Davis, Aidoo driving forces for Calipari’s first Arkansas men’s basketball team

By Kevin McPherson

LITTLE ROCK — It’s likely that Arkansas men’s basketball will rack up plenty of favorable preseason projections, from both national and SEC perspectives, and it’s certain that the two biggest reasons for incoming lofty projections are senior transfers Johnell “Nelly” Davis and Jonas Aidoo.

One of the first post-July, closing-in-on-the-fall-semester prognostications came from CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein, who on Monday projected the Hoop Hogs to finish in second place in the new 16-team SEC in 2024-25. It was no coincidence that of his nine “Key Newcomers” list Rothstein named Davis and Aidoo first and second, respectively.

It also came as no surprise that Davis (6-4 guard) and Aidoo (6-11 forward / center) were among the players named when The Field of 68 on Wednesday published to its social media platforms the Top 25 incoming Impact Transfers in college basketball with Davis leading the field at No. 1 and Aidoo checking in at No. 23.

Those two are the unquestioned centerpieces for Naismith Hall of Fame coach John Calipari as he enters a new era at Arkansas — presumably the last significant stop in his legendary coaching career — with what essentially amounts to a made-from-scratch roster. There are elements of program continuity (three players made the move with him from Kentucky to Arkansas, and there’s one returning Razorbacks) mixed in with three 5-star freshmen. The blue-chip rookies are the latest chapter in what has made Calipari a household name as the greatest recruiter of high school talent in hoops history.

But again the headliners are, and rightfully should be at this juncture, Davis and Aidoo. What they’ll signify out of the gates for Calipari and his Razorbacks offers a long list of achievable roles and goals …

– Both should be in line to receive preseason recognition on national award watch lists.

– Both should be in line to receive preseason All SEC recognition, with Davis deserving of some preseason SEC Player of the Year chatter.

– Both players have significant NCAA Tournament experience and success — Davis leading a Final Four charge two years ago at Florida Atlantic and Aidoo aiding Tennessee’s SEC regular-season title a year ago as the Vols added to that with a run to the Elite Eight. Calipari has had highly regarded transfers spanning the past five seasons at Kentucky — Oscar Tshibwe on the frontline and Antonio Reeves in the backcourt come to mind — but as good as they were neither brought deep NCAAT-run experience / success with them to Lexington. This is where Davis and Aidoo might bring value that checks both tangible and intangible boxes that Calipari can harness for his first Arkansas team’s Big Dance success.

– In terms of their collective experience playing in Division 1, Davis and Aidoo have seven seasons including numerous NCAAT appearances with only the duo of Trevon Brazile and Adou Thiero coming close to that with five seasons of combined playing experience (but much less NCAAT success). Those mature, veteran qualities matter given that both Davis and Aidoo are playing for a new coach at a new school for the first times in their careers. Each has also demonstrated leadership qualities in various ways at their previous schools, and as Arkansas fans learned a season ago on-court leadership was virtually non-existent in a 16-17 season that reflected a dysfunctional roster.

– Davis is the top candidate to lead Arkansas in scoring in ’24-25 while ranking among the top scorers in the league, and as a proven elite rebounder at the guard spot with solid career assist and steal numbers he could carve out a stat-sheet-stuffing season to separate himself from what should be another guard-rich league. He’ll help in a primary ballhandler rotation as by far the most experienced backcourt player on the team, and that role will include critical game-situation and end-of-game work in isolation situations where Davis’ combination of scoring skill, experience, and decision-making can create matchup advantages for his team. The American Athletic Conference’s Co-Player of the Year last season seems primed for a monster fifth campaign in college hoops.

– Aidoo is arguably the best SEC-returning big man on the defensive side of the ball and could be the best overall frontliner in the league. He earned TWO (2) postseason All SEC honors in ’23-24 — second team All SEC and SEC All Defensive Team — and his per-40-minute numbers (18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks) should give Calipari the flexibility to either increase Aidoo’s minutes and workload from a season ago OR keep him in a similar role relative to ’23-24 if the team’s supporting frontline players can be effective enough to maintain production and winning impact when Aidoo is not on the court.

– Much will depend on how Arkansas finishes its overall regular season including league results in ’24-25, but if it ends well is likely means both Davis and Aidoo will have resumes to earn POSTSEASON recognition on both the league and national levels.

“You could tell they’re experienced,” Calipari said during his summer recap press conference on July 29 at Bud Walton Arena. “They’re like vets … Nelly lives in that gym. He’ll work out two, three times a day. He can really shoot it. What I love is making him uncomfortable, because when he’s uncomfortable, he’s uncomfortable and you can see it. I can say to him, ‘This is what you have to overcome. We’ve got to make you comfortable being uncomfortable, because now you can be an attack dog.’ I don’t want him standing out there shooting threes.

“Jonas (Aidoo) was all conference, we already know. We’re trying to work on his wheels, I want him to run better, run smoother, but he’s still a beast. Shooting the ball better, but getting his legs.”

Here’s more on Davis’ and Aidoo’s journeys to Arkansas …

Davis led Florida Atlantic back to the NCAAT last season, and as a portal prospect in the offseason he was a consensus top 3-ranked portal prospect, which included him checking in as the No. 1 overall player according to CBS Sports’ transfer rankings.

In ’23-24, he averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 48.3% on field goals, including 41.4% from 3, and 85.7% from the free throw line.

He scored 20 or more points 12 times in ’23-24, including 30 or more three times. He notched a season-high 35 points to go with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in FAU’s 96-95 double-overtime loss to No. 4 Arizona on Dec. 23, 2023. He hung 26 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists on 12th-ranked Texas A&M in the Owls’ 96-89 neutral-site win over the Aggies on Nov. 24, and he recorded 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in FAU’s 98-89 neutral-site loss to 20th-ranked Illinois on Dec. 5.

As a junior in ’22-23, Davis led FAU on the aforementioned NCAAT Final Four run as he averaged 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per outing in the team’s five-game run through the Big Dance. He notched his career-high of 36 points against Alabama-Birmingham during the regular season as a junior.

Davis is a skilled, athletic, savvy scoring guard who breaks down defenders at all three levels in a variety of determined ways combined with a blue-collar attitude as a rebounder and 50/50-ball warrior.

Aidoo last season made a leap in his production and impact relative to prior seasons, averaging 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game while shooting 51.5% from the field and 62.6% from the free throw line.

Aidoo had a double-double, scoring 23 points (11-of-14 field goals and 1-of-1 free throw) to go with 12 rebounds in Tennessee’s 92-63 road win over Arkansas on Feb. 14. He registered eight double-doubles as a junior as he reached double-digit rebounding totals in 11 contests. He recorded 21 games of having multiple block shots.

Aidoo finishes above the rim with the best and is a plus-rebounder and plus-rim protector as he can be a force at both ends of the floor for extended stretches of games.