Retention of key Hogs at heart of Calipari feeling 'less anxiety'

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In what was effectively his first 2025-26 preseason media session, Razorbacks coach John Calipari acknowledged Wednesday he has fewer worries entering his second Arkansas campaign compared to his first.

A solid amount of player retention and a relatively healthy group of players has Calipari in a better frame of mind heading into this October exhibition season.

"Well, how about less anxiety?" Calipari quipped during a media scrum inside the basketball performance center on Wednesday. "Because we kind of know each other a little bit, at least the five guys that came back, and then you add the guys to them, less anxiety.

"We’re like, okay, we have an idea of what we want to do, and I'm talking staff, players, everybody. Walked in [when hired in early April of 2024], and when I said, let me see my team, there was no team. We had Lawson (Blake) who blew out his Achilles two days later.

"We had nobody, and we had to start all over. This year, we had a great summer, great fall conditioning. The guys have really competed at a high level. I feel really good about the team."

At the heart of those good Calipari vibes is the four-player retention dynamic that will serve as the foundation for this Razorbacks squad.

It's the quartet of junior DJ Wagner, sophomores Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III, and senior Trevon Brazile.

Whether each player starts, each will play top-rotation minutes with top-rotation roles.

Probably no player stood out more in limited summer practices (June and July) than Brazile (6-foot-10 forward-center).

It was a carryover from his production and impact in the Hogs' final nine games of '24-25, when he averaged 11.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per outing while shooting 39% from three.

Calipari said Brazile has improved as a vocal leader, too.

"TB's gotten way better, but you've also got to perform," Calipari said.

Wagner (6-foot-4 guard) is entering his third season playing for Calipari (first at Kentucky in '23-24 followed by a transfer to Arkansas for his sophomore season in '24-25).

Wagner is Arkansas' leading returning scorer (11.2 points per game) and leading returning facilitator (3.6 assists per game).

He was solid at the free throw line (81.7%), but he'll be looking to improve his efficiency shooting from the field (40.1% last season).

Drilling down even more on those shooting numbers, Wagner's 30.4% on three-pointers was just a hair better than what he shot from distance as a freshman at Kentucky.

Wagner was an effective defender last season, and Calipari said he's an even better defender now who's added strength.

"You know what he is?" Calipari asked. "He's in the best shape he's ever been in, stronger than he's ever been, more confident than he's ever been. When you're playing the sport, you got to build your own confidence. It can't come from somebody else. It's got to be you, which means if things don't go right, you still believe in yourself. If the coach gets on you, you look at him, ‘OK, that's fine,’ but it doesn't change you. And that's where he is right now.

"He can play on the ball, he can play off the ball, plays really hard, talks, gotten better defensively. Some of it [is] just plain strength. You know, he's gotten stronger."

It remains to be seen if Wagner plays most of his minutes at the lead guard spot, which was his best role for the team last season, or as an off-ball combo guard in tandem with true freshman lead guard Darius Acuff, Jr.

Either way, Wagner is the old head in the backcourt as Acuff and another true freshman, Meleek Thomas, round out the team's one- and two-spot depth.

Calipari has a spoil of riches at the wing position with returning 6-foot-6 sophomores Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III.

Knox made significant strides in the second half of his freshman season, averaging 10.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in Arkansas' last 18 games while shooting 20-of-46 from 3 for 43.8% in that same span.

In his final game last season, an 93-85 overtime loss to Texas Tech in March in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, Knox scored 20 points (included 4-of-4 shooting from two) to go with six rebounds.

He tested the NBA Draft waters after the season, but he later withdrew from the draft to return to Arkansas in the summer.

Knox is in impeccable shape as a physical, sturdy wing who can bring bully-ball elements as a slasher to complement his improved three-point shooting. He also made strides as a defender in the second half of last season.

"He's gotten better at defining his game," Calipari said. "Can't just come out shooting threes. Go to the rim, you're in a car crash. That makes you different because, yeah, ‘I can shoot a three, but my game is attacking that basket, making easy plays, throwing, making hard cuts.’

"But he's gotten better. Shooting the ball better, but all that stuff, and it hadn't changed. Anywhere I go, when I mentioned one player's name, they all go crazy. Who is that player?"

Richmond is the team's energy guy. An uber-athletic, versatile defender who also played his best basketball down the stretch of last season.

Richmond's impact is felt on both sides of the ball.

On offense, he scored in double-figures only three times last season, but all three of those productive performances came in March when the team turned a corner to earn an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

"The minute I say, ‘Billy Richmond,’ the room erupts," Calipari said. "Why would they be like that about him? Plays hard. He dives on the floor. He's deflecting balls.

"He has a spirit about him that picks up the whole room. And I'm trying to tell him, ‘That makes you a unicorn, or everybody would do that if it were easy. Now, you better be in the best shape of your life so you can play that way. How about this? You better take care of yourself off the court, eliminate all the crap. Get rest, eat right. Because that's who you are.’ Shooting the ball much better too, because he's in the gym."

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