By Kevin McPherson
LITTLE ROCK — Houston junior-transfer Tramon Mark has committed to Arkansas.
Mark (6-5 guard) chose the Hogs over Kansas State, Texas A&M, and Florida. He has also entered his name in the 2023 NBA Draft while retaining his college playing eligibility.
He joins Washington freshman-transfer Keyon Menifield, Jr. (6-1 guard) to give Arkansas two 2023 transfer-portal commitments.
Known more as a plus-defender and a third-option-type scoring threat as a lefty slasher, Mark averaged 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals while shooting 39.0% from the field, including 32.8% from 3, and 78.4% on free throws in 2022-23.
Mark scored in double figures in 3 of his last 4 games at Houston — all coming in the postseason — including his career-high 26 points (9-of-17 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws) to go with 9 rebounds and 1 steal in 37 minutes to lift the top-seeded Cougars to an 81-64 win over Auburn in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Round of 32 on March 18. He followed that up with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 34 minutes in Houston’s 89-75 loss to Miami in the Sweet 16 on March 24.
Mark scored in double figures 20 times in ’22-23 with three games of scoring 20 or more points.
CBSSports on Friday, April 7, ranked Mark as the 5th-best overall prospect in the transfer portal.
In three seasons at Houston — he played only 7 games in ’21-22 due to a shoulder injury that required surgery — Mark appeared in 76 games (with 41 starts) while helping the Cougars to back-to-back American Athletic Conference titles (’21-22 and ’22-23), a Final Four (’20-21), and a Sweet 16 (’22-23). He totaled 697 points, 292 rebounds, 139 assists, 79 steals, and 22 blocks in his three campaigns at Houston.
Once he removes his name from the draft pool, Mark — a first-time transfer — will be immediately eligible to compete in ’23-24.
Arkansas has enjoyed significant success under Head Hog Eric Musselman with transfers from the AAC making significant impacts — Ricky Council IV (’22-23 after transferring from Wichita State); Trey Wade (’21-22 after transferring from Wichita State); and Jimmy Whitt, Jr. (’19-20 after transferring from SMU).
