John Calipari has hit the ground running on the recruiting trail since arriving in Fayetteville to take over at the helm for Arkansas basketball.
With a completely blank canvas to work with, Calipari and his staff have put together a seven-player haul that ranks among the best in the country and has the Razorbacks trending upward in most way-too-early rankings and bracket projections.
Despite the overwhelmingly positive early returns, Arkansas is not yet a finished product and still has a number of holes to fill as it puts a bow on the 2024-25 roster.
Here is a ranking of Calipari’s recommended to-do list as he looks to turn the Hoop Hogs into contenders in Year 1 on the job:
1. Experienced ball-handler in backcourt
With the roster as currently constructed, Arkansas has one “true” point guard in five-star freshman Boogie Fland and a capable ball-handler and creator in combo guard Johnell Davis. Beyond that, the Razorbacks are a roster of wings and forwards.
At the moment, both Fland and Davis project as starters, which means there is no depth behind them in the backcourt. Hence the importance of closing the deal with former Kentucky guard DJ Wagner.
While Wagner fell a bit short of lofty expectations as a true freshman in 2023-24, he still averaged just shy of 10 points and 3.5 assists per contest and has a year of experience as a full-time starter in the SEC under his belt. All that comes without mentioning his familiarity with Calipari, several members of his staff and multiple potential teammates.
Despite the seemingly stalled process, the prevailing thought is that Wagner will still ultimately wind up a Razorback. If things fall through, adding a guard remains a necessity even if the pickings become slim.
Outside of pulling a rabbit out of the hat in French sensation Nolan Traore or leaning on another international target in Egor Demin as a frosh lead guard, the options are limited.
The next highest ranked available point guard in the portal according to On3 is Morehead State’s Jordan Lathon at No. 217. A few familiar names include Arterio Morris (Texas/Kansas), KK Robinson (Little Rock), Shak Moore (Mississippi State) and Ques Glover (Kansas State).
2. Frontcourt swingman
Arkansas boasts one of the most formidable 1-2 punches in the country around the rim in Tennessee’s Jonas Aidoo and former Kentucky forward Zvonimir Ivisic. However, unless the duo becomes the SEC version of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, they are unlikely to share the floor for extended periods of time.
If they do, the Hogs are vulnerable beyond that lineup. If they don’t, a guard in a power forward’s body in Adou Thiero is the only real option at the 4 unless Arkansas opts to play a lot of small ball.
The ideal fit is a frontcourt swingman in the mold of former Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins, who is still mulling his stay-or-pro decision ahead of the May 29 withdraw deadline.
Kansas State’s Arthur Kaluma and New Mexico’s JT Toppin are other enticing names that are highly coveted. The name Trevon Brazile is also in draft-or-portal limbo.
An alternative route for Arkansas would be to nab another versatile wing-type, but that would make an insurance policy around the rim feel like more of a necessity.
3. Perimeter shooting pop
Arkansas’ current roster accounted for just 74 made three-pointers last season. Johnell Davis was responsible for 58 of them and is as close to a sure thing from beyond the arc as the Hogs have at their disposal.
The expectation is that Ivisic sees an uptick in volume and will provide a measure of floor spacing in the frontcourt. There is optimism Thiero’s promising jumper yields more consistent production. But neither can really be classified as “shooters.”
Of course, the incoming freshmen could have a say with Boogie Fland standing out as the best bet to pack a punch from the perimeter. Karter Knox has shot-making ability but was a sub-30 percent shooter at Overtime Elite. Billy Richmond is known as more of a slasher-type currently.
A hypothetical lineup of Fland, Davis, Knox, Thiero and Ivisic would theoretically be solid from a shooting standpoint, but having another sniper to deploy certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Adding Wagner to the fold would help, but he is far from a knockdown shooter. Egor Demin and/or Coleman Hawkins could both go a long way towards shoring things up.
4. Overall roster depth
Is depth an area of need for Arkansas? Yes. Is John Calipari concerned about it? Apparently not.
According to the new Head Hog, the plan is to hold 8-9 scholarship players with the rest of the roster filled by walk-ons.
From a continuity and team chemistry standpoint it makes sense, but there is no arguing it would leave the Razorbacks very much at risk if the injury/illness/foul bug bit the roster at any point.
Could Arkansas make it work with nine scholarship players? The answer is yes with the right type of roster construction. Finish up with, say, Wagner and Hawkins, and there is enough positional versatility to mix and match effectively in a pinch.
Anything short of a starting level guard and forward addition and the Razorbacks would be prudent to at least add a 10th scholarship body as a safety net.