BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

Arkansas women’s basketball fans got a big surprise on Friday afternoon and it wasn’t a good one.

Razorback forward and leading scorer Erynn Barnum, who had previously said she would be using her last year of eligibility at Arkansas, announced via her Instagram that she would now be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Barnum, one of 10 mid-season finalists for the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s top power forward, averaged 15 points and 6.5 rebound this season.

Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors praised his standout.

“Erynn Barnum will always be Razorback,” Neighbors said. “We got the opportunity to see Erynn mature into an amazing young adult. She wants a different experience after giving us 5 and half years of her life.

“How many people do you know who have a diploma from one university framed in their office hanging right beside a Master’s degree from another university. This is a great example of how the transfer portal can work for student/athletes.”

Arkansas finished the season 24-13 with a loss at Kansas in the WNIT’s Great Eight.

Barnum wrote:

Hog Nation,

“I would first like to think Coach Neighbors and the Arkansas coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams of playing at the college level. 

“While at the University of Arkansas, I have built bounds that would last me a lifetime. I would like to thank my family for their everlasting support and standing behind me in every obstacle throughout my career.

“However, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. Although this is the hardest goodbye, I’m excited for the next chapter of my story. Woo Pig4Ever Erynn Barnum.”

Photo by John D. James