FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Mike Anderson and the Razorbacks are looking for size on the recruiting trail.
Apparently, an opportunity to bring in another talented guard was too much to pass up.
Nurideen Lindsey, who began the season at St. John’s, announced he will transfer to Arkansas on Friday. The Philadelphia native averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 assists in nine starts before leaving St. John’s in December.
Lindsey — who revealed the news on his Twitter page — is expected to arrive at Arkansas soon and enroll in classes for the spring semester. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard can practice, but won’t be eligible to play at Arkansas until the fall 2013 semester ends. He then will have 1 1/2 seasons of eligibility remaining.
“I am a player that loves to play pressure defense and loves the up-tempo game, which is just what style of play Coach Anderson loves,” Lindsey told Hawgs Illustrated. “I became a fan of his while watching games when he was at Missouri and think coming to Arkansas with him now is going to be a perfect place for me.”
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Prior to his short stay at St. John’s, Lindsey spent two years at Redlands Community College in Oklahoma. He sat out his first year at the school to concentrate on academics, then averaged 22.3 points and 5.1 assists a game during the 2010-11 season.
Lindsey was a Philadelphia prep star at Overbrook High, averaging 35.8 points his final season. But he didn’t play organized basketball for nearly two years because of well-documented tragedies — his younger brother was murdered and he lost his best friend to cancer.
But Lindsey revived his career by enrolling at Redlands Community College and, after two years, chose to play for coach Steve Lavin at St. John’s. Both Lavin and Lindsey said in December the guard’s departure was a mutual decision after playing in only nine games.
“I went there to play for Coach Steve Lavin and he hasn’t been the coach because he has been sick,” Lindsey told Hawgs Illustrated. “It just wasn’t the situation I thought it would be coming in. I loved St. John’s and the fans, but I had to make the best decision since it wasn’t the same thing it was when I signed there.”
He now will be part of a loaded backcourt at Arkansas, which has Julysses Nobles, Mardracus Wade, Rickey Scott, BJ Young and Ky Madden all available to return for the 2012-13 season. The Razorbacks also have one guard — Anthlon Bell — in their incoming signing class.
Anderson Jr. apologizes
Arkansas video coordinator Mike Anderson Jr. issued an apology for his Jan. 8 arrest for driving while intoxicated via Twitter on Friday morning. The message, which Anderson Jr. sent out in seven posts, said he was apologizing to his family, friends and fans for his “lack of better judgment and decision making.”
“It is never OK to drink and drive, and as someone who has previously made a poor decision regarding this same thing, there’s no way I should’ve put myself in that type of situation. Period,” Anderson Jr. said via Twitter. “I realize that I have jeopardized my job as well as trust with everyone and I pray that you all will give me a chance to earn your trust back and rebuild my credibility as a man and a professional. I will accept any decisions made by the administration on this matter as I am ready to move on and become a better man through this experience and will use my mistakes to help guide young men as a move on and into the future.”
An Arkansas official said the school couldn’t comment on how it was handling the basketball staff member’s arrest because it was a “personnel matter.” But Anderson Jr. was not on the bench for Wednesday’s Ole Miss game.
It’s not clear if he’ll be with the team tonight.