Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari visited the Rotary Club of Little Rock Tuesday and shared bits of his history, coaching philosophy and outlook for the 2025-2026 edition of the Razorbacks program.
“All I can tell you about this year’s team is, if you walked into practice, you would say they’re really coachable,” Calipari said. “They’re really locked in. They seem like good guys. When things go south, that’s when the good guys stand up.”
The Razorbacks finished 22-14 a season ago, ending their season with an overtime loss to Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen.
Calipari was asked by emcee Rex Nelson what he had learned, and what had surprised him, after a year in Arkansas.
“Well, first of all, there’s something in the water when you have a Sam Walton, a Don Tyson, J.B. Hunt,” Calipari said. “You could go on and on. The Stephens family. There’s something in the water here.”
Calipari also spoke of his track record for coaching future NBA players, a practice he honed and developed at his last stop at Kentucky using the “one and done” philosophy.
“Our players have gone on to get college degrees, but 80 of them have gone on to the NBA,” Calipari said. “They’ve made over $6 billion. Now let me sink that in for a minute. I didn’t say six million, I said six billion. If we win, they benefit more. If you don’t win, it’s hard for them to benefit. So winning matters.”
The key to winning, and ultimately getting players to the NBA, is based on character, and Calipari said his player evaluation process starts with evaluating the player as a person.
“Surround yourself with good people,” Calipari said. “Because things will go south and good people will stick together. And that’s what I’ve kind of lived by my whole career. If I feel uneasy, I’m not doing it. I’ve walked out of homes where a young man disrespected his mother and grandmother. And then I look at my staff. You didn’t do your homework. Why would I be wasting my time with a young man like this?”
Calipari characterized last season’s team as an ultimately overachieving group that shook off a slow start and inconsistent play in the Southeastern Conference. He told the assembled group that the finish in the Sweet Sixteen is the mark of a program on the right track.
“Look, I feel a sense of responsibility to the fans in this state,” Calipari said. “This institution means the world to the state, and I know that. We’re going to bring in good kids and continue. That’s why we got by last year. I mean, we had no business finishing and doing what we did.”
Image above courtesy of Rotary Club
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