HawgBeat - Arkansas basketball shares first clips of summer practice
The Arkansas basketball social media team is doing a good job getting fans excited with summer practice clips.
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Football season is right around the corner, but that hasn't stopped the Razorbacks basketball team from conducting the social media hype train the last couple of weeks in the form of summer practice clips.
The Arkansas basketball X account began posting videos from workouts on July 1, with looks at plenty of new faces all together for the first time.
Over the offseason, head coach John Calipari and the Hoop Hogs added a whole crop of newcomers in a complete roster rehaul. The official team roster only has 10 players listed as of now, but HawgBeat projects that number closer to 13 with the inclusion of other commits. With so many new faces, Calipari will be putting his players to the test over the coming weeks.
“Every one of you knows how we do this,” Calipari said on July 2. “We got to get better defensively, we got to get mentally tougher. We got guys that need to work on their wheels. We got guys that don’t shoot it consistently enough. We’ve got to get in here and figure it out, but when you feel tired, you got 40% left.”
Arkansas returns only one familiar face on campus from the 2023 season in forward Trevon Brazile. Still, continuity will be aided by Kentucky transfers Zvonimir Ivisic, Adou Thiero and DJ Wagner as well as close-knit high school prospects Karter Knox, Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond.
Below are some highlights from the Razorbacks, as well as some player backstories and other details:
Adou Thiero jams one on Big Z
The first clip posted shows forward Thiero going up for a slam over Croatian center Ivisic, also known as “Big Z.”
Thiero and Ivisic are entering their first seasons at Arkansas after playing last season for Calipari at Kentucky. Big Z was the first transfer addition to join the team as a true floor-spreading big man.
Ivisic only appeared in 15 games last season due to NCAA eligibility concerns. He played his first game against Georgia on Jan. 20 and recorded 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds, two assists and three blocks in an electric showcase.
In his shortened season, Ivisic averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game and shot 57.7% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc and 77.3% from the free throw line. Most of those games — 14, to be exact — were against SEC teams.
Thiero has two full seasons of college basketball under his belt from his time at Kentucky. After coming off the bench for all 20 games of his freshman campaign, Thiero started 19 in 2023.
The former three-star averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 49.2% shooting from the field and 31.8% from three. He scored in double digits five times as a sophomore, with three of those matchups — Kansas, at Auburn and against Alabama — coming against ranked opponents.
Big Z gets revenge
The second clip posted shows Ivisic getting some revenge on Thiero. The two went up against each other at the rim and this time, Thiero’s dunk attempt was blocked by the 7-foot-2 center.
Johnell Davis gets in on the block party
Ivisic wasn’t the only Razorback getting in on the block party, however. Florida Atlantic transfer guard Davis showed true freshman point guard Fland some physicality by blocking the former five-star's layup attempt.
Davis came to Arkansas after spending four seasons with Florida Atlantic. Last season was his most productive, as he averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 34 games played.
The Gary, Indiana, native played a pivotal role in the Owls' run to the Final Four in 2023. He scored in double figures in all but one game in the postseason, the most being 29 points against Fairleigh Dickinson in the Round of 32.
Fland shows off his range
Fland showcased his range in a July 3 clip with a three-point while running drills to improve his accuracy.
Ranked as the No. 10 player in the country out of Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, Fland de-committed from Kentucky before taking a visit to Arkansas where Calipari sealed the deal.
As a senior, Fland averaged 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He also played in the McDonald's All-American Game, where he scored 17 points and added five rebounds and three assists in 22:02 minutes.
Billy Richmond flashes explosiveness
Richmond has been the least-talked-about prospect to make it to Fayetteville over the offseason despite being only three spots lower (No. 23) than former Hog Anthony Black (No. 20) out of high school.
The Camden, New Jersey, native had been committed to the Wildcats for a little over three months before joining the Razorbacks.
Richmond played in 30 games for Camden High School and averaged 17.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per matchup.
The clip above shows Richmond’s hops, as he got up for several slam dunks on both alley-oops and drives.
Jonas Aidoo has some hops, too
Aidoo — a 6-foot-11, 240-pound center — got up for some dunks as well during practice.
The senior came to Arkansas after he was named an AP First Team All-SEC selection. Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while making 51.5% of his shots from the field for the Volunteers last season.
A native of North Carolina, Aidoo is poised to be a major factor in the Razorbacks’ after finishing the 2023-24 season with an 8.7% block rate, 12.4% offensive rebounding rate and 19.5% defensive rebounding rate according to KenPom.
Defensive wins championships
The latest clip posted by the Arkansas account on Wednesday shows the team working on improving defensively — a key point of emphasis for a team that finished 133rd in adjusted defensive efficiency a year ago.
