Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Archie Goodwin, a 6-foot-5 junior swingman for Sylvan Hills has cracked the 20 in one ranking of the Class of 2012 and will be the most recruited high school basketball player in this area next year. Meanwhile, Van Buren 6-11 center Hooper Vint has had Arkansas starting to look seriously at him. Both players are in action in Central Arkansas on Friday night.

Goodwin and his Bears will play host to Little Rock Mills at Sylvan Hills, with the senior boys game tipping off at about 7:30 p.m.

Vint and the Pointers meet the Conway Wampus Cats in Conway in a Class 7A/6A-Central league game. Because of the Arkansas Activities Association's playoff plan for the next two years, Van Buren needs 7A/6A-Central conference wins to help its seeding in the Class 6A state tournament. Because of school enrollment, the Pointers will drop into 6A play during the state tourney, along with Russellville from 7A/6A-Central. West Memphis and Little Rock Hall from 7A/6A-East will compete in the 7A tourney.

Goodwin was named the Downtown Tip Off Club's boys player of the week on Monday at the club's weekly meeting at the Wyndham Riverfront. For the season, Goodwin is averaging 27.8 points and 8 rebounds per game, along with 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks per outing. Goodwin has really turned it on in his last six games, averaging 32.8 points per game.

Latest news from the national basketball recruiting services shows Goodwin as a 2012 5-star recruit by both ESPN, Rivals.com and Scout.com. ESPN ranked Goodwin the 17th best player in the nation; Rivals.com and Scout.com both have Goodwin rated No. 18 in the country.

Goodwin's Bears are 10-3 and rank No. 2 among Class 5A teams in one statewide poll.

Vint, holding nine Division I scholarship offers, could have signed a national letter of intent in November but chose to wait until the spring period, hopin his play during his senior season might attract an offer from a school like Arkansas. The Razorbacks apparently have begun taking some notice, with an assistant coach attending a recent Pointers game. Vint's averaging 20 points per game and in the game the Hog assistant saw, Vint had 5 blocked shots.

Arkansas loses senior Delvon Johnson, the leading shot-blocker in the Southeastern Conference, after this season. The Razorback will be adding three inside players who signed in the November period: 6-11 Hunter Mickelson, 6-7 Aaron Ross and 6-8 Devonta Abron, but none is a regular shotblocker or defensive presence in the middle in the mold of the 6-foot-9 senior Johnson.