John Calipari has been making an interesting pitch to recruits since he became the head coach at Arkansas.
Caleb Wilson, one of the top prospects in the class of 2025, spoke with Brandon Jenkins of 247 Sports this week about some of the many offers he has received. The 5-star forward said Calipari visited him at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, Ga., recently and that the coach had a simple message about why Arkansas would be the best place for Wilson.
“Coach Calipari came to my school a week ago and that is when I got the offer. He tells me it’s like Calipari University. He’s just moving homes,” Wilson said.
John Calipari to top-5 prospect Caleb Wilson:
"Coach Calipari came to my school a week ago and that is when I got the offer. He tells me it's like Calipari University. He's just moving homes." https://t.co/8ae1woxyky
— Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) April 30, 2024
In other words, Calipari is apparently telling recruits that the school doesn’t matter and that they should value playing for him above all else. That seems right on brand for the 65-year-old.
Calipari is one of the biggest names in college basketball. He has won a national championship, been to the Final Four six times, and sent many players to the NBA. He has also won at every stop and will probably do the same at Arkansas.
Arkansas is not an irrelevant program, of course. Though the Razorbacks went 16-17 this season and missed the NCAA Tournament, they reached the Sweet 16 the year before and Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons prior to that. Eric Musselman put Arkansas back on the map, and school administrators are hoping that success combined with the reputation of “Calipari University” will carry the program even further.
