Fayetteville has become Lexington West this offseason after John Calipari left Kentucky to become the head coach at Arkansas. Guard D.J. Wagner became the third former Kentucky player to join Calipari via the college basketball transfer portal, committing to Arkansas over Memorial Day weekend. He joins Zvonimir Ivisic and Adou Thiero, while three former Kentucky commitments, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond, will also be on the 2024-25 Arkansas basketball roster.
Arkansas now has eight players on its roster, meaning a potential Arkansas basketball starting lineup is beginning to materialize. Calipari, however, still has work to do as he looks for the final pieces in the coming weeks. If you love the Razorbacks, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at HawgSports, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Arkansas.
The team of insiders at HawgSports.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Arkansas basketball coaching transition and roster changes. Launched in 2002, HawgSports has established itself as the top source for insider Arkansas basketball coverage. Trey Biddy, Danny West and Connor Goodson have a combined 30 years of experience covering the Razorbacks professionally. And right now, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual subscription*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at HawgSports has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Arkansas basketball roster. Head to HawgSports now to see all the insider info.
Arkansas basketball roster departures
Last year's Arkansas team returned 36.3% of its scoring from the 2022-23 roster, which is a high rate in this age of the transfer portal. But this year's Arkansas Razorbacks squad returns .0003% of its scoring, thanks to the lone holdover, Lawson Blake, scoring just one point a year ago. Thus, Calipari has a complete roster overhaul to make as the 2024-25 Arkansas basketball team will have no continuity. Double-digit scorers Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle have respectively transferred to Texas and Gonzaga as part of the mass exodus from Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks' average age of 22.7 last season was the second-oldest in Division I, when weighted by minutes. The team is losing nine seniors, and even those who lowered the average age have since departed. Layden Blocker and Baye Fall, who were Class of 2023 freshmen and top-10 national prospects at their respective positions, have since committed to other programs. So while Calipari has done a nice job in adding highly-ranked incoming recruits and transfers, he still just has a seven-man squad so there's lots of work to be done. Join HawgSports to see the latest on all of Arkansas' roster changes.
Arkansas basketball news, roster
D.J. Wagner gives Arkansas a combo guard who can start from opening day. The No. 6 overall player in the 2023 class, per 247Sports, Wagner averaged 9.9 points and 3.3 assists as a freshman at Kentucky. He's a skillful ball-handler with explosive playmaking capabilities, though he'll need to improve his shot after hitting just 40.5% from the field and 29.2% from 3-point territory last season.
Wagner joins Fland and FAU transfer Johnell Davis as the true guards on the roster thus far. Knox, Richmond and Thiero are the wings, while Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo and Ivisic are post players in the fold. Join HawgSports to get the latest on all of Arkansas' roster additions.
How to get insider Arkansas basketball roster updates
Calipari has already been in contact with multiple transfers from power-conference teams, so be sure to join HawgSports to see who they are and get the rest of the insider roster news.
Who are the top names Arkansas basketball is pursuing under coach John Calipari, and which power-conference transfers could land in Fayetteville? Go to HawgSports to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Razorbacks, and find out. And reminder, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it's too late.
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