John Calipari surprised many across the nation when he exited Kentucky for Arkansas last season but the results were evident. During a mighty year for the SEC, the Razorbacks contended and proved their worth, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen as a 7-seed in the Big Dance. Calipari has built his impressive career on fantastic recruiting and has a chance to build something special in what’s likely his final career arc with these Razorbacks.
Year one was a great start, though year two will look plenty different. Johnell Davis’s career has ended after much brilliance while Boogie Fland, Zvonimir Ivisic and a few others found new homes in the offseason. Arkansas will also miss Adou Thiero but get a number of intriguing players back, notably DJ Wagner and Karter Knox, just two of Calipari’s many former 5-star recruits.
In fact, much of the offseason buzz here revolves around talented new recruits, as Arkansas added 5-star guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas into the fold. Our focus today isn’t on recruiting but on transfers and Calipari isn’t turning a blind eye to the portal by any means. Even though there are only two transfer additions, one of them has Final Four experience in the SEC in Nick Pringle, a talented big coming off a season with South Carolina.
Perhaps an even more important new face in town is Malique Ewin, a 6-10 forward originally from Lawrenceville, Georgia. A former Top 100 prospect, he largely rode the bench as a backup at Ole Miss before finding his footing at the JUCO level as a sophomore. Ewin bounced back in a major way last season at Florida State, averaging 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Seminoles while leading the ACC in field goal percentage.
Ewin has spent the last few years developed into that highly-lauded prospect and now he’s ready for a reliable role as an SEC center. He made just under 60% of his field goal attempts last season and grew as a facilitator and rebounder for the Seminoles. While that was something of a lost season for his program, Ewin now transitions into an Arkansas lineup looking to make waves in the SEC and having a weapon like him under the basket is a fantastic addition.
Brilliant young talent fills the backcourt but the Razorbacks really need Ewin to play at a high level at the 5. Between him and Pringle, Calipari is hoping they have enough strength and talent to be a competitive team in a ridiculous SEC. From what we’ve recently seen, Ewin has the size and aptitude to be a key cog for this lineup, but will it be enough for the Razorbacks to compete with the elite in this league?