John Calipari Reveals New Roster Formula for Arkansas Because of Lessons from Kentucky
Arkansas men’s basketball head coach John Calipari, known for his successful tenure at Kentucky from 2009 to 2024, is adopting a new strategy to stay competitive. Calipari, who routinely brought in top freshmen classes at Kentucky, acknowledged the need for a different approach in today’s game.
“We’re not going to take six, seven freshmen now,” Calipari said Wednesday at the SEC meetings in Destin, Florida, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “It’ll be three or four. Hopefully retain a few, get a couple of transfers, and that is the formula.”
Calipari added with a smirk, “Now that may not work. And then you’ll say, ‘Well, you said…’ Well, I changed my mind. I didn’t like how it looked.”
During his time at Kentucky, Calipari achieved significant success, winning six SEC tournaments, making four Final Fours, and securing one national title. However, his teams struggled in the latter part of his tenure, winning just one NCAA tournament game in his last four seasons and suffering first-round upsets to No. 15 Saint Peter’s in 2022 and No. 14 Oakland in 2024.
Reflecting on these experiences, Calipari emphasized the importance of a balanced roster:
“The lesson was you can’t do this now with seven freshmen. You just can’t. You’re going to hit a team that’s 25 years old on average, one was 26, and that team is physically going to get you. So now we have a couple of transfers that are older, some kids that transferred from Kentucky that went through it, and they’re a year older, and some freshmen.”
While his age estimates might be exaggerated, Calipari’s point about the need for experienced players is clear. Kentucky often featured very young teams, with many star freshmen leaving for the NBA after just one year, resulting in high turnover.
Calipari’s revised approach is evident in his 2024 class, ranked sixth in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is bringing in three 4-star prospects ranked in the top 25: Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond. Additionally, experienced players like Tennessee big man Jonas Aidoo and FAU guard Johnell Davis are joining Arkansas via transfer.
It will be interesting to see how Calipari fares at Arkansas with his new formula, but on paper, he’s assembled a talented roster with a good mix of youth and experience to start.
