SEC should take notice now, Calipari has full buy-in from Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari has been going at this a very long time, five decades to be exact.

One thing that he requires of his roster is to be all in all the time. It's not always about scoring for him, although that's the key to winning games.

But, Calipari wants his players to do the small things such as rebounding, creating turnovers, flopping onto the floor after loose balls and all the little things that contribute to winning at a high level.

He's always brought in 5-star freshmen to make an immediate impact. While they have an opportunity to go through the motions before moving onto the NBA, Calipari wants them to become members of a team.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Karter Knox talks with coach John Calipari on the sidelines against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Former 5-stars Karter Knox and Billy Richmond are still hanging around despite having intangibles that translate to the NBA. The Razorbacks' second-year coach has them focused, ready to battle and win big as mature members of a championship level squad.

"Yeah, when you're winning games in this league, you're happy," Calipari said Saturday after Arkansas' victory over Tennessee. "You're winning a game. I said it last year, it doesn't matter who you play, you want to win.

Last year, if you remember, we started 0-5 and they were saying we hired the wrong coach, what the heck are we doing? And we turned it around and got it going. So now we're a little farther ahead than we were a year ago."

Things weren't pretty in Calipari's first season. As he mentioned the rough start, there were internal issues that forced him to drag his team to the finish line, ultimately resulting in a Sweet 16 appearance.

Knox has experienced a bit of a sophomore slump after having a stellar second half of the season last year. While he hasn't quite lived up to preseason expectations for him, Calipari has encouraged him to block out the outside noise and focus on what he can control.

That's doing all the small things right and those baskets will come much easier.

"Our guard play, woo, now getting some big guys our wings, our athleticism, Billy Richmond," Calipari said. "If Karter would play that way, forget about all the other crap, you don't need it. Just go get balls. You'll make baskets just playing. Don't try to invent, no, but rebound and defend. He did it today.

"He's another one he told on himself. But I'm happy for him."

Knox finished Saturday with a huge three to close the door on Tennessee's attempt to spoil the Razorbacks SEC opener. He scored 11 points, seven rebounds, one block and one steal in 27 minutes in a complete performance when it mattered most.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas bringing the ball upcourt against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Even freshman guard Meleek Thomas had hit a wall late during non-conference play of late, including three straight single-digit scoring outputs against Texas Tech, Queens and Houston. He made just 21% of his three-point attempts, which was nearly half off his season average.

Over the previous two games, Thomas is back in a groove averaging 17 points, 49% shooting from the field, 39% from three in 28 minutes per game off the bench.

"I'm happy for Meleek," Calipari said. "As a coach you're trying to get the best version of every guy you're coaching as you try to win the game. And there are other times you have to say I'll work with you later, but right now I got to win the game. This is the kind of group that, again, I don't know what we scored off the bench, but we're one of the best in the country at scoring off the bench."

Hogs Feed