Hoop Hogs open practice offers early glimpse of Calipari’s 2025-26 squad

By Kevin McPherson

FAYETTEVILLE — For the first time since taking over the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball program in early April 2024, second-year head coach John Calipari opened up one of his on-campus practices on Wednesday inside the performance center, allowing the media to watch his team go through on-court work followed by a media scrum with the Head Hog and select players.

Hogville has you covered with practice and player highlights, photos, interviews, analysis, and more right here …

[b][color=red]POST-practice Calipari and player video interviews[/color][/b]

Head Hog John Calipari speaks, & his answers to my questions were both candid & pure platinum …

Cal delivers his wishes regarding the transfer portal era …

Cal asked what we “noticed” today at Hoop Hogs OPEN PRACTICE, so I weighed in …

We got Trevon Brazile, DJ Wagner, Meleek Thomas, & Nick Pringle at the mic for POST PRACTICE PRESSER inside the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball performance center …

[b][color=red]Content below DOES include video highlights from practice[/color][/b]

Here’s a little Hoop Hogs PRE-PRACTICE content for ya …

A bit more Hoop Hogs PRE-PRACTICE content for ya …

3-v-3 drill work @ Hoop Hogs practice on Wed …

Trevon Brazile appreciation reel … OH … MY … GOODNESS!!!

Work of art here in offensive execution during Hoop Hogs 3-on-3 drill work …

Scenes from Hoop Hogs OPEN PRACTICE on Wed

-Cal in command (reel 1)

-Cal instruction mode (reel 2)

-Billy Richmond III splashin’ a corner 3 (reel 3)

-Drill work buckets for DJ Wagner (floater) & Malique Ewin (corner 3) in succession (reel 4)

Whole lotta finishing execution in this reel from Hoop Hogs OPEN PRACTICE on Wed

1) Great read & react by Isaiah Sealy to beat baseline trap for a Nick Pringle hammer

2) Meleek Thomas w/well-conceived lob to Pringle dunk in DHO action

3) Zai goes baseline for 2

4) BRIII middy

[b][color=red]Content below does NOT include video highlights[/color][/b]

We got 15 mins to record today @ Hoop Hogs OPEN PRACTICE, thar ended at 2:15, so now sitting courtside watching practice … more recorded content to come plus analysis on my HogvilleNET youtube live that should run after 4 p.m. CT

Cal’s got ’em running 4-v-4 full court now … TB, Pringle, DJ, & Meleek on the red team, Acuff, Knox, BRIII, & Ewin on the white team … Sealy watching courtside for now, Rtail not dressed out for practice but here …

White team leading 8-0 right now, Cal stops action & calls for 5-v-5 as Sealy & Karuletwa hit the court to get to a total of 10 …

Freshman G Meleek Thomas just drove left for a pull-up middy to get the Red on the board as White leads 8-2 in 5-v-5 play …

Sealy (Red) drove in for layup with Karuletwa defending, BRIII (White) scores on a nifty turnaround in the paint, then DJ (Red) drives down the paint for a layup thru contact, Acuff (White) pull-up J, Meleek (Red) stl & layup … biz has picked up offensively, White leads 12-8

Patented Meleek Thomas dribble-drive to a contested fadeaway mid-range bucket — Cal tells him he better make those if he takes them, but he’s got 3 of the Red team’s last 4 scores … White leads 14-10 …

Nice pass by Acuff to a rolling Ewin off a pick-&-roll on the wing, def rotates to check Ewin on the low block, so he finds a rim-running Knox crashing opposite side for a layup, then Acuff lobs to Ewin for a smash in transition … White expands lead to 18-10 …

Sweet swooping lefty banker by DJ Wagner over a defender driving down the left side of the lane … White 18, Red 12 … now the Hogs are doing defensive break down & slide drills, so 5-v-5 maybe finished now (??) … now doing defensive 1-v-1 “retreat” drills …

Really cool def closeout to transition off drill … literally 9 of the 10 running it splashed their triple attempts (NP the only miss) … no defenders contesting the shot attempts, but still impressive