Qualls gone....per his twitter

[T.V. Caplinger]

Dang you guys have some low standards for a star. 15 points a game, 43% from field, 33% from three point and 1:1 assist to turnover ratio equals star lol if you say so. He was a very good player and will certainly be missed. Hope for his sake he does get drafted as we have a long enough list of players thinking they are better than they are and leaving early only to not get drafted. Stars are players that are good enough to be drafted high not players that you wonder if they will ever get drafted

[tusksincolorado]

Whine, Beetch, Beetch, Whine, and moan.....

Welcome to Jump Ball.

[hoglady]

I caught some of Ron Crawford on Drive Time this afternoon.
Said if we can get a productive big man we'll be fine. There will be a drop off but not as much as most are predicting. Said we will have good guard play and folks just don't realize how really good Jimmy Whitt is. Said he will put the points on the board.
I felt a little better after hearing him.

[HawgnCorona]

I wonder who our next big time recruit/player will be or who will be the next great Razorback to step up?!

Thanks for the memories BP & MQ...

No time to sit and mope.

[jry04]

There is always the other side.  Remember how everyone regarded Joe Johnson's decision to leave after his So. year was a bad idea.  They said there was no way he would be better than a late first rounder.  He ended up getting drafted no. 10.  You never know, some team might just love his upside or he could blow out the combine, making himself a first rounder.

True, but I feel like anyone who is a first rounder has a reason to go. Bobby absolutely needed to go, and Joe had good reason to, as well.

[jry04]

I caught some of Ron Crawford on Drive Time this afternoon.
Said if we can get a productive big man we'll be fine. There will be a drop off but not as much as most are predicting. Said we will have good guard play and folks just don't realize how really good Jimmy Whitt is. Said he will put the points on the board.
I felt a little better after hearing him.

We definitely need someone to step up. The guys on the roster are capable of being a good team if they reach their potential, but a lot of guys need to improve to do it. Definitely not impossible, but we will see.

[MountieDawg]

He could have played himself into the late first round according to all of the analysts and "experts." I do not get this "it would not help Qualls to come back" sentiment that so many on here share. He is at best a mid-second round pick to undrafted. If he goes undrafted this year, or is in the last 5 picks and does not make a NBA roster, than what benefit did he have of leaving now?

Can he get better playing against other pros while getting paid and not having to worry about class and only about getting better at basketball? He might get drafted this year you don't know that, but he has to do what's best for him and not you or anyone else. Plus I have heard he could graduate this summer...

[Hawg Red]

I caught some of Ron Crawford on Drive Time this afternoon.
Said if we can get a productive big man we'll be fine. There will be a drop off but not as much as most are predicting. Said we will have good guard play and folks just don't realize how really good Jimmy Whitt is. Said he will put the points on the board.
I felt a little better after hearing him.

Ron Crawford doesn't have a clue. Why do you put any stock to anything he says, if you don't mind me asking. Guys said Hunter Mickleson would go pro early and last week I heard him spitting all kinds of factually incorrect things about the NBA draft. He's awful.

[Danny J]

Ron Crawford doesn't have a clue. Why do you put any stock to anything he says, if you don't mind me asking. Guys said Hunter Mickleson would go pro early and last week I heard him spitting all kinds of factually incorrect things about the NBA draft. He's awful.

I agree.....last year or the year before he couldn't even name some of our key contributors off the bench. He kept stammering around trying to think of names and at that point I thought to myself he is the last person I would take advice or projections from.

[hoglady]

Ron Crawford doesn't have a clue. Why do you put any stock to anything he says, if you don't mind me asking. Guys said Hunter Mickleson would go pro early and last week I heard him spitting all kinds of factually incorrect things about the NBA draft. He's awful.

Crawford wasn't the only one who missed on Mickleson.
It happens to every team at every level of sports.
Self obviously missed, too.
Crawford has been involved in AAU basketball for years.
I think he knows basketball pretty well and knows a heck of a lot more about these high school kids than most.
I was happy to hear he was so high on Whitt. Hopefully, he's right.

