Arkansas HC John Calipari: ‘8th Grade S—‘ Changes

Arkansas HC John Calipari: ‘8th Grade S—‘ Changes

November 19, 2025 David Thompson - Sports Editor Sports

Here’s a summary of the article:

Arkansas Razorbacks are⁤ struggling despite a 4-1 ​start to the season. ‌ They’ve had close wins against Winthrop and Samford,and their only loss was a narrow defeat to Michigan State (now ranked #17).

coach John Calipari⁣ is‌ concerned about the team’s fundamentals. He plans to go back to⁤ “eighth grade” level drills, focusing on basic passing and ball movement ⁢(multiple passes before shooting), inspired by the coaching style of Bob Knight. He feels responsible for the team not executing these fundamentals and needs to ⁤simplify things ⁤for them.

Key Players:

* ⁢ Meleek Thomas: Averaging 19.4 points, ‍5.8⁢ rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.8 steals.
* ⁣ Darius Acuff Jr.: averaging 18.2 points ⁤and shooting 42.9% from three-point range.
* Trevon Brazile: Averaging 14.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks.

Calipari is in his second season at ⁢arkansas after a long tenure at Kentucky.