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FAYETTEVILLE — Miikka Muurinen is eligible for the upcoming Arkansas basketball season.
An Arkansas spokesperson confirmed to the Southwest Times Record on Thursday, Sept. 24 that Muurinen was cleared by the NCAA to play for the Razorbacks.
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He did not participate in the Hogs summer action in The Bahamas after spending the previous year playing professionally in Serbia with KK Partiza. His previous contract with the professional team in Europe caused the delay in his eligibility.
Arkansas freshman guard Jordan Smith Jr. shared a video on social media of he and his teammates celebrating Muurinen’s eligibility.
Muurinen committed to Arkansas on April 27, becoming the fourth five-star prospect in this year’s recruiting class.
The 7-foot forward is from Finland. He spent the 2023-24 season at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas and then joined Arizona’s Compass Prep for the following year before returning to Europe.
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Muurinen has spent time with Finland’s senior national team. He averaged 6.6 points and 1.9 rebounds during EuroBasket 2025, helping Finland to a fourth-place finish.
Arkansas hopes Muurinen will fill the void left behind by Trevon Brazile as a stretch-four on coach John Calipari’s roster. He is a big man that is more comfortable shooting 3s than posting up defenders on the low block.
“It’s been a consistent journey,” Muurinen said about Arkansas’ recruitment on an episode of the Razorback Daily podcast.
“Like, 2024 summer when I had my first talk with Coach (Calipari) on the sideline, to me taking a visit, it’s been really consistent since then,” he added. “Pretty much every week or so, someone has texted me from the coaching staff, just making sure that I know they want me to play here.”
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Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Publish date : 2026-09-24 21:54:00
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