[jry04]

Can he get better playing against other pros while getting paid and not having to worry about class and only about getting better at basketball? He might get drafted this year you don't know that, but he has to do what's best for him and not you or anyone else. Plus I have heard he could graduate this summer...

Graduation can be done within, I believe, 12 or 15 hours of earning your degree. However, he is not earning his degree this summer.

No, I do not know whether he will be drafted or not. However, I do know he will not be drafted outside of the 2nd round. I also know that the amount of players who are drafted in the mid to late 2nd round and actually make a roster is significantly low. I also know there is a very small amount of players who get drafted late/undrafted and go overseas or in the d-league, and end up making it to the NBA for an extended period of time. I know PBev did, but he is one of the few and that is why he is so well known around the league now.


You do not have to lecture me on what went into Qualls' decision. I have stated numerous times today that he had to do what was best for him, and that he made a good decision if he is content on playing overseas. The only thing I have argued is if his goal was to make the NBA, his chances just took a bigger hit than if he were to stay. Gary Parrish, Jeff Goodman, Jon Rothstein, Jeff Borzello, and many other analysts who have talked to and been around people with the NBA all agreed when the news broke today. They are not all knowing when it comes to basketball, but they definitely know what the word is with regards to draft stock a lot more than you or I. Regardless, I hope I am dead wrong, and we see him playing in the league next year.

[aar0n]

We have NO idea what some of these other guys are fully capable of given the amount of playing time, practice with the other starting 4, and coaching focus that was otherwise absorbed by BP and MQ.  Im confident we have a couple "late bloomers" and surprises in store for next year.  Yall act like these other guys were picked out of a random lineup because they looked like they could play, not that they have most likely been playing their whole lives, were high school stars, and were heavily recruited by several D1 colleges.  It's not a bunch of clueless scrubs that are just hanging around the program to take up scholarships while we find some stars, they ARE the intended stars.  You're crazy if you don't think MA will put his and his staff's full effort into readying these guys.  I'm not nearly as worried as some here are. 

[jry04]

We have NO idea what some of these other guys are fully capable of given the amount of playing time, practice with the other starting 4, and coaching focus that was otherwise absorbed by BP and MQ.  Im confident we have a couple "late bloomers" and surprises in store for next year.  Yall act like these other guys were picked out of a random lineup because they looked like they could play, not that they have most likely been playing their whole lives, were high school stars, and were heavily recruited by several D1 colleges.  It's not a bunch of clueless scrubs that are just hanging around the program to take up scholarships while we find some stars, they ARE the intended stars.  You're crazy if you don't think MA will put his and his staff's full effort into readying these guys.  I'm not nearly as worried as some here are. 

Agreed. Coty Clarke wasn't very good his first season here, and then he developed into a very good player. Delvon Johnson and Mike Washington were not good at first, and then became quality big men. Derek Hood was a decent player his first 3 years, but never averaged more than 9ppg. He jumped to 18 ppg his senior season. Frank Kaminsky was a 3 star recruit, who averages less than 4 ppg and 2 rpg in his first 2 season. He won POY last season. That is an extreme example, but like you said, we never know who will emerge or reach their potential each season.

[Hawg Red]

Crawford wasn't the only one who missed on Mickleson.
It happens to every team at every level of sports.
Self obviously missed, too.
Crawford has been involved in AAU basketball for years.
I think he knows basketball pretty well and knows a heck of a lot more about these high school kids than most.
I was happy to hear he was so high on Whitt. Hopefully, he's right.

Anytime I've heard the guy talk, I've heard him say something that was factually incorrect. Guess I just can't take him seriously because of that. I can't ever remember him being spot-on about much of anything. Seems like just a hype man to me.

And how did Self "miss" on Mickleson? Strong argument could be made that he was basically brought to Lawrence to be a glorified practice player. If you look at their roster, I don't think they ever expected Hunter to be a player of any real impact.

