Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari has produced several NBA talents during his long career in the college basketball scene. Many NBA teams feature players he had coached in the amateur ranks, especially during his time in Lexington with the Kentucky Wildcats.
On Sunday, the 66-year-old Calipari decided to swing by Paycom Center in Oklahoma City to watch some of his former Wildcats players and a couple of ex-Razorbacks standouts during a game between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Took a little break to go to OKC to see former players Shai, Cason, Jamal and two Razorbacks Isaiah and Jaylin," Calipari shared in a post on X.
Took a little break to go to OKC to see former players Shai, Cason, Jamal and two Razorbacks Isaiah and Jaylin. pic.twitter.com/MgEnjZidQc
— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) March 9, 2025
Long before he became a legitimate NBA Most Valuable Player award contender, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played a season with the Wildcats under Calipari in 2017-18. Cason Wallace was part of the 2023-24 Kentucky squad, the last Wildcats team that Calipari coached before he took his coaching talents to Arkansas. Meanwhile, Murray was under the watch of Calipari during the 2015-16 campaign.
Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams each played two seasons with the Razorbacks, but that was before Calipari arrived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Calipari is in the middle of his preparation with the Razorbacks for an all-important trip to the SEC tournament.
Arkansas finished the regular season with an overall 19-12 record and just an 8-10 slate in conference play. The Razorbacks only have a 6-9 Quadrant 1 record to go with three Quadrant 2 losses, leaving plenty of doubts about their chances to make the NCAA tournament as an at-large team.
Arkansas is considered a March Madness bubble team by Joe Lunardi of ESPN, but the Razorbacks will have a chance to impress the Selection Sunday committee in the upcoming conference tourney. The No. 9 seed Arkansas will face off against the No. 16 seed South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC tournament.
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This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 6:50 AM.