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Jefferson shows off in Maui Thursday, Nov 24, 2005 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Editing a preview piece on Arkansas basketball, the man with his finger on the delete key suggested toning down a paragraph about who would be the Razorbacks' point guard. The way it was written, the editor said, it appeared that somebody close to the program had concluded that freshman Sean McCurdy would replace senior Dontell Jefferson in early January. The copy was changed, but based on last year and insight from those who watch practice, Jefferson was a tossout in my mind. To me, he was simply a bridge between Maui and the Southeastern Conference in January. Even in October, when Arkansas coach Stan Heath excused Jefferson's first year as a Razorback by saying most junior college players need a season to adjust to major college basketball, I wasn't buying. A week ago, when Jefferson tied a school record with 15 assists, I figured that anybody with passing skills and talented teammates could record a dozen assists blindfolded against Portland State. Call me hard-headed. On Tuesday, it was Jefferson who made the difference in a 65-64 victory over Kansas that will be important down the line if the Jayhawks progress as expected. The third option in a critical situation, Jefferson made a 15-footer with 16.9 seconds left to put Arkansas in front. With 2.5 seconds remaining, he blocked Jeff Hawkins' shot from the corner to protect the lead. Playing 31 minutes, his box score was a tidy 13 points on 5-of-6 from the field, five assists and four steals. Five turnovers were the only blemish. Making notes while watching on television, Jefferson was mentioned often: -Dontell a 3 to tie. -Dontell picks Hawkins, finishes three-point play for 40-40. -Dontell steal, got it back for stuff, three-point play for 51-47. -(Mario) Chalmers loses ball, Dontell to (Jonathon) Modica on well-run two on one. The night before, in a 77-68 loss to Connecticut, Jefferson's emphatic finish to a couple of breaks was also noted. Despite knowing the alarm was set for 6:30 a.m., I hung in until the end to see if the Razorbacks would do the same against the Huskies. Supposedly on the short list of teams with a legitimate shot to win the national championship, the Huskies figured to win despite being short-handed at point guard. How Arkansas would do playing from behind was reason to stay awake. What the Razorbacks did is what you would want them to do - compete no matter the score, cutting a 17-point deficit to three. Checking out attitude was at the top of the list because of the disturbing end to the 2005 season - the easy surrender at Auburn in March and a follow-up fold in Atlanta in the first game of the Southeastern Conference tournament. The non-believers would say that it's easy to keep on and on in a November tournament in Maui, and that such grit is more difficult on the road in the SEC. We might get an early read on that when Arkansas opens conference play at Starkville, Miss., on Jan. 7. In addition to the play of Jefferson, there were other positives: -Seven-foot sophomore Steven Hill put in 32 minutes against Kansas and showed some offense the night before, including a 10-foot hook, a finish after a nice catch of a Jefferson pass, and a grab-and-score rebound that cut the lead to 59-56. -Despite a bothersome face mask, Eric Ferguson was productive, including five rebounds and four steals vs. UConn and 3-of-5 from the field against Kansas. -Beating a big-name team despite poor shooting by their best player, Ronnie Brewer. He forced a couple and was only 7-of-21. Knowing that such an accomplishment is possible is a good thing to have in the bank. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
