College basketball has morphed into a season-by-season roster overhaul for many of the top programs, as the days of developing players for four years have diminished. Ever since the emergence of the college basketball transfer portal, players have moved more easily than ever before, leading to constant roster reconstructions. Look no further than Arkansas, where coach John Calipari signed after leaving Kentucky to remain inside the SEC. Previous top Kentucky commits like Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond flipped their commitments from Kentucky to Arkansas to follow Calipari.
Most recently, D.J. Wagner, who averaged 9.9 points per game at Kentucky last year, transferred to Arkansas as Calipari once again pieces together a strong Arkansas basketball roster. If you love the Razorbacks, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at HawgSports, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Arkansas.
The team of insiders at HawgSports.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Arkansas basketball coaching transition and roster changes. Launched in 2002, HawgSports has established itself as the top source for insider Arkansas basketball coverage. Trey Biddy, Danny West and Connor Goodson have a combined 30 years of experience covering the Razorbacks professionally. And right now, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual subscription*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at HawgSports has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Arkansas basketball roster. Head to HawgSports now to see all the insider info.
Arkansas basketball roster departures
Last year's Arkansas team returned 36.3% of its scoring from the 2022-23 roster, which is a high rate in this age of the transfer portal. But this year's Arkansas Razorbacks squad returns .0003% of its scoring, thanks to the lone holdover, Lawson Blake, scoring just one point a year ago. Thus, Calipari has a complete roster overhaul to make as the 2024-25 Arkansas basketball team will have no continuity. Double-digit scorers Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle have respectively transferred to Texas and Gonzaga as part of the mass exodus from Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks' average age of 22.7 last season was the second-oldest in Division I, when weighted by minutes. The team is losing nine seniors, and even those who lowered the average age have since departed. Layden Blocker and Baye Fall, who were Class of 2023 freshmen and top-10 national prospects at their respective positions, have since committed to other programs. So while Calipari has done a nice job in adding highly-ranked incoming recruits and transfers, he still just has a seven-man squad so there's lots of work to be done. Join HawgSports to see the latest on all of Arkansas' roster changes.
Arkansas basketball news, roster
D.J. Wagner saw his role decrease at times, but has potential. The 6-foot-4 guard was the No. 6 overall player in the Class of 2023, according to 247Sports, and started 28 of 29 games at Kentucky. Wagner has the potential to be one of the top guards in the SEC and has shown glimpses, including scoring 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting over 26 minutes for Kentucky in a game against Arkansas.
Of the eight players from the Class of 2024 and the transfer portal, Wagner was the only five-star player out of high school, per 247Sports. Wagner had the lowest field goal percentage (40.5%) on Kentucky last season, but if he can become more consistent with his shooting and shot selection, he can showcase why he was one of the most coveted recruits in high school class. Join HawgSports to get the latest on all of Arkansas' roster additions.
How to get insider Arkansas basketball roster updates
Calipari has already been in contact with multiple transfers from power-conference teams, so be sure to join HawgSports to see who they are and get the rest of the insider roster news.
Who are the top names Arkansas basketball is pursuing under coach John Calipari, and which power-conference transfers could land in Fayetteville? Go to HawgSports to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Razorbacks, and find out. And reminder, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it's too late.
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