Arkansas’ Menifield eligible after receiving waiver

Arkansas guard Keyon Menifield Jr. has been granted a waiver by the NCAA and is immediately eligible for the Razorbacks moving forward, the school announced.

Menifield, who initially planned to sit out this season as a non-scholarship redshirt following his transfer from Washington last spring, had his eligibility restored following the end of the fall academic semester Friday.

“It has been a long process that we had to work through, but we are excited for Keyon and are proud of how he handled the process,” coach Eric Musselman said. “Our staff and administration have worked hard to get this done and we appreciate their hard work. Keyon is an explosive point guard with great play-making ability.”

Menifield, a 6-foot-1 point guard, should provide the Razorbacks with an immediate upgrade in a position of need. He was one of the better freshman point guards at the high-major level last season, averaging 10.0 points and 3.1 assists during his lone season at Washington. He was at his best late in the season, averaging 13.0 points and 4.0 assists over his final 10 games, including three separate 20-point outings.

Arkansas has lost four of its past seven games to drop to 6-4 overall on the season. Louisville transfer El Ellis manned the point guard position at the start of the season, but his minutes have decreased in the past few weeks. Freshman Layden Blocker has also handled some of the lead guard duties, but Musselman needs further reinforcements.

The Razorbacks face Lipscomb in North Little Rock on Saturday, then host Abilene Christian and UNC Wilmington before SEC play begins in the new year.