Russian Big Man Steps Away From National Team, Nears Arkansas Signing

FAYETTEVILLE,, Ark. – Developing news out of Russia shares that overseas big man Ilia Frolov is stepping away from the Russian men’s national basketball team to finish off paperwork to sign with Arkansas, according to a report.

The 6-foot-11, 225 pound center is a floor stretcher who is an efficient scorer from all three levels of the floor. Frolov averaged a shade over 23 minutes per game this season for his Real Madrid U22 squad while scoring 14 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal.

Advertisement

Should he follow through with his signing, the Russia native will be the 11th scholarship player on the roster, and will join a loaded class of 5-star freshmen such as Jordan Smith, Jr., JJ Andrews, Abdou Toure, Maper Maker, and fellow overseas prospect Miikka Muurinen.

Miikka Muurinen from Finland on his official visit in September 2024 with the Arkansas Razorbacks. | Arkansas Communications

Like most European prospects, Frolov is fundamentally developed at his size as someone who does most of the small things well at the amateur level. As a shooter, he made 36% of his attempts from three, 85% from free throw stripe and displays a soft touch near the rim.

For big men, the Razorbacks have depth, but not neccissarily the size needed to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. After meeting several teams throughout the season such as Houston, Michigan State, Duke, Florida and Arizona, it was apparent what the Razorbacks have needed this offseason to compete for a national championship.

Advertisement

Arkansas has missed on nearly a handful of potential centers in the portal and on reclassified 2026 recruiting targets. Top transfers such as Flory Bidunga (Louisville), Somto Cyril (Miami) and Donnie Freeman (St. John’s) are just a few of the names the staff missed out on.

Reclassified 2027 center Obinna Ekezie, Jr. took his first official visit of the spring to Arkansas, but went on several other visits before settling in at Louisville. Adding a stretch big such as Frolov gives the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/russian-big-man-steps-away-172444397.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-06-15 17:24:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.