Portis Joins Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas basketball team completed its fall signing period on Friday afternoon when Bobby Portis, a 6-10 power forward from Little Rock, Ark., signed his national letter of intent in a ceremony at Hall High School.

Portis is a consensus five-star recruit who is ranked among the top 17 players in the nation by three recruiting services.  ESPN lauds him as the No. 11 player in the nation and the No. 5 power forward while Scout.com has him as the No. 16 player nationally and the No. 6 power forward.  Rivals.com places Portis as the No. 17 player nationally and the No. 1 center in the nation.

“Bobby Portis is one of the best skill forwards in the country,” Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson said.  “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.

“The unique thing about Bobby is that even with all the attention, he is still a very humble kid.  He will do the right things both on and off the court and is a big family guy.  As a staff, we are excited to see this day come and are happy to have him join the Razorback family.”

Portis was one of the first players to commit to Anderson and his staff when they arrived in March of 2011 and has never wavered from that commitment.  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, who inked his letter on intent on Thursday, 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.