FAYETTEVILLE – Before taking the head coaching job at Arkansas, Eric Musselman made Nevada a desired destination for players looking for a fresh start by way of a transfer. Now just over one week into his new gig on the Hill, Musselman is scouring the NCAA transfer portal in hopes of finding immediate help for his first season with the Razorbacks.
Two graduate-transfers have already locked in official visit dates with the Hogs, and at least one other is a strong possibility to set a date in the very near future.
This weekend, the Razorbacks will host UNC-Wilmington forward Jeantal Cylla, and next week the Hogs will welcome George Mason senior guard Jaire Grayer. Florida Gulf Coast guard Haanif Cheatham told HawgSports.com on Monday that he’d be setting up an official visit date in Fayetteville “soon.”
Cylla, 6-7, 215, recorded 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. He shot 42-percent from the field, 31-percent on his three-point attempts, and an impressive 84-percent at the free throw line. Cylla spent his first two seasons at Florida Atlantic before moving on to UNC-Wilmington, where he had to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. Now on pace to graduate this spring, Cylla will be immediately eligible for a final season at his next destination.
The situation with Grayer isn’t as black and white. Grayer, 6-5, 200, was a senior this past season but only played in eight games before suffering a season-ending foot injury, so he’s banking on the NCAA granting him an additional year of eligibility for the 2019-20 season. While nothing is for certain when the NCAA is involved, history says Grayer should be in good shape to receive a fifth year of eligibility.
Grayer put up 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in his junior season at George Mason. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in his eight games this past season.
Cheatham’s situation is much like Cylla’s in that he is seeking the second transfer of his career, though this time he won’t be forced to sit a year as he’ll have his degree in hand. Cheatham is a 6-5, 200-pound guard who spent his first three years at Marquette, where he averaged 11.8 points per game as a freshman and 8.7 points as a sophomore. The Florida native left Marquette’s program after the fifth game of his junior season. He declared for the NBA Draft but kept his eligibility to return to school intact by not signing with an agent.
At Florida Gulf Coast this past year, Cheatham was averaging 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds through ten games before a shoulder injury ended his season.
Arkansas has only signed one new addition for the 2019 class in point guard Justice Hill, who has been on campus since January after signing and enrolling early.
Musselman and the Razorbacks are expected to seek at least two more new additions, likely by way of transfer since the late signing period for high school and junior college prospects began on Wednesday.
Five of Musselman’s former players at Nevada have entered the transfer portal, as well, which leads some to believe the new head Hog might be interested in luring them to Fayetteville. The most notable Wolf Pack player seeking a transfer is power forward Jordan Brown, a former five-star recruit that signed with Musselman in the Class of 2018. As a true freshman this season, Brown, 6-11, 215, played in 33 contests but only averaged 10 minutes per game.
Guard Jalen Harris, who transferred to Nevada from Louisiana Tech and sat out this season, is another name to watch in the coming weeks.