Arkansas basketball under John Calipari: Insiders release transfer portal news, 2024 roster, recruits, targets
The Arkansas Razorbacks hired veteran head coach John Calipari two months ago, and Calipari hired his son, Brad, as an assistant coach earlier this week. Brad spent last season as the director of on-court player development under Jerry Stackhouse at Vanderbilt. Every member of the new Arkansas basketball coaching staff has ties to Kentucky, including Kenny Payne, Chin Coleman and Chuck Martin. The Razorbacks also have seven new scholarship players on their roster after every player from last year’s Arkansas basketball roster departed.
Calipari is expected to add more staff members and more players from the college basketball transfer portal. The deadline for returning college players to withdraw from the NBA Draft is looming, which will create clarity regarding the transfers who are still available to fill out the Arkansas basketball lineup. If you love the Razorbacks, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at HawgSports, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Arkansas.
The team of insiders at HawgSports.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Arkansas basketball coaching transition and roster changes. Launched in 2002, HawgSports has established itself as the top source for insider Arkansas basketball coverage. Trey Biddy, Danny West and Connor Goodson have a combined 30 years of experience covering the Razorbacks professionally. And right now, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual subscription*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at HawgSports has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Arkansas basketball roster. Head to HawgSports now to see all the insider info.
Arkansas basketball roster departures
Last year’s Arkansas team returned 36.3% of its scoring from the 2022-23 roster, which is a high rate in this age of the transfer portal. But this year’s Arkansas Razorbacks squad returns .0003% of its scoring, thanks to the lone holdover, Lawson Blake, scoring just one point a year ago. Thus, Calipari has a complete roster overhaul to make as the 2024-25 Arkansas basketball team will have no continuity. Double-digit scorers Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle have respectively transferred to Texas and Gonzaga as part of the mass exodus from Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks’ average age of 22.7 last season was the second-oldest in Division I, when weighted by minutes. The team is losing nine seniors, and even those who lowered the average age have since departed. Layden Blocker and Baye Fall, who were Class of 2023 freshmen and top-10 national prospects at their respective positions, have since committed to other programs. So while Calipari has done a nice job in adding highly-ranked incoming recruits and transfers, he still just has a seven-man squad so there’s lots of work to be done. Join HawgSports to see the latest on all of Arkansas’ roster changes.
Arkansas basketball news, roster
The first domino to fall this offseason came when Kentucky forward Zvonimir Ivisic followed Calipari to Arkansas, and there have been six players who have committed to the Razorbacks since then. Karter Knox, Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond are all incoming freshmen who were previously committed to Kentucky. They are the only three players in the Arkansas basketball recruiting class, but the Razorbacks still have a top-10 class in the 247Sports recruiting rankings.
Small forward Adou Thiero also followed Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas after averaging 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Wildcats last season. Florida Atlantic shooting guard Johnell Davis and Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo committed to Arkansas as well, so Calipari has utilized the transfer portal. There are several other players in the portal that he reportedly has his eyes on, and HawgSports has the latest details. Join HawgSports to get the latest on all of Arkansas’ roster additions.
How to get insider Arkansas basketball roster updates
Calipari has already been in contact with multiple transfers from power-conference teams, so be sure to join HawgSports to see who they are and get the rest of the insider roster news.
Who are the top names Arkansas basketball is pursuing under coach John Calipari, and which power-conference transfers could land in Fayetteville? Go to HawgSports to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Razorbacks, and find out. And reminder, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
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