EXCLUSIVE: Arkansas Guard Khalif Battle Talks Musselman, Kobe, Batman, more

I sat down with Arkansas transfer guard Khalif Battle for an exclusive interview on Hawg Country, giving fans a chance to get know Khalif, and what to expect from him this upcoming season. On3’s 10th ranked transfer dropped a few gems, as well as some stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

Will: What made you choose Arkansas?

Khalif: Really wanted a chance of scenery. Being from the northeast, I can see it’s much nicer out here. The love I got from the fans during the recruiting process was crazy. Coach Muss and the coaching staff is good as well. They get players to the next level, and they win at a high level. That’s really what I want for myself.

Will: What’s the biggest difference between Arkansas and Temple?

Khalif: There’s too many sports teams in Philly. Temple is in the heart of Philly, so nobody was really a Temple fan, they’re more 76ers fans. Here though, it’s all about the Razorbacks. Just being here, I can tell we’re the pro team.

Will: What’s the biggest transition for you moving from Philly to Fayetteville?

Khalif: I’ve been a city kid my whole life, being from Jersey. It’s way faster in the northeast, like a hustle-and-bustle. You always are on the move, always doing something. Here, it’s slowed down, relaxed. I’ve never seen so many trees in my life, honestly. Or nature, or cows. I’m taking in a whole nother world, but I’ve been enjoying it so far, I like the change.

Will: I’m going to go ahead and get into the hoops. Arkansas brought in an extremely talented backcourt room, does that make practices more fun knowing you have a lot of guys with talent around you?

Khalif: Yeah, I feel like iron sharpens iron. Personally, I like going up against competition every single day. You only get better from it. We have a lot more older guys now, mixed with some younger guys. I feel like the younger guys like Layden and Baye, I think their progression has been great in terms of dealing with older guys. That’s what we’re going to have to deal with throughout the year. It’s been great so far, I love all the guys. Feels like I’ve known them forever. All the guys that have been here took me in with open arms.

Will: Is there anything you really want to work on this off-season? You led your team in scoring so it’s obvious you’re a great scorer, but is there anything you want to add to your game?

Khalif: I want to be a better playmaker. People say I’m a good scorer, but I’d say I’m an okay scorer as of now. I feel like I still got a lot of room for improvement. Being more efficient, less turnovers. I feel like my on-the-ball defense is really good, I just gotta work on my off-the-ball defense, not falling asleep on the defensive end. But being a winner, that’s the most important thing. Nobody respects you if you’re a loser. I want the respect of being a winner, and being known as a winner. 

Will: Who would you say is the best defender you’ve faced in practice so far? 

Khalif: Either Devo or Tramon. I can’t really give it to one over the other, I think they’re both great defenders. I’m going to say nobody can guard me, but it’s definitely between Devo and Tramon for sure. They’re both aggressive, but two different defenders. Devo’s more in your face, trying to wear you down all night, and Tramon welcomes you to try and get a bucket on you, and just guards his yard. They’re different, but both very good defenders.

Will: What NBA player would you compare your game to? 

Khalif: Probably Jordan Clarkson. My mode is a Jordan Clarkson, Tyler Herro type, a guy who comes in and can be a playmaker, but really there to get buckets. Maxed out potential I could be Bradley Beal. 

Will: Who’s your favorite NBA player?

Khalif: All-time, Kobe. Hands down. But right now, probably between Damian Lillard, Jordan Clarkson and Bradley Beal. If they’re on the TV, I’m definitely watching, and I’m not watching anyone else on the court besides them. Oh, wow how’d I forget, I take that back. My big cousin, Kyrie. We’re not really cousins, but we’re like family. When I’m in Jersey, we workout. 

Will: There’s a lot of Arkansas fans who haven’t watched you play yet. How would you describe your game to someone who’s never watched you play?

Khalif: I like to think of myself as an electric scorer. I can get hot at any point. Aggressive scorer at all three levels. I like to have fun when I play. I definitely love to play in transition, playing fast and getting up and down. I would’ve liked to have more dunks in my career because I do have a little bit of ups. I don’t really have a feeling that there’s a shot I can’t make. I’m very confident in my ability to get a bucket. The fans have seen that with JD Notae, and I’m around that type of guy. I really just want to get buckets. 

