Arkansas

Three John Calipari-themed questions for Arkansas basketball in 2024-25

Published

2 years ago

October 10, 2024

Three John Calipari-themed questions for Arkansas basketball in 2024-25

Speaking to the media last week, John Calipari insisted he still doesn’t know who will take the ball after a made basket out for Arkansas basketball this season.

With something so simple up in the air, it’s safe to assume there are plenty of other questions still unanswered for the Razorbacks.

The season is rapidly approaching. The Southeastern Conference will host its annual media day on Oct. 16, and the Razorbacks will send Adou Thiero and Johnell Davis to accompany John Calipari in Birmingham, Ala. Arkansas will open its first campaign under Calipari against Lipscomb on Nov. 6.

Here’s a look at three Calipari-related questions for Arkansas basketball to answer this season. There are high hopes that Calipari can translate his success to Fayetteville, but he will have to alter some foundational strategies behind all his wins at Kentucky.

More: ‘Slobbering Hog’ logo set to return to mid-court for Arkansas basketball home games

More: John Calipari ready to watch DJ Wagner bounce back for Arkansas basketball

Is there a first-round pick on the roster?

Calipari has a streak of 17 consecutive drafts with a first-round pick, but that run might be in jeopardy in 2025.

ESPN released its top-100 NBA Draft Prospects on Wednesday, and Arkansas doesn’t have a player inside the top-30. Guard Boogie Fland (No. 32), forward Adou Thiero (No. 40), center Zvonimir Ivišić (No. 45), center Jonas Aidoo (No. 71) and guard Johnell Davis (No. 99) are all within the top-100.

This will likely be a one-year issue for Arkansas, with Calipari expected to reel in top recruiting classes moving forward, but this is an opportunity for the head coach to solidify his reputation as a developer of talent.

If someone does turn into a first-round pick, it raises the ceiling of this year’s team.

Does age make a difference in March?

Calipari is embarking on a new adventure this season with an older roster that isn’t reliant on one-and-done freshman talent. He hopes it’ll lead to a revival in his NCAA tournament success after failing to make it out of the first weekend the past four years.

“We’re playing against a team and the guy is waving to his two kids in the stands,” Calipari said. “You’re just saying, ‘This got a little old now, what are we doing here?’ So, to say you’re going to do it with 18- and 19-year olds, 24- and 25-year olds, you got to make that adjustment.”

Calipari is making such a significant shift there’s a chance none of his three freshmen are starters this season. Multiple freshmen made at least 20 starts in every season while Calipari was at Kentucky.

Do Hogs play big or small?

Calipari’s most successful teams at Kentucky typically featured plenty of length.

The 2012 squad that won the national championship featured three players in the starting five who were at least 6-foot-7. The entire starting lineup from the 2014 team that lost in the national championship didn’t have a starter under 6-6.

That trend extends throughout Calipari’s career, but he might go a different route at Arkansas. None of the freshmen are taller than 6-6, and Adou Theiro would have to start at the three-position for the Hogs to have quality length in their starting five.

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Arkansas

#24 Arkansas Explodes for Eight Runs in Eighth to Race past Missouri State in Midweek Rematch

Published

4 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

#24 Arkansas Explodes for Eight Runs in Eighth to Race past Missouri State in Midweek Rematch

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 24 Arkansas (27-15) used an eight-run eighth inning, punctuated by home runs from Ryder Helfrick and TJ Pompey, to race past Missouri State (26-12) in a 12-4 win Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.

With their win in the rematch against the Bears, the Razorbacks improved to 9-2 in midweek games, including a 7-1 mark in midweek matchups at home, this season. Arkansas will conclude its midweek slate next week with a double midweek series against Northwestern State from April 28-29 inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium.

Entering the bottom of the eighth tied at four, the Hogs exploded for eight runs on seven hits, including four extra-base hits, to blow the game open. Carter Rutenbar’s go-ahead two-run single through the right side put Arkansas up 6-4 and set the table for Camden Kozeal’s RBI double, Helfrick’s three-run blast and Pompey’s two-run shot later in the frame.

When the bottom of the eighth was all said and done, the Razorbacks had opened a commanding 12-4 lead after they were shut out through the game’s first five innings. Kozeal finished the night 3-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBI to lead Arkansas offensively and raise his season slash line to .305/.394/.604 with 11 homers and a team-high 48 RBI.

