John Calipari Won’t Fill Arkansas Roster: ‘They’re Leaving Anyway’ in Transfer Portal | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

John Calipari, the newly hired head coach for men’s basketball, does n’t intend to add reserve players to the Arkansas roster like he did when he assembled them at Kentucky.

Calipari stated on Wednesday’s episode of their audio Ways to Win that he intends to just keep “eight or nine men” with the Razorbacks to begin the 2024-25 season.

” They’re leaving anyhow, and why would I produce a person for someone else? Why did I complete that”? Calipari said.

Calipari added that as transfer website numbers rise, other colleges are also adopting the idea.

” I’m hearing a lot of people are saying eight or nine people”, Calipari said.

He added:” If there is a tenth guy, he knows he’s the tenth guy”.

Calipari said he would find out grad assistant instructors who “played in Europe, or just got finished watching, and can still play” to fill out the exercise roster for the Razorbacks.

” We may use them in training”, Calipari said. ” The children’s programs have five guys that they call’ supervisors,’ but that’s who they scrimmage against. And I’m saying, you know what, even we’ll do it that way”.

According to 247Sports, Arkansas is now the highest-rated transfer website class in men’s college basketball, having forward Adou Thiero and middle Zvonimir Ivisic joining Calipari after they both moved from Kentucky to Arkansas. Additionally, Calipari has signed deals with Jonas Aidoo and Johnell Davis, both of whom are transfers from Florida and Tennessee.

Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond, three of whom were recently committed to Kentucky, are also being welcomed by Arkansas.

Calipari, who had chair level players like previous Kentucky star Darius Miller, played a role in helping the Falcons win the NCAA title in 2012. Calipari may now hope that despite having a smaller roster, the incoming class is solid enough to succeed despite having less chair depth with the Razorbacks this fall.