Excitement for the Arkansas basketball program is at an all-time high after a rollercoaster offseason that featured multiple player additions and coach John Calipari’s move to Fayetteville, but the Hall of Famer continues to implore patience with his base of fans.
Calipari reviewed his experience leading programs while speaking to the media on Monday, but that can only get you so far when dealing with an entirely new roster full of players in need of mindset development.
“Look, there’s no magic wand here,” Calipari said. “They’re not computers, I’ve said that many times. This is not a video game. I have to work on their minds. Well guess what, that takes time. That mentality to get that negative voice off your shoulders, thinking positive voice all the time . Things don’t work out?
“Forget that other voice. If you want to be special and set yourself apart, you have to be your own biggest cheerleader. You can’t expect me to gain confidence. Do you know where you build your self-confidence? In that gym.”
Who can blame Arkansas fans for being giddy about the upcoming season? After all, Calipari and the Hoop Hogs added three top-25 freshmen and a handful of coveted transfers. But the Hogs aren’t the only team that improved on paper during the offseason, as a look around the SEC makes that unequivocally clear.
“You won’t believe this: Other teams are trying to win, too. And other teams are putting things together,” Calipari said. “And we’re in the SEC. And by the way, I think some people already picked us in the bottom half. We got picked in the bottom half. That’s fine. We’ve got to play. You’ve got to get the ring. Come on. Pick us in the half bottom; choose us first.
For a team with undeniable skill but many looming questions, the next few months will be pivotal in determining roles and building confidence in all phases of the game for the Razorbacks.
“It’s getting your team right, having the guys that are playing their best individually and then we’ll get them together and see how we play,” Calipari said. “I’m telling you, I still don’t know how we’re going to play, other than it’s going to be fast, it’s going to be unselfish.
“I hope we’re a great three-point shooting team because if we are, we’re going to shoot a lot of threes. If we’re not, ‘Well, you’ve got to throw,’ whatever you can’t. You are not part of this team. We’ll find out when we all get back here in September – at the end of August.”
