Calipari Arkansas debut an exhibition vs
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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Personnel WriterSep 18, 2024, 11:31 AM ET
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- Basketball recruiting insider.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduate of University of Delaware.John Calipari’s first time
on the Bud Walton Arena sideline as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks will come versus none besides most likely preseason No. 1 Kansas, he announced Wednesday.Calipari published on X that Arkansas has scheduled two preseason charity exhibit games, with the first one coming at home against Kansas on Oct. 25. The Jayhawks are ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25. Arkansas will likewise deal with TCU
in Fort Worth on Nov. 1 in a charity exhibition game.The Razorbacks worked with Calipari far from Kentucky last April after 15 seasons with the Wildcats.
He led the program to a championship game in 2012 and went to 4 Last Fours in his first six seasons in Lexington. “This is a dream task. It was my dream task,”Calipari stated upon leaving Kentucky.” Anybody in our profession takes a look at the University of Kentucky in basketball and said, that is the bluest of blue. The last few weeks, we have actually come to understand that this program most likely requires to hear another voice. And the fans require to hear another voice. We’ve liked it here, but we think it’s time for us to step away. And step away entirely from the program. “Calipari, who changed Eric Musselman in Fayetteville, signed a five-year contract at Arkansas beginning at$7 million per season.He rebuilt the Razorbacks’lineup by bringing along three players he coached at Kentucky (D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic
)and three recruits he signed at Kentucky( Johnuel Fland, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond), while also landing top-10 transfers Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo.Bill Self’s group is wanting to recover from last season, the Jayhawks’worst campaign given that Self took over in 2003. Kansas returns 3 beginners, including
All-American Hunter Dickinson, and includes star transfers AJ Storr(Wisconsin), Rylan Griffen (Alabama )and Zeke Mayo(South Dakota State
).