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Razorbacks Offer Pair of 5-Star Prospects, Evaluate Other Recruits in Memphis

Calipari comes away impressed with backcourt options during Nike EYBL Session II
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during game against the Jackson State Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during game against the Jackson State Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach John Calipari was in Memphis this weekend for the lone spring Nike EYBL session, but it was time well spent offering two 5-star prospects in separate classes.

The Razorbacks have featured exceptional backcourt play over the previous two season, especially the combination of Darius Acuff, Meleek Thomas, and Billy Richmond.

The trio combined to average over 50 points per game, leading the program to a 28-9 overall record and an SEC Tournament Championship.

Calipari is making it vey hard for backcourt standouts to tell him no. With several talented prospects available in 2028, Arkansas is looking to add some of the best available at each position.

DeMarcus Henry (2027)
Small Forward

The 6-foot-8, 200 pound prospect is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, and has been on the national radar for some time now. Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina immediately got in touch with him after a 25-point breakout performance Saturday.

As a junior, Henry made a solid leap in production by scoring over 16 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal per game at Arizona Compass Prep.

After beginning his recruitment as the No. 64 ranked prospect in January 2025, he quickly climbed into the Top 25 by June.

Through another handful of evaluation periods, Henry is now the No. 11 ranked prospect nationally, No. 3 among small forwards and the No. 2 prospect in Arizona, according to 247Sports.

Now up to 21 total offers, other schools in the mix are BYU, Arizona State, Cincinnati, LSU, Louisville, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, USC, and many others.

Brady Pettigrew (2028)
Point Guard

The 6-foot-4, 190 pound combo guard looks like the next big thing out of the Midwest following a dominant sophomore season.

Pettigrew is considered a combo guard by most recruiting services, but shows above average floor vision, a knack for making plays in the open floor and an impressive leaping ability. He sits just outside of consensus 5-star status as the No. 15 ranked prospect, No. 1 point guard and No. 1 prospect in Illinois, according to Rivals Industry rankings.

He holds offers from programs such as Arkansas, Missouri, Memphis, USC, Illinois, Florida, BYU, Seton Hall and Georgetown.

Across four games in Memphis with Brad Beal Elite, Pettigrew averaged over 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals while making 50% of his attempts from the floor.

There were other players in Memphis over the weekend such as Beckham Black, the brother of former Razorbacks star point guard Anthony Black. He holds an offer from the Razorbacks and has shown significant interest in following in his brothers' footsteps.

He showed off a scoring prowess throughout the early part of the weekend with games totaling 54 points through the first two games of the weekend while making 8-of-12 three point attempts. Despite his high-scoring ability, Black dished out nearly seven assists and also got involved on the glass with three boards per game.

Another prime 2027 target, power forward Marcus Spears, Jr., was also in Memphis this weekend, putting on a show in his first game with 18 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, three assists and one steal.

The 6-foot-10, 210 pound prospect is considered No.1 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle, according to 247Sports. A native of Dallas, he is the son of former LSU and NFL star Marcus Spears, Sr. who currently serves as an anaylst for the SEC Network.

Spears has quite an extensive list of suitors going into his senion year with offers from programs such as Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, LSU, Maryland, North Carolina, Arizona and many others.

The Razorbacks landed Rivals' No. 1 ranked recruiting with four 5-star prospects in combo guard Jordan Smith, Jr., physical guard JJ Andrews, small forward Abdou Toure and stretch forward Miikka Muurinen.

Although college basketball has gotten quite a bit older, Calipari appears to be reverting back to his former philosophy by stockpiling young talent over veteran experience out of the transfer for next season.

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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