and he is currently second on our team in rebounds, averaging 5.3 per game.  I bet he finishes 3rd behind Gafford and Trey, but will be basically tied or close to 2nd.

[HoopS]

Happy for him. Not surprised.

[rwspear]

He is at his best driving for contact baskets and dishing off.  I rarely ever want to see him take long range shots...not his strength.  If he keeps that in mind, or improves his outside game, this team will be SO much better.

he shot 36% last year from 3 point land, but thats not his strength? do you ever watch basketball?

[HogMantheIntruder]

Barford looks like a beast getting in there and banging down low for the rebounds with guys twice his size, I love it!  He has definitely improved in that area and I feel like he will finish 2-3 in rebounds for this team!

EDIT:  Wow yah I just checked and he is currently second on our team in rebounds, averaging 5.3 per game.  I bet he finishes 3rd behind Gafford and Trey, but will be basically tied or close to 2nd.

Let's not forget that he has already broken his single game scoring record as well. Man I'm excited about this squad. Thank God he and Macon came back. This is another chance at the season that could have been, had Portis and Qualls stayed in 2016.

[niels_boar]

he shot 36% last year from 3 point land, but thats not his strength? do you ever watch basketball?

He also shot 35% from the arc as a frosh.  This team needs him to take and make open treys to force spacing.

[HogNiner12]

He also shot 35% from the arc as a frosh.  This team needs him to take and make open treys to force spacing.

Actually 35 or 36% isn't that good. He needs to just drive and dish, he is average at best. His field goal percentage sucks right now. He is not a scorer

[Rooster Hogburn]

Actually 35 or 36% isn't that good. He needs to just drive and dish, he is average at best. His field goal percentage sucks right now. He is not a scorer

Actually, 35 or 36% is considered very good.

For reference two NBA greats known for their ability to shoot the 3, Larry Bird and Reggie Miller, had career 3pt% averages of 37.5% and 39.5% respectively.

Russell Westbrook, 31.3%
Kevin Durant, 38.1%
Dirk Nowitzki, 38.1%

[labb]

Actually, 35 or 36% is considered very good.

For reference two NBA greats known for their ability to shoot the 3, Larry Bird and Reggie Miller, had career 3pt% averages of 37.5% and 39.5% respectively.

Russell Westbrook, 31.3%
Kevin Durant, 38.1%
Dirk Nowitzki, 38.1%

Facts don't count.

[hawg66]

Actually 35 or 36% isn't that good. He needs to just drive and dish, he is average at best. His field goal percentage sucks right now. He is not a scorer

And yet he's been in double figures in all three games. More importantly he leads the team in steals, has a 2.5/1 assist/turnover ratio, is hitting 88% of his free throws, is usually the first one diving to the floor for loose balls. I'll forgive a forced shot here or there when he's doing all of that.
There's much more to basketball than scoring. Can we at least acknowledge his really good game vs FSU without someone complaining about him being "at best average"?

[niels_boar]

Actually 35 or 36% isn't that good. He needs to just drive and dish, he is average at best. His field goal percentage sucks right now. He is not a scorer

33% on treys = 50% on deuces.  Anyone shooting in the mid-30's should be taking open looks from the arc.  If he doesn't take those looks, the defense will be able to spend more attention on Barford and Macon without being punished. Anton's eFG% is exactly 50%, which means that he's taking about the right number of shots.

[synthartist69]

Beard rocked. Did not see any improvement at the red and white game this year but now, wow! Hope he can keep it going, we need him!

[Letsroll1200]

Beard has been solid the first 3 games. If he continues to play at this level the Hogs might finish top 4 in the SEC.

[HogMantheIntruder]

Beard has been solid the first 3 games. If he continues to play at this level the Hogs might finish atop 4 in the SEC.

FIFY

[The_Iceman]

Beard is playing well. Not trying to do too much. Letting the game come to him instead of forcing it. Really enjoy watching this team right now.

[Letsroll1200]

FIFY

The league has depth especially in the backcourt. I like what Im seeing from Beard because he's not trying to compete with Macon and Barford for shots. He's allowing the game to come to him.

[HogMantheIntruder]

The league has depth especially in the backcourt. I like what Im seeing from Beard because he's not trying to compete with Macon and Barford for shots. He's allowing the game to come to him.

Oh I agree, but when it comes to the Hogs, I'm very much a "glass half full" kind of guy, but even with all my optimism, I'm not predicting that we will win the SEC... yet. That was just for s & g's. I agree, the SEC is better and deeper than it has been in a very long time, so we'll see what happens.

As far as Beard goes, I think you nailed it. The entire team seems to have that kind of approach, which tells me that they really believe in who they are, the players around them, and what they're doing. I know part of it is maturity and good coaching, but there's also a noticeable uptick in confidence. That's one of the reasons why I'm so optimistic about what this team can do.

[rwspear]

Actually 35 or 36% isn't that good. He needs to just drive and dish, he is average at best. His field goal percentage sucks right now. He is not a scorer

um ACTUALLY its really good. you don't know basketball.

[Rome26]

Actually 35 or 36% isn't that good. He needs to just drive and dish, he is average at best. His field goal percentage sucks right now. He is not a scorer

[HawgnCorona]

Actually 35 or 36% isn't that good. He needs to just drive and dish, he is average at best. His field goal percentage sucks right now. He is not a scorer

On the drive he  needs to continue to make contact and finish at the rim...He has improved.

[cableguy]

I have been critical of Beard. The weight lost really helped him and he is playing more like a point guard than a shooting guard. If he start thinking he is a scorer again, I will be critical again. He is playing great and all I got to say is continue the good work.

[BrooklynRoss]

I'm a big fan of his 5-2 assist to turnover ratio, his .464 field goal percentage, and his .857 percentage from the line. Also 13.3 ppg is very nice. He's balling.

[Hogs49ers]

I'm a big fan of his 5-2 assist to turnover ratio, his .464 field goal percentage, and his .857 percentage from the line. Also 13.3 ppg is very nice. He's balling.

Yah he is playing high quality basketball for sure and is a huge contributor and asset to this team.  What sucks is that some of our fans cannot accept the possibility that some players can actually improve, so any time he misses a 3 pointer or has a turnover, they will hop right back to what they know and call him awful and say things like "I hope Anton never touches the ball again or takes a shot." 

[TheRazorback500]

He said tonight that he had lost twenty pounds and that he could move like he could his freshman year. He has looked quicker and more confident going to the rack in these early games. He seems to be more selective from outside, also.

[NWAHog479]

He's had a great start to the season so far, going to be extremely valuable especially since Macon/Barford/Beard are our only true ball-handlers. Love the fact that he's not 6 feet tall, but somehow still manages to grab rebounds and score in the paint.

[lynbug]

Definitely was not expecting the effort he has given to this point....hope it continues.  If so, it is to his credit that he put all the crap from the past behind him to contribute his senior year.