Three NBA Razorbacks, Davis Show Hard Work Can Drastically Change Game

Black finished his debut with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals on 70% shooting. He didn't blow the roof off the place from deep like Walsh, but did show that he can be a threat if needed. Besides, anyone who saw Black's workouts last month knows he's gotten better with the long ball.

So, what's going on? Why are these players leaving Arkansas and getting better shooting 3-pointers all of the sudden? Walsh made it pretty clear following his game. He was forced to work on it more. 

“Not only did they encourage me to shoot it, they forced me to,” Walsh said. “Them believing in me and giving me the opportunity and telling me to shoot it, that’s the biggest part because it puts confidence in me, and that builds confidence in the team for sure.”

Think back to all those videos we saw of Walsh and Black. The only time you really saw them doing what they already did well at Arkansas was when teams told them to demonstrate those skills. The rest of the time the videos showed the pair shooting three after three after three. 

Here's a little bit of shocking news. If a player wants to turn a weakness into a strength it takes practice. Lots of practice. Not a lot of college players have that kind of drive. Yet, there is one example of similar growth shooting the long ball on the Razorbacks.

Senior guard Davonte Davis was terrible at shooting threes when he arrived at Arkansas. He hit only 15% from deep his freshman year. That rose a little the following year to 27%, but it still wasn't great. Then, after getting off to a poor start from beyond the arc last season, Davis locked in on getting better. Hours and hours were poured into turning a weakness into a strength. 

Soon, one of the weakest 3-point shooters in the SEC became one of its best. While the team's average went up during SEC play, it wasn't because of the three NBA prospects on the floor every night. The heavy lifting from three was done by Davis. He shot 41% in conference play and made more than twice as many threes as anyone else on the team. During the final three games of the regular season, he went 8-of-14 from three. When Musselman was asked how that transition happened, the answer was as simple as it was expected – work.

Work begets improvement. When Black, Walsh and Williams were put into a situation where they had to improve on that part of their game to ensure an NBA paycheck, they put in the time. Musselman didn't keep them from doing the same when they were in college. Classes may have, but definitely not Musselman. 

That's why having Davis back as a leader for this team is so important. It provides an example on the team of what putting in that extra work can do. Musselman can point to the growth from Walsh, Black and Williams, but Davis adds the peer pressure. No one can whine about their work and not improving when he's in the gym at midnight sharpening his shot instead of closing down the night life on Dixon. 

The proof is there. Not being afraid of an aspect of their game that makes them less than stellar is the path to greatness. If this team will follow the example of these four Razorbacks to improve their game, this could be a magical year.
Hard work is hard work, especially outside a person's comfort zone. But that's how money and success come about. 

'HEART OF A RAZORBACK' PHRASE USE TOO OFTEN, BUT ONLY APPLIES TO ONE MEMBER OF TEAM NOW