[hoglady]

Anytime I've heard the guy talk, I've heard him say something that was factually incorrect. Guess I just can't take him seriously because of that. I can't ever remember him being spot-on about much of anything. Seems like just a hype man to me.

And how did Self "miss" on Mickleson? Strong argument could be made that he was basically brought to Lawrence to be a glorified practice player. If you look at their roster, I don't think they ever expected Hunter to be a player of any real impact.

I don't look at Kansas as a school that ever gives up one of their coveted scholarships to someone they expect to be a glorified practice player.
I imagine Self thought Mickleson could contribute. 
We are talking about Kansas - a premiere program.

[Hawg Red]

I don't look at Kansas as a school that ever gives up one of their coveted scholarships to someone they expect to be a glorified practice player.
I imagine Self thought Mickleson could contribute. 
We are talking about Kansas - a premiere program.

I think we look at it as the exact opposite. Kansas doesn't have a long rotation like Arkansas. They play 7-8 guys in their rotation, like most big-time schools. Maybe 9. They're going to have 3-4 guys that don't play much at any given time if they've used up all their scholarships.

[latrops]

Agreed. Coty Clarke wasn't very good his first season here, and then he developed into a very good player. Delvon Johnson and Mike Washington were not good at first, and then became quality big men. Derek Hood was a decent player his first 3 years, but never averaged more than 9ppg. He jumped to 18 ppg his senior season. Frank Kaminsky was a 3 star recruit, who averages less than 4 ppg and 2 rpg in his first 2 season. He won POY last season. That is an extreme example, but like you said, we never know who will emerge or reach their potential each season.

Absolutely, some guys are going to step up and have good numbers.  The numbers will come from somewhere.  That's not the problem.  Winning games is the issue.  With our best player of at least the last decade and another potential NBA draftee, we barely beat Wofford and were unable to get to the 2nd weekend of the NCAAT.  It just feels like we are a long way from where we want to be....again. 

For all the things Anderson does well, reloading and building a roster quickly hasn't really been one of them.

[rude1]

I don't look at Kansas as a school that ever gives up one of their coveted scholarships to someone they expect to be a glorified practice player.
I imagine Self thought Mickleson could contribute. 
We are talking about Kansas - a premiere program.

With 13 scholarships to fill, every program not named Ky is going to recruit guys that are projects that they attempt to develop and isn't bringing them in believing they will be a difference maker.

[40MINSOFHELL]

NIT here we come!

[razortv]

What things happen?  We have the SEC Player of the Year (Portis) and another one of the top players of the last half decade (Qualls) and we get a total of one NCAA appearance...with a win over Wofford...in four years, then look like we're headed back for obscurity in what is a weak conference?

If that's as high as you set your sights, there's a good chance you'll score a bullseye.

Other teams lose their best players every year.  It's a fact of life in today's college basketball.  Some deal with it and keep winning, some don't.  We'll see into which category our program falls over the next couple of years.

I believe the poster was being sarcastic. We will be lucky to make the NIT unless CMA has some secrets recruits or relatives we don't know about.

[hoglady]

With 13 scholarships to fill, every program not named Ky is going to recruit guys that are projects that they attempt to develop and isn't bringing them in believing they will be a difference maker.

I understand that.
But you don't bring in guys and give them a scholarship thinking they never will contribute. You sign them thinking you can make them better - I don't think Self gave Mickelson a scholarship to just be a practice player.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

I hope you prove Jump Ball wrong Qualls and have a good NBA career

[riccoar]

And my post was in no way crying about either.  Portis is going to get paid.  Qualls might get paid.  I don't care if they stay till their a senior or leave after their freshman season.  I just want to make sure a kid is leaving with every possibility to get what he can get.  In the case of Qualls, I simply believe that returning could see him being in place as a runner for SEC POTY, getting many minutes, and opportunities to get that first round slot with guaranteed money.  But I wish them both the best and say Thank You for the memories.

