Calipari Is Ready For His Razorbacks To Embrace The Grind Of Challenging Season

FAYETTEVILLE – For what felt like an entire season, there were fans, media and basketball analysts who wanted to focus on the limitations of each individual player in college last season.

Whether that was Darius Acuff’s defense, Cam Boozer’s verticality, A.J. Dybantsa’s inconsistent three-point shooting or Mikel Brown’s availability, it was all dissected to the point it felt like nobody actually wanted to enjoy the actual basketball games that were being played.

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Last season provided fans generational talents across teh country that will likely not be seen for another 20-25 years, and it came and passed faster than expected. There is one freshman guard in America who has been under the microscope for over two years and it’s Arkansas’ Jordan Smith, Jr.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari instructs his team during practice. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs On SI Images

The reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year among high schoolers across the country enters the college game with extremely high expectations, including national championship hopes from a rabid fanbase.

It wouldn’t catch Calipari by surprise if anyone was doubting his consensus No. 1 overall class or Smith as an individual talent. That’s the nature of sports and will be until the end of time.

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Calipari was asked that exact question at SEC Media Days, and his response was about the one glaring weakness of his game, and NBA scouts immediately recognized during Arkansas’ Pro Day earlier this month.

“Similar. Very similar [to other great freshman],” Calipari said of Smith. “He stuffs the stat sheet. He’s been in the gym, he’s taken 3,000 shots a day, maybe more, for his arc. He shot it a little flat. Now you’re watching him, and all the scouts came in and said, ‘We see the improvement, we see what he did.’ They’ve been watching. He’s that good. For a long time. He’s been good.”

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Publish date : 2026-10-16 16:43:00

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