Calipari offers scholarship to 5-star prospect with family ties to Arkansas

Elite point guard is younger brother of popular Pro Hog and Arkansas trying to get established in recruiting him early

John Calipari yells instructions from the sideline in Arkansas' SEC home opener inside Bud Walton Arena against Ole Miss. | Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach John Calipari was busy extending scholarship offers on Tuesday in the state of Florida.

He made two offers, to be exact, with one earned by a would-be Razorbacks legacy in 2027 5-star prospect Beckham, who is the younger brother of former Arkansas star and current Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black.

Beckham Black (6-3 guard, Southeastern Prep Academy in Orlando, Fla., ESPN national No. 9, 5-star prospect) took to social media while Calipari was still on his high school campus to announce his good news.

#AGTG After a conversation with Coach Calipari i’m blessed to say i’ve received an offer from the University of Arkansas pic.twitter.com/dHXxEaSqhj

— Beckham Black (@beckhamblack0) September 16, 2025

"After a conversation with Coach Calipari, I'm blessed to say I've received an offer from the University of Arkansas," Beckham Black said via a social media post.

Calipari extended the offer while he was in Orlando to see Black and a couple of his 2027 5-star teammates in Obinna Ekezie, Jr. (6-11 center) and CJ Rosser (6-9 combo forward).

Ekezie also picked up a Hog offer from Calipari on Tuesday, while Rosser has held a Hog offer for several months.

Calipari's recruiting wheelhouse includes legacy scenarios

Calipari is no stranger to recruiting players who would be legacy additions.

Arkansas' first roster under Calipari in 2024-25 included three legacy players for Calipari in the form of Adou Thiero, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond III. Each of those players had an immediate relative who played previously for Calipari.

His first commitment in the class of 2026, 5-star wing JJ Andrews, is the son of former Razorbacks football star Shawn Andrews.

Anthony Black played his one-and-done season in 2022-23 on the Razorbacks' NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team under the previous coaching staff before moving on to the NBA.

He returned to Arkansas' campus in early September and attended the Razorbacks' basketball practice inside the performance center.

While there, he posed for a photo with Calipari with the latter posting that photo to his social media accounts.

Beckham Black is no stranger to being on Arkansas' campus, joining his brother on visits before coming to games during the '22-23 season.

Beckham Black has also been on Arkansas' campus at least once this year, attending the Hoop Hogs home game against SEC foe Oklahoma at Bud Walton Arena in January.

Black was back in the state during the '23-24 season when he still played for Duncanville (Texas) High School, which was among the field of teams taking part in the King Cotton Holiday Classic in December of 2023 when Black started at point guard as a ninth-grader.

Black is a crafty facilitator-first lead guard, similar to his brother but with a better shot from three-point range when comparing the two at the same stage of development.

Arkansas' current on-campus prospect visit dates

• Aug. 29-31 was the recent visit date for Caleb Holt (6-5 guard, Prolific Prep, native of Huntsville, Ala., national No. 2, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 5-7 was the recent visit date for Brandon McCoy, Jr. (6-5 guard, Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles, national Top 5, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 12-14 was the recent visit date Abdou Toure (6-5 wing, Notre Dame high school in West Haven, Conn., national No. 20, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 17 Tay Kinney (6-2 guard, Overtime Elite, native of Newport, Ky., national No. 12, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 19-21 Arafan Diane (7-0 center, Iowa United Prep, native of Guinea, national No. 6, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 19-21 Jordan Smith, Jr. (6-2 combo guard, Fairfax, Va., national No. 2, 5-star prospect)

• Oct. 3-5 Cole Cloer (6-7 small forward / wing, native of Hillsborough, N.C., national Top 25 prospect)

• Oct. 24-26 (may be tentative) Baba Oladotun (6-10 combo forward, Silver Springs, Md., national Top 10, 5-star prospect)

• Dates TBA (confirmed already finalized) Chase Foster (6-8 forward, Baltimore, Md., national No. 38, 4-star prospect)