[RazorPiggie]

Now that he's no longer a student-athlete, lets see how long it takes before the previously unspeakable 'off-court' Qualls stories begin to come out.

Ok. I'm lost on this one?

[HawgWild]

Best of luck to you Mr. Walk on Air. Certainly hate to see you go and I've enjoyed watching you these last three years.

[kp72204]

Well look at it like this...No matter how much we claim to love or hate CMA, if he can truly coach we win more than we lose. Good coaches find a way. Can anybody tell me Wisconsin was one of the most talented final four members out of 64(let alone 68)?

[Atlhogfan1]

Well look at it like this...No matter how much we claim to love or hate CMA, if he can truly coach we win more than we lose. Good coaches find a way. Can anybody tell me Wisconsin was one of the most talented final four members out of 64(let alone 68)?

Yes they were.  Player of the Year plus 2 more future NBA draft picks.

[Hawg Red]

Wisconsin went to back-to-back Final 4s. Yes, there are one of the best teams in the country. What planet have you been living on, kp??

[Danny J]

Well look at it like this...No matter how much we claim to love or hate CMA, if he can truly coach we win more than we lose. Good coaches find a way. Can anybody tell me Wisconsin was one of the most talented final four members out of 64(let alone 68)?

They also had one five star, 3 four star and a 3 star that plays like a 4 star guy. They have also played together for a while. They are the definition of talented and experienced.

[Soooie21]

Should have a bunch of hungry players doing battle in practice...

[Sharky]

And my post was in no way crying about either.  Portis is going to get paid.  Qualls might get paid.  I don't care if they stay till their a senior or leave after their freshman season.  I just want to make sure a kid is leaving with every possibility to get what he can get.  In the case of Qualls, I simply believe that returning could see him being in place as a runner for SEC POTY, getting many minutes, and opportunities to get that first round slot with guaranteed money.  But I wish them both the best and say Thank You for the memories.

At minimum, Qualls will get paid what a doctor gets paid. I'd still call that "getting paid." Plus, most D1 colleges will still pay for tuition if he comes back to finish his degree, so he doesn't risk much by leaving and he gains a year of primary earnings potential. SEC POTY for Qualls would be a stretch, in part because we might not have been good even if he stayed--he might have been double teamed on defense as we won't have much depth and there's no comparable threat to Portis on the inside. Anyway, there's just no guarantee he would have moved up.

[Hawg Red]

At minimum, Qualls will get paid what a doctor gets paid. I'd still call that "getting paid." Plus, most D1 colleges will still pay for tuition if he comes back to finish his degree, so he doesn't risk much by leaving and he gains a year of primary earnings potential. SEC POTY for Qualls would be a stretch, in part because we might not have been good even if he stayed--he might have been double teamed on defense as we won't have much depth and there's no comparable threat to Portis on the inside. Anyway, there's just no guarantee he would have moved up.

I don't think there's any way we can say "at minimum" how much Qualls will make. Anyone know what B.J., Fortson or Powell is making? It all depends on where he lands. People think there's just all kinds of money across the ocean, but there's plenty of teams who bounce pay checks, straight up don't pay players, etc.

[jkstock04]

The question to me is what would his NBA potential be if he were to stay another year? If there is a good chance he would improve his game to be a legit NBA player...then this is obviously a bad decision. If what you see from him now is what you are gonna get one year from now...this is probably the right decision.

The problem is kids can't see past next week let alone a year from now. Fresh out of college, what I thought would be a fortune turned out not to be so. What's the average salary of Europe league basketball? 100k/year? Lol that seems like a waste to me IF he is passing up a strong possibility to make it to the NBA with another year of play. There is zero doubt he would be a (or maybe the) showcase player for us if he had stayed.

Like I said, only thing I'm not sure about is his potential to continue to improve NBA status if he had stayed. 100k/ year is a nice salary...especially for someone fresh out of school. But how sustaining is that? That ain't gonna last forever. What will be do after that? What's the avg career span for a Europe bball player? 5 years? Is the goal to go from Europe and make it to the NBA? How often does that happen?

