Arkansas lands commitment from Division II transfer guard
Head coach John Calipari and the Razorbacks have landed their second commitment of the day, as Division II Hawaii Pacific guard Melo Sanchez committed to Arkansas on Tuesday, HawgBeat confirmed.
A 6-foot-4, 185-pound soon-to-be junior, Sanchez averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 34.3 minutes across 29 games in 2024. He also shot 36.0% from the field, 34.6% from beyond the arch and 79.8% from the charity stripe.
His season-high in points came against Slippery Rock on Nov. 26, when he scored 32 points in 36 minutes on 8-of-14 shooting with six made threes. Sanchez crossed the 20-point threshold five times with two 30-point outings.
As a freshman in 2023, Sanchez shot far better from the floor with a 49.1% field goal percentage, as well as a scorching 46.8% three point mark. He also averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 28 games.
Sanchez will be on scholarship, per source, which makes him the 11th on the Razorbacks' roster. The San Diego, California, native joins 2024 high school prospect Jaden Karuletwa as players to commit to the Hoop Hogs on Tuesday.
"You may think I'm crazy, but I told my staff, I only want to have eight or nine guys," Calipari said on May 2. "They're leaving anyway, and why would I develop a guy for someone else? Why would I do that? But, an injury and now we have seven or six. I coached six when I was at UMass. Then the other piece becomes — you put that together and now I'm hearing a lot of guys are saying eight or nine guys. If there is a 10th guy, he knows he's the 10th.
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“When we talk about walk-ons, it’s a different era. A walk-on for me will be on full scholarship…like the old days. He’s going to work his way into the NIL.”
The Razorbacks still have two scholarship spots remaining on their projected roster, so be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for updates on all the offseason action.