Varsity Vibe: Arkansas

Kimberly Jenkins has led the Har-Ber girls basketball program since 2018, and she might look familiar to you if you followed Arkansas Basketball. She’s a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks Sports Hall of Honor, and still ranks 5th all time in scoring for the Hogs.  But her focus is all about her Lady Wildcats team and right they are rolling in the 6A...

Coming off the thrilling 4OT game vs. Rogers on Tuesday, hear from Bentonville head coach Kyle Pennington. Plus the Northside Lady Bears remain undefeated in conference action. We sit down with senior Camryn Schmidt. 

The high school basketball action over the last week has kept us on the edge of our seat. From buzzer beaters to quadruple overtime, it's been an exciting time in the 6A West.  Plus, Bentonville West's Hailey Ford-Henry is our Lindsey Girls Athlete of the Week. 

The Bentonville West boys basketball team is 3-1 to start 6A West action, and leaning on their defense and experience to help them wins games. Coming off a win over Springdale last Friday, head coach Trent Loyd and senior Cooper Moore sit down with Alyssa Orange to talk about how the non-conference helped prepare them for conference, and how confident they are playing right now.  Plus, after his r...

After missing weeks following a wrist injury in December, JJ Andrews rejoined his teammates on the court Friday night as Little Rock Christian hosted Catholic. Hear from JJ about what the return to the court meant to him, and what his coach had to say about his growth during is recovery.  Plus, Pea Ridge Girls Basketball is our Signature Bank Team of the Week. 

On this week’s Courtside Chats with Alyssa Orange we sit down with former Northside Grizzly, Arkansas Razorback and Current NBA Champion Jaylin Williams.  As someone who has dedicated his time giving back to the community in the River Valley and Northwest Arkansas, Williams talks about life as an NBA Champion, what he learned as a high school player at Northside and his best advice to high school...

On today's episode of Varsity Vibe Today, New Lake Hamilton head coach Justin Bigham joins us to talk about taking over the Wolves Program, what he's learn from the coaches he's played for and with, and his to do list in the first few days leading the program. A former Arkansas high school football player, and 3-year starter at Ole Miss, he's excited to lead Lake Hamilton in th...

Tuesday night brought the heat on the hardwood around the state of Arkansas. The Bentonville Tigers won a thriller 67-64 over Har-Ber, and the Lady Blackhawks defeated Prairie Grove 63-38. Those scores and more as we update you on Tuesday's action.  Plus- Chris Hill continues to be hard guy to stop on offense. He is our Lindsey Boys Athlete of the Week. 

In today's episode of Varsity Vibe Today, Lake Hamilton has named Justin Bigham as their new football coach. He takes over the Wolves program after being an assistant coach at Cabot last season.  The Fayetteville Boys Basketball team is our Signature Bank Team of the Week after their 60-57 win over Har-Ber and 3-0 start to 6A West action. Plus Makenlie Campbell helped lead the Lady Wildcats t...

We had some exciting games unfold on Friday night around the state on the hardwood. Host Alyssa Orange recaps some of the boys and girls action as we get ready for another exciting week of high school basketball. 

In this week’s Courtside Chats, Alyssa Orange sits down with Bryant Head Coach Mike Abrahamson about his team coming off their 2025 state championship, the expectations for the season and the growth of basketball talent in Arkansas.

On today's Varsity Vibe Today, the Bryant Hornets battled back from a halftime deficit to defeat Little Rock Christian on Tuesday night, plus the girls 6A defending state champions Fort Smith Northside is looking to continue to get better game by game as they want to get back to Hot Springs in March. 

Big wins on the hardwood on Tuesday night including Bryant's comeback win over LRCA and Bentonville's win over Heritage. Plus, Har-Ber head coach Tommy Deffebaugh joins the show to talk about this year's wildcats team. 

In today's Varsity Vibe Today we look at the Bentonville Lady Tigers team who is finding ways to win without star player Jensen Thrasher for at least another month.  Plus, the Har-Ber Wildcats boys basketball team starting off 6A play with a win over Rogers, despite the Mounties attempt at a comeback late in the 4th quarter.  And Jabarih Washington is our Lindsey Boys Player of the Week. 

The start to a new year means the start to Conference play for basketball teams around the state. We take a look at some of the early action that kicked off 2026, including a double-double performance by Fayetteville's DJ Hudson.  Plus the Fort Smith Northside Lady Bears are our Teamwork Roofing Team of the Week. 

Our final Courtside Chats of the week takes us to Pea Ridge High School where we sit down with senior Jaslyn Dixon.  If you missed any of our previous Courtside Chats this week, you can go back and listen to our other episodes from the week. 

In today's Courtside Chats, we head down to Little Rock Central and talk with Janae Johnson as she is back from injury and ready to see if the Tigers can get back to Hot Springs and win another state championship. 

We visited Fayetteville High School for today's Courtside Chats. DJ Hudson and Charley Rawlins are both helping to lead the boys and girls team this season for the Purple Dawgs. 

On Tuesday's Varsity Vibe Today, our Courtside Chats series we visit the New School and sitdown with senior guard Aidan Chronister as he gets ready to finish his high school career and head to the University of Missouri. 

Our first edition of Courtside Chats takes us to Farmington High School as we sit down with sophomore Easton McCollough. Join Alyssa Orange and Easton as they talk about her basketball journey. 

While basketball teams take a break for the holidays, they are looking ahead to what comes at the end of the week. We fill you in on where teams are heading for their next action.  Plus we introduce you to this week's Lindsey Boy's and Girl's Athlete of the Week. 

Multiple schools around the area help tournaments and showcases over the weekend, including Bentonvill & Bentonville West and Fort Smith. We recap the action.  Plus the Bryant Hornets Boys Basketball team is our Teamwork Roofing Team of the Week. 

The AAA announced on Thursday the new re-alignment for the next two years of high school football in Arkansas. Some big changes are coming, including Shiloh Christian moving to 7A and Greenwood moving to 5A.  Assistant Executive Director Bobby Swofford joins Alyssa Orange to break down the changes, why they happen, and how they strive to make it an even playing field for high school football. 

For seniors Quinn Hosley of Bentonville and Charley Rawlins of Fayetteville, this season is their last on a high school stage. Both are leaders who are helping put their respective teams in a place to have success and try and win a state championship.  They join the show to talk about their final season, and how things are going early in their schedule. 

Senior forward Kaylee Ward recently signed with Oral Roberts, and is focused on making the most of her final season of high school basketball with the Mansfield Tigers. Coming off helping the Tigers win a 3A State Championship in Volleyball, Ward is ready to try and do the same on the Hardwood.  We also visit with Bryant Boys head coach Mike Abrahamson and Little Rock Central Girls head coach Marl...