Helfrick, meanwhile, swatted his team-leading 14th home run in Tuesday night’s win against the Bears. The Razorbacks’ superstar catcher is now slashing .293/.430/.626 with 14 homers and 40 RBI through his 41 games played this season.

In addition to Kozeal, Nolan Souza (3-for-5), Reese Robinett (2-for-5, 2B) and Kuhio Aloy (2-for-4, RB) logged multi-hit games. Along with Helfrick and Kozeal, Rutenbar (1-for-4, 2 RBI) and Pompey (1-for-1, HR, RBI) tallied multiple RBI.

On the mound, Tate McGuire made his third start of the season for Arkansas and worked 3.2 innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts. In relief, Colin Fisher (3.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 SO), Steele Eaves (0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO), Parker Coil (0.2 IP) and Cooper Dossett (1.0 IP, 2 SO) combined for 5.1 innings of two-run ball (one earned) with eight strikeouts to seal the win.

Up next, the Hogs will hit the road for an SEC weekend series from April 23-25 in Columbia, Mo. First pitch in the series opener between Arkansas and Missouri (20-21) is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23, on SEC Network.

For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).

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Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

Published

16 hours ago

April 21, 2026

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Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

A legislative panel rejected a proposal Tuesday that would have eliminated former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri’s job as an adviser to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

A top lawmaker also suggested that Profiri may return to his job overseeing the state prison system, two years after he was fired by the state Board of Corrections as part of a dispute with Sanders.

The proposal rejected by the Joint Budget Committee’s personnel subcommittee would have written into the appropriation for Sanders’ office language eliminating Profiri’s position from the Republican governor’s staff. Subcommittee members voted 9-6 against the amendment, with Rep. Lane Jean not casting a vote.

Republican Sen. Terry Rice introduced the proposal last week, a little over six months after Profiri didn’t appear at a hearing on the now-stalled Franklin County prison project before a committee that Rice co-chairs.

Rice called this a “major trust-breaker.”

“The Board of Corrections members asked Mr. Profiri to share his intended plans as secretary, and they would work with him. He ignored multiple attempts,” Rice said. “I was told during that meeting, he was in the Capitol, had been seen in the hall at the same time. He didn’t even reply and chose to snub legislators’ questions.”

Profiri was fired by the Arkansas Board of Corrections as the leader of the state’s prison agency in 2024, following months of increasing tensions between the constitutionally-independent board and Sanders over opening new beds when the Department of Corrections already struggled to find sufficient staffing. Those tensions eventually resulted in lawsuits, which are still unresolved, and Profiri’s firing.

After he was fired, the Republican governor hired Profiri as a senior advisor, making him the highest paid staffer in her office. Profiri is paid $183,699.98 a year, according to the Arkansas transparency portal.

Jean, a Republican from Magnolia who co-chairs the Joint Budget Committee, asked Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson and Board of Corrections member Lee Watson “what the timeline was” for Sanders to rehire Profiri as corrections secretary, pointing to the new makeup of the board.

“I don’t think there’s any objection to the board, or certainly a majority of the board, to hire him (again). What are we waiting on?” Jean asked.

“What I can say is Secretary (Lindsay) Wallace, she is the secretary, and she will continue as secretary until the governor decides she’s not secretary,” Hudson said. “In the interim, (Profiri) continues to do his job as an adviser to the governor.”

The ongoing lawsuit between the Board of Corrections and Sanders centers on who has the authority to fire the corrections secretary. A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge ruled last year that the board does. Sanders appealed the ruling.

The board’s new Sanders-appointed majority voted to accept a settlement agreement accepting her position that she is the one with firing authority earlier this month, though the lower court order remains in force until the Arkansas Supreme Court rules on the matter.

Sam Dubke, Sanders’ spokesperson, referred the Advocate to Hudson’s remarks when asked for comment on whether Profiri would be rehired as corrections secretary.

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Arkansas

TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

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TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla –The Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, on April 19, 2026 at ONEOK Field and The Sporting Tribune’s Robert Sloter was there to capture the following TST Images.

Luke Fox #15 of the Tulsa Drillers throws a pitch during a game against the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field on April 19, 2026 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.