“He wasn't swift in getting going when he first got here. “We were further away from home for him, all kinds of different things, but, I mean, he said it. “If you've never been to Arkansas or basically anywhere and you go in there, it may or may not be what you thought it was going to be,” Pittman said. He added there were likely a number of contributing factors, including the Razorbacks having better players on the roster than Brini may have imagined. Pittman said Monday that Brini’s not-so-smooth beginning in the program was due, in part, to not taking an official visit to Arkansas.

“With Cat being out, the responsibility is like, when I first got here they always just made sure they kept me accountable - people like Sim and Cat - so it was really no pressure.Just making sure I’m accountable for everything I do.” More from WholeHogSports: Pittman previews Arkansas' upcoming game against Missouri State “They just showed me nothing but love, just making sure I was accountable for everything I did and just making sure I can push my skills farther. “They took me in with wide open arms,” Brini said. He also admitted it was a bit rocky at first. He is fifth on the team with nine tackles, including five solo.įollowing the South Carolina game, Brini, in his first interview appearance as a Razorback, thanked running mates in the secondary for pushing him to be as game ready as possible early on in his time at Arkansas. Pine Bluff native and former walk-on Simeon Blair, who is now a captain in Catalon’s stead, noted that Brini’s ability to come into a new defense, learn the playbook and perform as he has through two games speaks volumes. “He has to come in and play our system and play it well.” “Brini started several games for Georgia last year - started - so it’s kind of hard for me to go, ‘Woe are we,’ whenever we’ve got a guy who started a lot of games for the national champions,' Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. More from WholeHogSports: Arkansas-Texas A&M game time set He finished with 4 tackles, 3 solo stops, 1 quarterback hurry and 1 critical forced fumble. The Georgia transfer filled in for Catalon for the first time during the Razorbacks’ 44-30 victory over South Carolina last week. Not having a talent the caliber of Catalon on the field yet again is a big blow to the Razorbacks.īut Arkansas is confident in its next man up, Latavious Brini. In Week 1 against Cincinnati, Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon suffered another season-ending shoulder injury that third-year coach Sam Pittman said would require reconstructive surgery. Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, LAL (SG39)ġ69.FAYETTEVILLE - Football teams that lose key players to injury throughout the course of a season often reference one thing in the aftermath: A next-man-up mentality. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG/SF, Wsh (SG31)ġ47.

Dorian Finney-Smith, SF/PF, Dal (SF20)ġ10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG/SG, OKC (SG5)ġ03. Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, Mil (PF1)ġ8. Player, Positions, Team, (Primary Position Rank)Ģ.

More rankings: Karabell's H2H Categories | Moody's Roto With a growing crop of young talent in the league, some intriguing rookies from the 2021 NBA draft and a number of star veterans still atop their game, the fantasy rankings are always changing.Īt the bottom of the page, you will find the top 200 players for leagues that use ESPN's standard head-to-head (H2H) points scoring. Create or join an ESPN Fantasy Basketball league for the 2022-2023 NBA season.

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