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FAYETTEVILLE — John Calipari is evolving with the changing ecosystem of college hoops, but the Arkansas basketball head coach can’t quit his reliance on ballyhooed first-year players.
The Razorbacks welcomed four freshmen to campus this summer. Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas were five-star pillars, while Isaiah Sealy and Lebanon’s Karim Rtail joined as development pieces to round out the 2025 signing class.
Calipari invited the local media to attend an open practice last week. Rtail did not participate due to an ongoing back injury, but the other three freshmen all showed why they were so highly-regarded coming out of high school.
Here’s a look at what Calipari has seen from his first-year players through summer workouts.
Darius Acuff
The point guard from Detroit was the crown jewel of Calipari’s latest recruiting class. His feel for the game was evident in last week’s practice.
Acuff looked calm in the pick-and-roll and operated with patience, dragging defenders away from the basket before throwing perfect lobs to big men like Nick Pringle and Malique Ewin. Acuff can also lull on-ball defenders with hesitation moves before driving past them and getting to the basket.
But according to Calipari, Acuff must improve defensively and play with a faster pace. His methodical approach can slice defenses, but Arkansas wants to run with three capable point guards in Acuff, D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond.
Wagner was singing Acuff’s praises in a recent press conference. The duo must be a better backcourt fit this year than Fland and Wagner were in Calipari’s first season at Arkansas.
“(Acuff) can do everything,” Wagner said. “He can shoot, he plays with great pace, he plays physical, so it’s fun to play with him and against him every day. I feel like he’s making me better. He’s making all of us better.”
Meleek Thomas
Thomas’ ability to make highly-contested and difficult jump shots wowed college coaches and recruiting experts, but Calipari wants to see better efficiency.
“I’m stopping every time (Thomas) tries to take one because he’s going 1 for 5 and we can’t win like that,” Calipari said. “The other shots, he makes, so just take those, but they like to do their thing. So we’re teaching.”
The head coach wants Thomas, a shooting guard, dribbling less during the summer practices while still staying involved with the offense. Calipari envisions him shooting floaters, coming off screens into mid-range jumpers and pulling up for 3-pointers in transition. At the open practice, Thomas initiated some offense in 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 drills.
Arkansas wants to rein Thomas in while still capitalizing on his gifted offensive game.
“(Thomas) is a bucket-getter,” Calipari said. “And I’ll tell you what else he is – he’s a gym rat, and he lives in the gym, so he’s going to be fine.”
Isaiah Sealy
All three freshmen are still adjusting to the speed of college basketball. Calipari pointed out a specific avenue where Sealy must improve.
“Isaiah doesn’t play until he catches, so he’s behind the action instead of, ‘I’m seeing, so when I catch it I read and I see what’s there in front of me,’” Calipari said. “He catches and then tries to read, but that’s typical of someone his age.”
But Sealy impressed with his reads during the open practice. He found open dunkers in the pick-and-roll and knew when to take it upon himself and drive to the basket. He also had one of the better looking 3-point shots on the roster.
The Springdale High School product was a four-star recruit who could quickly find a role with the Razorbacks.
Karim Rtail
Rtail has been dealing with an injured back and did not participate in the open practice. There is no timetable for his return, but Calipari expressed optimism he could accomplish the necessary conditioning to get on the practice floor when the Hogs begin practices in September.
Calipari provided a brief scouting report on the Lebanese forward from his limited action this summer.
“He is a perimeter three man,” he said. “Could he place him four? Yes, but he’s not that physical. Shoots it pretty good.”
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Temperatures will climb to the upper 90s today and heat index values will get close to 105° this afternoon. There are heat advisories today for part of west and southwest Arkansas.
Today will bring a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms late in the day in Central Arkansas.
Friday will also bring a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms with very hot weather.
Rain chances increase and temperatures drop this weekend when a cold front moves through Arkansas.
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A former Arkansas Tech University graduate and commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command is being remembered with two posthumous honors recognizing his lasting influence on the nation’s military intelligence operations.
The late Maj. Gen. Gary W. Johnston, a 1987 Arkansas Tech graduate and Russellville native, was honored during a dedication ceremony June 25 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where the Army officially named a newly consolidated military intelligence complex the Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility.
Johnston also was posthumously inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame for helping reshape Army intelligence through the integration of emerging technologies, including big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The new facility serves as a central hub for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) operations at Fort Huachuca, known as the “Home of Army Intelligence.” It houses some of the Army’s most critical intelligence personnel and brings together units that had previously operated from aging buildings spread across the installation.
Army officials said the previous arrangement created operational challenges, including limited secure workspaces, outdated infrastructure and additional security requirements. Beginning in 2018, INSCOM launched an effort to consolidate those missions by renovating two existing buildings into a 16,300-square-foot intelligence operations center designed to improve collaboration and security.
The facility now houses INSCOM G3’s Detachment 52, elements of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, representatives from the Ground Intelligence Support Activity, an emerging Foundry program element and other intelligence organizations.
Among those attending the dedication were Johnston’s wife, Brig. Gen. Amy Johnston, daughter Lauren Woodworth and granddaughter Arabella Woodworth.
Maj. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, said the building represents more than a new workplace.
“As we dedicate the U.S. Army INSCOM Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility, we do more than just open a new facility… we consecrate a tribute to his indelible legacy,” Cox said. “This facility will stand as a constant reminder of his service, his vision and his unwavering commitment to our nation and to the soldiers he led. It will inspire future generations of intelligence professionals to emulate his example of leadership and selfless service.”
Retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kevin Boughton, former INSCOM command chief warrant officer, said Johnston envisioned closer collaboration between the Army’s intelligence training and operational communities.
Boughton said Johnston believed the distance between the Intelligence Center of Excellence and INSCOM’s operational units “shouldn’t be measured in miles,” but instead by “a seamless flow of data, doctrine, and talent” where operational experience and institutional knowledge move freely between soldiers in the field and those training the next generation.
Johnston graduated from Russellville High School in 1983 before earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Arkansas Tech in 1987. Through the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, he received his commission as a U.S. Army officer.
During a military career spanning more than 34 years, Johnston served in command and staff assignments ranging from platoon level to senior leadership within the Army and Department of Defense. He deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
In 2015, Johnston became the seventh graduate of Arkansas Tech’s Army ROTC program to attain the rank of general officer. He was promoted to major general in 2017.
He concluded his military career as commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, overseeing approximately 17,500 personnel operating in more than 40 countries.
Army leaders credited Johnston with helping modernize military intelligence by laying the groundwork for the establishment of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, which was formally created in 2022 after his retirement. He also led development of what became the Army Intelligence Data Platform, designed to incorporate advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning into intelligence operations while supporting future large-scale combat operations.
Johnston also promoted data science education within the military intelligence community by partnering with George Mason University to provide specialized training for Army warrant officers.
Colleagues remembered Johnston not only for his strategic vision but also for his leadership style. Despite working in one of the Army’s most demanding operational environments, they described him as a source of humor, kindness and encouragement whose focus remained on the soldiers, civilians and contractors carrying out the intelligence mission.
Johnston retired from active duty in 2021 and died in January 2022.
His latest recognitions add to previous honors from his alma mater. Johnston was a member of the inaugural Arkansas Tech Army ROTC Hall of Honor in 2017 and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Distinction in 2019.
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