Arkansas’ Gafford going pro, won’t play in NIT

It has been a long, arduous process for Luke Walton as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team has gone through some rough stretches before their recent strong play, but luckily for Walton he has a group of mentors that he can turn to in times of need, including former Lakers coach Phil Jackson. It was Jackson who first got Walton to think about coaching, allowing him to sit in on meetings while Walton was injured during his playing days. Last season, during one of the Lakers many big losing streaks Walton leaned on Jackson for some help. In an interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Walton revealed that an old, favorite drill of Jackson’s helped his young team during that rough patch: