Original photo: ESPN
Arkansas finished its fall basketball signing period Friday with the signing of Bobby Portis, a consensus five-star recruit who is ranked among the top 17 players in the nation by three recruiting services.
The 6-9 1/2, 225 Hall High School power forward is lauded by ESPN as the No. 11 player in the nation and the No. 5 power forward. Scout.com has Portis as the No. 16 player nationally and the No. 6 power forward, while Rivals.com places Portis as the No. 17 player nationally and the No. 1 center in the nation.
Head coach Mike Anderson called Portis one of the best skill forwards in the country.
From Anderson:
He is a perfect fit for our program and has the ability to be an impact player. For a player of his size, he can score, defend, has the versatility to play inside and out, has a high motor, runs the floor, rebounds and is a proven winner. I love his passion, basketball IQ, leadership qualities and his work ethic is second to none.
Portis was one of the first players to commit to the Hogs. As a junior for Hall he averaged 16 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks while leading the Warriors to a state championship in 2012. He was also the catalyst for the Arkansas Wings AAU club that won a national championship over the summer.
Along with Arkansas, Portis had scholarship offers from Baylor, Florida, Memphis, Nebraska and UTEP among others.
The signing of Portis and Moses Kingsley gives Arkansas one of the top rated signing classes in the nation. ESPN places the Razorbacks at No. 12 in the country while Scout.com has Arkansas at No. 11 and Rivals.com at No. 13.