Will: Eric Musselman is very intense on the court, but off the court he’s pretty laid back and chill. Are there any stories you want to share about Muss?

Khalif: During the recruiting process everyone I talked to about Coach Muss said, “Oh yeah he’s crazy. He’s a great coach, but he’s crazy. Are you ready for that?” And I’m like, what do you mean he’s crazy? So I talked to Coach on my visit and said “Coach what’s up? Why is everyone calling you crazy?“ At this point, I’ve only seen him on games online, but never saw him up close in person. I asked some of the graduate assistants from last year if he was crazy and they said “Yeah he’s crazy.” So on the visit, the last day, it was just me and Coach Muss in the car. I told him “Coach I’m from Jersey, I love crazy. You can be crazy around me,” because he was being calm the whole visit. He said “I know, KB. I want to be crazy, but I gotta hold it together. I need you to commit here!” Then I told him, “I know you love your players, you coach with high intensity, I love that. That’s why I want to be here. Be yourself.” Ever since then, I got the real Muss. I fell in love with who he is as a person, on the court. People call him crazy, but I think it’s just his love for winning. I wouldn’t call him crazy, but I’d definitely say he’s a high energy guy.

Will: What’s the best advice you’ve gotten?

Khalif: That’s a good question, damn. My dad said this to me when my grandma passed away because she always said it to him, “When I know who I am, I know what I do.” What I take from that is, you can’t fake who you are. You can’t fake the grind. If you’re a hard working person, you know what you do. It’s nothing new. You shouldn’t be surprised by success if something works out for you. If you put the time and the work in, that’s what it is. If you’re a good person and you be a good person every day, don’t fake it to anybody. Nobody can tell you anything different. I feel like people will try to change a game, but I’m just so confident as a scorer, so when I know who I am, I know what I do. I know what I bring to the table as a scorer, so I’m confident in that. My dad kept telling me that since I was little, so it’s always added some confidence in me. Every single time I think about losing myself, I just think about that saying. 

Will: Who do you look up to?

Khalif: I don’t look up to any men. I’m a very Christian person. People don’t know that, I try to keep it low as possible. I read the bible every night before I go to sleep. I really look up to God, because at the end of the day, men and women all sin. If I had to take some qualities from somebody though, I’d say Kobe’s work ethic. I also love how Damian Lillard is really humble. I take little things from people, I see something and put my own spin on it. I really don’t look up to any man or women though. 

Will: What are your personal goals for next season?

Khalif: National Championship. And SEC Championship. That’s about it.

Will: Anything you want to accomplish stats wise?

Khalif: That’s all gonna come how it is. Everything is going to happen how it should. I really don’t want to put a target or a limit on myself when it comes to points-per-game, I think it’s already proven that I can score the ball. People have been writing me off because they said I couldn’t win. I just want to be apart of a winning team and culture. I want to get to a Final Four. But if I said any individual goal for myself and my teammates it would be be getting to the Final Four and winning the National Championship. 

Will: Are there any games you have circled for next season?

Khalif: Every game. If we were playing Temple though, I’d definitely single that one out. People have written me off this summer when it comes to my character and how I am as a person, but I know that’s not true to myself. Every game I’m taking personal, I’m going out there with something to prove. I’ve got the biggest chip I’ve ever had on my shoulder.

Will: What movie did you like the most, Barbie or Oppenheimer?

Khalif: I haven’t watched either yet because I haven’t got out of the house. I don’t really have any friends yet at Arkansas besides my teammates, so if anybody wants to be friends with me and show me around Arkansas, I’m definitely here for it. I haven’t got a chance to watch them yet, but I definitely want to watch Oppenheimer over Barbie. 

Will: So what’s your favorite movie?

Khalif: I’m a movie guy. I’ll give you my top three favorite series. The Dark Knight trilogy, Rocky 1-4. After four it kind of went downhill. But those are movies I can watch at any point in time. For the last one though, I grew up a big fan of the Harry Potter series. I actually still have a wand.

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