University of Arkansas women's basketball Coach Mike Neighbors and his staff could add more of an international flavor to the roster after hosting center/forward Elisa Maria Mehyar for an official visit recently.
Mehyar, 6-5, of Copenhagen, Denmark, visited Fayetteville earlier in the week with her mother Cecilie Poulsen-Hansen. Mehyar said seeing a basketball program in the SEC was an eye-opener.
"I had a very good visit," Mehyar said. "Coming from Denmark, this is not something you see every day. The facilities and everyone is very nice here. People say hello to you on the street and the elevators. I think it's a really good place. Lots of nice people and good coaches."
She was a member of the Danish 2020 16-under national team, 2022 18-under national team and the 2023 20-under national team. She was also a member of the 16-under Jordan national team in 2019.
After leaving Fayetteville on Thursday, Mehyar said Arkansas is in good standing with her going into the decision-making process.
"I've been on some other visits as well, so I need to go home and do a lot of thinking," she said. "I've been to Southern Illinois University and Oregon State University."
It appears Arkansas will be her last trip before her decision.
"I hope so, I think this is my last one," Mehyar said.
Should she commit to Arkansas, Mehyar would join freshman guard Phoenix Stotijn, 5-9, of Haarlem, Netherlands; and freshman forward Cristina Sanchez Cerqueira, 6-1, of Granada, Spain, as international prospects on the Razorback roster.
Mehyar and her mother enjoyed Neighbors and his staff's families. Neighbor's sons Bowen, who turns 4 years old on May 15 and Barrett, who turns 3 years old in August, caught the attention of Mehyar and her mother.
"The highlight was meeting the coaches and their family," Mehyar said. "They're super nice. Coach Neighbors has two very cute small children. Loved meeting them and like all the coaches were very nice."
She said she was encouraged to hear that fellow Danish and offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt played football at Arkansas and is currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals.
"That does make me feel very good," she said. "That's a good thing to know."
BYU tackle visits
Brigham Young defensive tackle Danny Saili is expected to arrive in Fayetteville today for the start of his official visit at Arkansas.
Saili, 6-3, 355 pounds, officially entered the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday and has added scholarship offers from Houston and Arizona.
He signed with BYU in December and enrolled in January. He was also pursued by Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Arizona, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina State and others after playing two seasons at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
Saili was named a first-team Jayhawk Conference selection in 2023 after having 21 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a blocked field goal.
Arkansas canceled the official visit of Florida Atlantic defensive tackle Decarius Hawthorne. He was planning to arrive in Fayetteville today.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com