Coach Calipari generates buzz as he prepares for his first season
As the Razorback basketball season approaches, Coach Calipari is expressing his high hopes and ambitious expectations for the team’s upcoming performance.
ARKANSAS, USA — John Calipari is encouraging his Arkansas Razorbacks to aim high.
Accustomed to ambitious goals and high expectations from his time at Kentucky, the Hall of Fame coach has almost entirely rebuilt the Razorbacks’ roster since his hiring in April. Only forward Trevon Brazile, who tested the NBA waters, remains from the previous team.
He’s taking over a program that reached back-to-back Elite Eights and made a Sweet 16 appearance last season. The high expectations were already in place, but much of the roster was built by Calipari and his team.
It certainly doesn’t seem to lack talent.
“It was only a few short months ago, I walked in with no team, no staff, and no schedule and now we’re talking about … how do we get them to come together but think bigger,” Calipari said in a press conference on Monday. “You think big but you work bigger. This is not being delusional. You’re not dreaming dreams. This is about what you’re trying to accomplish for yourself.
“I’m trying to get them to think like kings, because kings think differently.”
While Arkansas may not be quite the basketball royalty that Kentucky is, the Razorbacks have reached six Final Fours, won the national title in 1994, and returned to the championship game the following year.
Calipari, 65, and the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball, is experienced in pursuing championships and NCAA Tournament berths with largely new but talented rosters. Even for him, this is a significant overhaul.
Calipari brought in Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo, former Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis, and three of his players from Kentucky: DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, and Zvonimir Ivisic. He also signed three five-star prospects, with point guard Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond III all rated among the nation’s top 25 recruits in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Additionally, there’s Brazile, who considered both the NBA draft and potential transfers. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward averaged 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds last season. Brazile called it “a no-brainer” to return under Calipari, who was hired after Eric Musselman left to take over at Southern California.
Although Calipari was familiar with Brazile before arriving in Fayetteville, the forward has continued to impress.
“About halfway through the summer, he came up to me and said, ‘Man, you’re better than I thought you were,’” Brazile recalled. “I just told him, ‘I told you so.’”
Arkansas signed Calipari to a five-year contract with an annual base salary of $7 million, lasting through April 2029, with the possibility of extending it to 2031 based on NCAA Tournament appearances.
With this substantial salary comes even greater ambitions for national titles, which would be the second for both Arkansas and Calipari.
Calipari mentioned that he can feel the excitement surrounding the program, campus, and state. While he doesn’t want fans to expect a completely smooth journey, he isn’t downplaying their high hopes either.
With a coach who has led three programs — Massachusetts, Memphis, and Kentucky — to a combined six Final Fours and three national championship games, expectations are naturally high.
“I’ve got a big job here, to get this thing right and have people look at us and say, what are they doing? How do they do that?” Calipari said. “Let people look at this and say, ‘Wow, here it goes again.’”
