The Most Underrated Players In Arkansas Basketball History

Memories are dominated by star players when thinking back in Arkansas basketball history. Fans think of star players first. It’s natural. It’s normal. What about the players that leave a lasting legacy, but are often forgotten? Let’s do a deep dive into some of the guys I believe don’t get enough credit for their time on the Hill.

Moses Kingsley (2013-17)

This may be a name that surprises some of you, but I felt he isn’t mentioned enough when looking back at the good times of the Mike Anderson era. The jump he made his junior year was unbelievable. His first two years as a Hog, he was very raw offensively, but provided rebounding behind star Bobby Portis. In year 3, he was the best offensive player on the team. 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and over 2 blocks a game while shooting 54.8% from the field. His senior season wasn’t quite as good, but the team was loaded with talent. He was huge factor in Arkansas winning 26 games and nearly beating the future National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels.

Career Stats: 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.

Ron Huery (1986-91)

Huery was a great Razorback. I rarely hear him mentioned when speaking of the great players in the glory days. He played a key role in establishing the foundation for Nolan Richardson. Huery has 1,550 career points and averaged double figures in each of his 4 seasons. He started Nolan’s connection to Memphis that became a pipeline over the years. He was a slashing 6-6 forward with the ability to step out and hit a 3.

Career Stats: 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

Lenzie Howell (1988-90)

MVP of the 1989 SWC Tournament, JUCO product Lenzie Howell doesn’t get the attention he deserves. Another key part of those late 80s Arkansas teams. In just 2 years, he was just short of 1000 career points on the Hill. Howell was not the typical 6-4 player. He was a rebounding machine for his size and earned a lot of opportunities at the charity stripe. He has my vote as the most underrated in Hog history.

Career Stats: 14.2 points and 6.2 rebounds with 52.6% shooting.

Coty Clarke (2012-14)

Clarke was another JUCO product who spent 2 years on the hill. He is the best power forward at the U of A in several years. He was criminally under used during his senior season. He started 30 games averaging 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 43.1% shooting from 3. Those are great numbers for playing only 22.3 minutes per game. He was important part and setting the foundation for the 27 win season after his graduation.

Career Stats: 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game with 44.2% from 3.

Jonathan Modica (2002-06)

Modica is often forgotten because the teams were not good in the Stan Heath era. The other good players in that era are mentioned first like Sonny Weems, Patrick Beverley, and Ronnie Brewer. He was 2-time 2^nd team All-SEC and was very efficient from the field. He could score from all 3 levels and that resulted in nearly 1600 career points.

Career Stats: 13.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.6% from the field and 35.8% from 3.