After losing to Missouri, Coach Mike Neighbors’ Razorbacks will see Texas A&M on Sunday before the SEC Tournament next week. (Nate Allen Sports)
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas women’s basketball head coach Mike Neighbors has announced the signings of two student-athletes on National Signing Day. Kansas native Maryn Archer and local product Jenna Lawrence have each signed their National Letter of Intent.
#SigningStories, as told by Arkansas women’s basketball head coach Mike Neighbors
Maryn Archer | G | 5-7 | Derby, Kan. | Derby
With the explosion of social media technology, you can’t scroll very far without coming across a hype video. As a basketball coach, our feeds are full of professional quality, highly choreographed highlight reels included with the latest music of players putting on a show to display their basketball skills.
This is where Maryn Archer became distinctive…
Her video was in the driveway, not a gym.
Her video was of her working against her brother.
Her video didn’t have music.
Her workouts with Craig Nicholson (AAU Coach) were different.
It was different because she is different.
She works different. She thinks different. She communicates different. After seeing the video, we were able to make contact with her and her family, and again, it was immediately obvious we were speaking to our kind of kid.
A few phone calls, a couple of workout camps and an unofficial visit late, Maryn first committed on June 9, 2020.
The next indication was that she committed to work. Most don’t. Most relax. But she went the other direction. This last summer, her travel coach Austin Johnson (former standout on the Oklahoma men’s basketball team) helped her take her game to another level. At the Run 4 Roses Classic on ESPN, Maryn dropped 31 points (on just 11 shots) to lead SW Elite to the championship game.
Maryn continues being distinctive in that she will forgo her senior basketball season and enroll here at Christmas following her early graduation from Derby High School.
We can’t wait for Razorback fans to see what is next!
Once we chose her, she chose us!
THE ACCOLADES:
Voted to the Run 4 Roses All-Tournament First Team and was a Bluestar 30
Prep Girls has her listed as the 29th-ranked player in the nation
Blue Star now shows her as the 75th-ranked player nationally
Played on two teams in high school, making it to state her freshman and junior seasons
Led Derby High School in assists and steals during her junior season, logging 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.8 steals per game
Took Derby to the 6A Semifinals before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled their season
Was a force during her freshman year, averaging 13.2 points and 3.8 boards her game
Named the DerbyInformer.com Female Comeback Player of the Year in March 2022
Jenna Lawrence | F | 6-3 | Farmington, Ark. | Farmington
Arkansas is full of small towns. Having been born and raised in one myself, you learn several valuable lessons others miss out on. Being at the University of Arkansas as a coach, we get calls, texts and letters (yes, we still get letters) about small town phenoms that are “the best” the town has ever seen.
When we initially began hearing about a 6-foot tall (and still growing) small-town, Eastern Arkansas player, it was nothing extraordinary. But when a trusted coach, Caleb Livingston, reached out, he said the magic phrase… “Coach, she’s different.”
What made Jenna Lawrence distinctive?
First, she was close to 6-2 than 6-0, and usually it’s the opposite direction on the height chart. Still, there are a lot of 6-2 players these days. But then she brought the ball up the court rather than trot to the block and stride her hand in the air. She then ran off a flare screen and in perfect rhythm, drained a long 3-pointer.
Not done yet…
She hustled back on defense rather than celebrate like it was her first career made 3-pointer. She got in a defense stance, switched a ball screen onto a 5-6 guard who could get around her, so she passed to a cutting teammate. Jenna spun and blocked the shot left-handed.
Coach Livingston obviously knew what he was coaching.
As distinctive as her game was, it was once again, that first impression that separated her from other players from towns big and small. She wanted to be a Razorback.
In recruiting, if you must convince someone to be a Razorback, eventually you’ll have to convince them to go to class, eat right, sleep right and to stay a Razorback. Jenna’s parents Mandy and Jason have prepared her for the path rather than prepare the path for her.
On October 24, 2020, Jenna became our second Razorback in the class of 2023. Fans in Northwest Arkansas can follow her senior year at Farmington High School for Brad Johnson who will have her Razorback ready!
THE ACCOLADES:
No. 61 ranked four-star recruit, according to the 2023 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings
On track to eclipse 2,000 points during her senior season
Led FHS to a 27-1 regular season mark last year where she averaged 18 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game
Has compiled a 101-5 career HS record
In her time playing organized school ball, she has only lost one home game (third through 11th grade)
All-State, All-State Tournament, All-Conference and AR Preps All-Arkansas First Team
ArBCA Top 5 selection
State Champion with Melbourne High School during her sophomore year
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about Arkansas Women’s Basketball, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @RazorbackWBB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/RazorbackWBB. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, “Kickin’ It In The Neighborhood” for an inside look at the Razorback women’s basketball program and check out The Neighborhood podcasts at CoachNeighbors.com.