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Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball signee’s brother making own identity at Little Rock Christian

With Hogs signee Layden Blocker starring at prep school, Landren Blocker is looking to help lead the Warriors to the Class 4A state championship
Little Rock Christian junior Landren Blocker is making a name for himself in leading the Warriors to success. 

Little Rock Christian junior Landren Blocker is making a name for himself in leading the Warriors to success. 

By Jeff Halpern | Photo by Braeden Botts 

LITTLE ROCK - Layden Blocker is starring in his final year at Sunrise (Kan.) Christian Academy and Landren is hoping to lead LRCA to a state championship. 

Two years ago, Layden Blocker played at Little Rock Christian Academy, transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan., and parlayed that into signing with the University of Arkansas in November. 

This year, Landren Blocker, Layden’s brother, is having a stellar season at LRCA. Landren, a 6-5 junior, is averaging 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals per game for the No. 21-ranked Warriors (21-7), who have advanced to the 4A-East Regional semifinal Friday in Clinton. Arkansas Basketball Rankings has Landren Blocker listed as the fifth-best player in the state.

At the Wooten Top 150 camp in Mansfield, Texas in October, Blocker caught the attention of 247 Sports national analyst Brandon Jenkins, who said, “It just seemed as if Landren Blocker was at the right place at the right time. The brother of Layden Blocker, Landren was the king of making something happen above the rim this weekend.”

In addition, Tobias Bass of The Athletic, called him one of the three “most intriguing” prospects at the camp. Bass said, “Blocker made several highlight plays throughout the weekend whether he was blocking shots or throwing down dunks. With his strong frame and athleticism, he has the potential to be a lockdown defender, impactful rebounder and effective finisher around the rim at the next level.”

Landren Blocker holds offers from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Tulane, Central Arkansas, Creighton, Mississippi, Missouri, TCU, St John’s and Texas A&M.

“Landren has been really successful throughout his high school career,” Layden Blocker said. “He has accomplished many things and received recognition for his play. I see Landren dominating at the Division I level. He is tough and physically gifted with his size and athleticism. Once everything else falls in place, and he builds off that, his overall game will be polished.”

Layden is a 5-star prospect by 247 Sports Composite and was projected by NBADraft.net as the 20th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. At Sunrise Academy, his team is 17-6 and ranked 14th in SBLive’s national rankings. He played for Bradley Beal Elite in the Elite Youth Basketball League over the summer and averaged 15.8 points per game, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 27 games.

Layden Blocker Sunrise Christian Academy is committed to Arkansas

University of Arkansas signee Layden Blocker played at Little Rock Christian two years ago before transferring to Sunrise Christian Academy prep school in Wichita, Kan. 

As a junior, he averaged 9 points, 1.3 steals and 3.7 rebounds while playing with two other Sports Illustrated All-Americans. As a sophomore at LRCA in 2021, he averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game.

After Layden Blocker signed in November, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said in a press release. “We are excited to officially add Layden to our Razorback family. He is a player who has continued to improve his game and has tremendous upside Layden is a tenacious defender and versatile floor general. He comes from a. Well-coached program and has experience competing against some of the best young players in the country.”

While Blocker’s father Lenard, who is an assistant at LRCA, got a front-row seat as to what the recruiting process looks like, he’s ready to take lessons learned from last year and apply them to Landren’s recruitment process.

During Layden’s recruiting process, Lenard Blocker said he was passive at first and hesitant to ask certain questions but became more direct as the recruiting process played out. With Landren, he said he wants to make sure that the schools that are recruiting his younger son are genuine and have a clear vision for him. “We’ll have a good idea between March and July before his senior season begins,” said Lenard Blocker. “Coaches will have a better idea of their needs are and what their roster looks like after they close out 2023 class and portal this spring.”

Lenard Blocker said his main job is to help collect the information and make sure Landren does his due diligence to make the best decision as to where he wants to go to college.

“We’re not tied to a specific demographical area,” said Lenard Blocker. “The main thing is finding a school that helps him maximize his potential as a basketball player and develop as a person.”

Landren Blocker will most likely finish his prep career at Little Rock Christian. (Photo by Braeden Botts)

Landren Blocker will most likely finish his prep career at Little Rock Christian. (Photo by Braeden Botts)

When Layden made the decision to leave LRCA and go the prep school route, it was so Layden could play with other prep All-Americans who have the potential to play major college basketball and eventually become a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

Lenard Blocker said Landren had the opportunity to go the prep school route but elected to stay at LRCA and play for new head coach Kyle Pennington. “He believed in Coach Pennington and appreciated how coach was intentional about building a relationship with him.” We don’t have plans to take the prep route. Right now, we’re focused on the regional and state tournament.”

“I’m trying to forge my own path and find ways to make myself and my team better,” said Landren Blocker. “Our goal is to win a state championship. That’s what we’re striving for in practice.”

And the Warriors hope to finish the season in Hot Springs holding the Class 4A state championship trophy.

“I feel we have the best team in the state regardless of classification,” Lenard Blocker said. “We have great senior leadership in Ben Fox, TJ Watson, and Cooper Jones. We get great production from our juniors Trey Howard, Corliss Williamson Jr, Jameel Wesley, and Landren and the freshman J.J. Andrews have been phenomenal exceeding expectations. I like our chances. The main thing we must do is lock in, defend at a high level, and be who we are.

“We’re trying to make practice hard and keep everyone focused. Our conference hasn’t been as competitive as our nonconference schedule. We have to find ways to keep our players engaged and competitive not to pick up bad habits.”

Landren Blocker's father, Lenard, is a Little Rock Christian assistant coach. (Photo by Braeden Botts)

Landren Blocker's father, Lenard, is a Little Rock Christian assistant coach. (Photo by Braeden Botts)

The Warriors’ resume has plenty of quality wins. They’ve defeated No. 13 Cabot 70-49 on Nov. 22; No. 25 Maumelle 73-56 on Dec. 3; No. 22 Watson Chapel 64-37 on Nov. 5 in the season opener; No. 24 Vilonia 54-42 on Dec. 1; and Poplar Bluff (Mo.) 75-69 on Dec. 29. Their losses have come to strong teams. They fell to No. 1 Bentonville West 73-66 on Nov. 15; No. 5 Little Rock Central 71-64 on Nov. 19; Whitney Young of Chicago on 51-49 at the Hoop Hall South Classic; Christian Brothers from Memphis, 60-51 on Dec. 21; Haywood (Brownsville, Tenn.) 65-47 on Dec. 28. 

Lenard Blocker said the big thing Landren needs to do is trust his ability, trust the work he has put in and not overthink things on the court. “He needs to be comfortable and free to be who he is and what he brings to this team.”

Landren Blocker said he sees himself as a wing that can play and guard multiple positions. He has been willing to play inside and post up smaller defenders to help the Warriors win and guard the opposition’s best player.

While the Blockers prepare to spend another spring and summer handling the recruiting process, in the meantime they hope they have plenty to celebrate in the next few weeks.