John Calipari Benched Darius Acuff, Got the Response He Wanted

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks freshman point guard Darius Acuff probably hasn't experienced this type of hard coaching in his entire a career.

Growing up in Detroit, he's likely been the best player on the court across every level in which he's ever participated. Now at Arkansas, coach John Calipari is dead set on riding his star guard hard because he knows what he is capable of accomplishing.

With NBA scouts in the building keeping a close eye on the battle between Acuff and Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, the Razorbacks were already up with a healthy 34-14 lead during the first half. However, the Commodores cut the lead to 46-35 at intermission.

Despite getting back on track out of the locker room with a 4-0 spurt on the backs of big men Nick Pringle and Trevon Brazile, Calipari knew there was something missing on the court.

He opted to bring veteran guard DJ Wagner off the bench just over two minutes into the second half after a turnover to send a message to Acuff that him "going through the motions" was completely unacceptable.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff during game against the Southern Jaguars at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

At the time of his brief benching, Acuff had recorded just eight points, one rebound and committed two turnovers while shooting 3-of-9 from the floor.

Nobody ever likes to be taken out of a game at any point, and Arkansas' 5-star McDonald's All-American was taken aside for lesson time while ticked off at his Hall of Fame coach. He wanted his young guard to understand that he wasn't playing winning basketball.

“I took Darius [Acuff] out in the second half because he was going through the motions of playing,” Calipari said. “Well then, you’re not playing. I don’t care who you are. You’re gonna sit and watch the game now. Then he went in and he was mad at me and he played well because he was mad at me. And he was like, ‘Yeah he won’t like.' No, I love it. Be mad at me all the time, just play like that.”

Acuff sat on the bench all of two minutes before being reinserted into the line-up and from the 15:09 mark in the second half on, he was a completely different player.

“My point to him is, instead of just worrying about being a really good player, how about being the best player in the country?” Calipari said. “That means you’ve gotta come every game and you can’t overdribble. Just pass the ball or make a play. You’re gonna get your shots because of how we play. That’s what I was saying to him.”

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during game against the Jackson State Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Once coming back into the game, Acuff was electric and fueled a second half run that saw him return to his regular self for the remainder of the night. He scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, all while dishing out five assists, one rebound and didn't commit a turnover in the final 15:09.

Acuff averages 19.8 points per game, which ranks No. 4 through the early stages of SEC play behind Labaron Philon (Alabama), Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State) and Keyshawn Hall (Auburn). Where he separates himself among all high-scorers is his ability to stuff the stat sheet with assists, leading the SEC at 6.2 per game.

The Razorbacks will return to the hardwood of Bud Walton Arena Saturday, Jan. 24 against LSU with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.

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