FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari said he wants “eight or nine” players for his inaugural Razorbacks team, with a potential 10th who knows his role. He now has nine.
Arkansas has the top-ranked transfer class and sixth-best freshman class, per 247 Sports, coming to Fayetteville next season. Calipari brought several members of his final Kentucky team with him to the Natural State, which should alleviate some concerns about team chemistry. The others look as though they will seamlessly fit into a Calipari system.
Here’s who has joined the Razorbacks: returner Trevon Brazile; transfers Zvonimir Ivisic (Kentucky), Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee), Johnell Davis (Florida Atlantic), Adou Thiero (Kentucky) and DJ Wagner (Kentucky); freshmen Karter Knox, Johnuel “Boogie” Fland and Billy Richmond.
This is a look at the nine scholarship players on the roster, where they fit in and a breakdown of the team as a whole.
First, this is a way-too-early projected starting lineup: DJ Wagner, Johnell Davis, Adou Thiero, Trevon Brazile and Jonas Aidoo.
This five brings several different components. First, and potentially most importantly, is experience. Every player in that starting five has played at least one year of college basketball. Aidoo and Davis are entering their fourth and fifth years, respectively. One of the main drawbacks of Calipari’s recent teams, particularly come NCAA Tournament time, has been a lack of experience and an overreliance on freshmen.
Calipari said recently he is embracing the NCAA transfer portal and the need to have an older roster. The era of winning with a team full of freshmen is over, though that’s not to say freshmen can’t be key contributors to a championship team. Connecticut may not have won the 2024 national title without Stephon Castle. That being said, he was the only freshman starter on any of the Final Four teams.
One drawback of this starting five is its perimeter shooting. Wagner’s struggles were well documented, shooting 29% from the three-point line in 2023-24. Davis shot 41% from deep and Brazile was next best at 35%, though those came on 4.1 and 2.6 attempts per game, respectively. Davis will likely be tasked with being the go-to perimeter shooter, with Fland potentially coming off the bench to provide another threat.
Fland, who was originally committed to Calipari at Kentucky, has faced questions about whether he could step into a starting point guard role as a freshman. Should he win that job, playing alongside Davis should alleviate some of that pressure. If not, playing behind Wagner could help his development.
Aidoo anchoring the paint, on both ends of the floor, gives Arkansas one of the top inside presences in the country. His physicality has been questioned, and the 1.8 blocks average could improve.
In addition to Aidoo, the defense of Brazile and Thiero could be paramount to the Razorbacks’ success. Brazile averaged over a block per game and could provide another option to Aidoo at the 5, but there are questions regarding his physicality and consistency. Thiero was among Kentucky’s best defenders last season. The Wildcats were debatably at their worst defensively when he wasn’t available midway through the year.
Associate head coach Kenny Payne could be a big part of the inside game, particularly on defense. Payne was on Calipari’s Kentucky staff for a decade and won a national title and reached 3 Final Fours. The Wildcats had five top-10 defenses in Payne’s time in Lexington while they were never being better than 35th without him, per KenPom.
One of this roster’s biggest strengths, though, is its versatility. Every player barring Aidoo can play multiple positions.
Where the college-experienced played at least in some part last season:
- Wagner: 1, 2, 3
- Davis: 2, 3, 4
- Thiero: 3, 4
- Brazile: 4, 5
- Aidoo: 5
- Ivisic: 4, 5
The college adjustment is difficult, but the freshmen come in with high ceilings and versatility. Fland enters college with a shooter’s reputation and has a strong dribble-drive game. He can deputize at the 1 or 2 spots. Knox has a college-ready frame and can play in the 3 and 4 spots. Richmond’s role will likely be the biggest question among the three freshmen, but he has improved drastically over recent seasons and is best in the 3 or 4 spot.
The versatility of each of the players gives Arkansas a variety of potential lineups. There’s a potential for a small-ball team, a big-guy lineup and potentially a run-and-gun team, should some players take a leap in three-point shooting.
Additionally, each of these nine will likely have some sort of role in the team. Richmond is likely the biggest question mark overall in those terms, but Calipari’s insistence on going with “eight or nine” players may show the coach’s confidence in the freshman.
Among the transfers, Ivisic is the biggest unknown. He didn’t play much at Kentucky but showed promising flashes of potential. His 7-2 frame and ability to dribble and shoot from distance makes him an exciting prospect.
Calipari said he wanted to keep his roster small, so as to not develop players just for them to transfer. Depth, particularly in the front court, is another area of concern. Calipari isn’t bothered, though.
“Someone said, ‘What if you get two guys injured?’” Calipari said at the Razorback Roadshow event in Little Rock. “Yeah, you’ll have six really happy guys.”
If Calipari decides to add a 10th player, he likely won’t be a starting-caliber addition given Calipari has stated the role will be that of a 10th man.
Don’t expect Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins or Kansas State’s Arthur Kaluma to walk into Bud Walton Arena. Should the Razorbacks sign a 10th, it’s more likely they add a developmental player or another experienced piece who won’t command much playing time.
There’s plenty of potential and potholes in this Razorbacks team. Calipari has assembled a talented roster with ambitions of a run in March. The way-too-early on-paper outlook on this roster is that it likely fits into the preseason top-15-to-20 and among the best in the SEC.
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