Eric Musselman announces Davonte Davis has returned to Arkansas roster

The Arkansas Razorbacks guard Davonte Davis is back with the team. According to head coach Eric Musselman on his weekly radio show, Davis is now back with the team after stepping away from the program back in late January.

The news was initially announced; there was no indication of why the Razorbacks combo guard stepped away from the team nearly two weeks ago. And that information remains concealed as of today. Still, it is an exciting day for Arkansas men’s basketball as the team welcomes back one of their key veterans for a possible deep run in the SEC and possibly NCAA championship tournament in March.

As a member of the Class of 2020, Davis was a four-star recruit out of Jacksonville (Ark.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 3 overall prospect in the state, the No. 10 combo guard in the class and the No. 125 overall prospect in the class.

Musselman on Arkansas’ struggles: ‘This has been unlike things that I’ve experienced’

The Arkansas basketball team is in the middle of a brutal stretch of its season right now, having lost seven of their last nine games after an embarrassing showing against LSU on Saturday.

The Razorbacks just haven’t been able to find answers, and this year’s roster doesn’t appear to have meshed very well after coach Eric Musselman went to the NCAA transfer portal to plug some holes. It’s hard to overcome iffy chemistry.

Musselman, for one, seems at a loss for words for the current issues.

“The only thing I know is to go back and coach,” Musselman said. “This has been unlike things that I’ve experienced. All’s I know is we get in the gym on Monday and we try to get better. That’s the job of any coach of any sport. We’ve got a lot of spots we’ve got to get better at. A lot, on both sides of the ball.”

Realistically, Arkansas’ preseason goals are pretty much toast at 11-11 overall, barring a remarkable turnaround and a very long winning streak from here.

It sure looks like this will be the first season under Musselman in which the Razorbacks do not make the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks had made three straight Big Dance appearances, and a probable appearance in 2019-20, Musselman’s first year in charge, was ruined by COVID-19.