Hope it's the best decision for him and it works out for him in the end...I'm a bit skeptical though as I believe his NBA draft stock would've improved had he stayed. Millions of dollars over a few years = retirement type money IF you have some common sense. Hundreds of thousands of dollars over a few years = nice, but you better have some sort of plan when that ends cause you ain't gonna retire on that.

[jkstock04]

I don't think there's any way we can say "at minimum" how much Qualls will make. Anyone know what B.J., Fortson or Powell is making? It all depends on where he lands. People think there's just all kinds of money across the ocean, but there's plenty of teams who bounce pay checks, straight up don't pay players, etc.

A quick google search showed around 100K/ year. That's kind of what I figured. That's more than what most Arkansans make, but it just seems like a waste to me...unless he is sure he would never be a NBA type talent and this is his ceiling.

[panhandlepig]

A quick google search showed around 100K/ year. That's kind of what I figured. That's more than what most Arkansans make, but it just seems like a waste to me...unless he is sure he would never be a NBA type talent and this is his ceiling.

  Did you watch his interview stickied at the top of this thread after he announced? It is pretty clear why he is leaving.  He is juggling a million what-ifs and trying to predict the future.  He will get paid to play basketball and provide for his family. I wish him the best and don't blame him at all.

[jkstock04]

  Did you watch his interview stickied at the top of this thread after he announced? It is pretty clear why he is leaving.  He is juggling a million what-ifs and trying to predict the future.  He will get paid to play basketball and provide for his family. I wish him the best and don't blame him at all.

No I did not watch an interview...i just read his Twitter post. Referenced providing for his family...seems to be the #1 thing here. I wish him the best as well...honestly do.

Simply put, my opinion is if there were honest NBA potential with one more year then its a mistake. If he has reached his absolute ceiling potential wise, then my opinion is that this is the right decision.

[panhandlepig]

No I did not watch an interview...i just read his Twitter post. Referenced providing for his family...seems to be the #1 thing here. I wish him the best as well...honestly do.

Simply put, my opinion is if there were honest NBA potential with one more year then its a mistake. If he has reached his absolute ceiling potential wise, then my opinion is that this is the right decision.

  Watch his interview. I don't know if this is the right decision for him either. It is obvious that he isn't sure either. It's called life.

[jkstock04]

  Watch his interview. I don't know if this is the right decision for him either. It is obvious that he isn't sure either. It's called life.

I agree. To each their own, you gotta do what you think is best. For myself, I could've went to work for the cable company straight out of high school and made "great" money right out of the gate. Instead I chose to go to college and get a degree and start a career based off that degree because I figured the long term potential was much higher than just taking the quick route/money right off the bat.

However I had plenty of friends who took the short term route and went straight to work opting for the electric companies, cable companies, etc. For them maybe that was the better option...for me it would not have been.

My examples may be comparing apples to oranges but the basic principal is still the same. I honestly do wish Qualls the best. He was a lot of fun to watch when he would take it to the hole with authority. Will never forget the dunk to beat Kentucky with a second left. That moment will live on in Razorback lore forever.

[panhandlepig]

I agree. To each their own, you gotta do what you think is best. For myself, I could've went to work for the cable company straight out of high school and made "great" money right out of the gate. Instead I chose to go to college and get a degree and start a career based off that degree because I figured the long term potential was much higher than just taking the quick route/money right off the bat.

However I had plenty of friends who took the short term route and went straight to work opting for the electric companies, cable companies, etc. For them maybe that was the better option...for me it would not have been.

My examples may be comparing apples to oranges but the basic principal is still the same. I honestly do wish Qualls the best. He was a lot of fun to watch when he would take it to the hole with authority. Will never forget the dunk to beat Kentucky with a second left. That moment will live on in Razorback lore forever.

   So.. did you watch Michael's interview?