HawgBeat Offseason Hoops Mailbag 1.0
Arkansas head coach John Calipari has been on the job for over a month now, and in that time he has made a lot of moves. The Razorbacks currently have seven scholarship players on the roster — four transfers and three incoming freshmen — with a nearly full coaching staff.
While there is plenty of work left to be done with non-conference scheduling and completing the roster, Calipari has gotten off to a hot start in Fayetteville so far.
To gauge what fans felt were important at this point in the offseason, HawgBeat opened the mailbag back up for reader questions up to this point in the offseason. This is the first edition, with more to come along as the summer goes by.
As a reminder, all questions submitted on the premium message board The Trough are answered, while only a select few questions from social media are chose. To ensure all your questions are answered, and to enjoy the full benefits of premium information across major sports and a tight-knit message board community, subscribe to HawgBeat.com.
Any chance we get to stay in Tulsa for a big game against maybe an Oklahoma State? Any other rumors of non league games that would excite the fans? Maybe Memphis State? - HawgBeat user @Hollywood_HOGan45
Not sure about Tulsa. I did find out Eric Musselman was reportedly planning to schedule a true road matchup against Rutgers in New Jersey for this upcoming season, but that is no longer happening. I'm checking in with some of my scheduling sources to see if they've heard anything about Arkansas.
There have been rumors that the Razorbacks could be playing in Dallas and at Madison Square Garden this upcoming season. There's no way to prove or disprove that, but I would imagine it wouldn't be Rutgers given the road game falling through, and it will likely not be St. John's with their schedule being almost full.
If the MSG news is correct and if it would be against a regional opponent in the northeast... one could maybe think UConn? But I really have no clue.
Also, I have no clue on the Dallas opponent, but Houston comes to mind immediately.
Again, I don't even know if those two locations will happen or not — those are just the only type of leads I've had at all regarding scheduling news. There has also been a rumor from a credible source indicating a Multi-Team Event (MTE) on Arkansas' campus this season, as well.
Do you know if Joe Johnson will be on this staff in some capacity? - HawgBeat user @pokyredskin
I know there have been a ton of rumors regarding former Hog Joe Johnson joining the coaching staff. I do not know how true those are, but I will say some trustworthy sources have hinted at him being in the role of a program ambassador of sorts — assisting with campus visits, a representative of the program, pro liaison, etc.
I'm not certain how true it is, but with him reaching out to prospects on social media, when he hadn't really been doing that at all in years past to my knowledge, seems like there could be something to it.
As a fun hypothetical, which player from last year’s team with remaining eligibility would be the best add to this roster? - X (formerly Twitter) user @The_Snap_Dragon
Given what Arkansas has currently and where the areas of need are, I might wager Trevon Brazile. The frontcourt, while talented, is a little bit thin right now. There's a reason the staff has been targeting size, particularly in the stretch-four spot, and I think Brazile would fill that role perfectly — he would just need to stay healthy.
Now, will it happen? Almost certainly not, but technically I believe there is a path back for him if he chose. There's no way of knowing if the current staff would want him to return or that Brazile himself would have any interest in returning, and he's tested well at the NBA Draft Combine, but it's a fun hypothetical for sure.
Other options currently would be Khalif Battle (need another wing and scoring option) or Layden Blocker (need more than one quality point guard on roster).
What's up with DJ Wagner? - multiple readers
The most common question asked for this edition of the hoops mailbag revolved around Kentucky transfer point guard DJ Wagner. He visited Arkansas over a week ago now, and has still not announced his anticipated commitment, leading many Razorback fans to get nervous around the prospects of him landing in Fayetteville next season.
From everything I've heard of late, most people are in the dark on what the delay is or why Wagner hasn't announced yet, but the thinking is also that he still ends up a Razorback before it is all said and done. Part of that thinking comes from the fact that there are not many realistic options where he could end up, at least that the public is aware of.
Wagner visited USC, but now the Trojans have a full roster. Some reports suggested Wagner would be headed to Gainesville for a visit with Florida, but reports also suggested that visit never materialized. Rosters for top programs across the country are filling up. Arkansas still has six open scholarship spots, and it's doubtful the staff fills all of them, but the Razorbacks can offer a spot AND playing time with a solid role.
There could be some holdup in the decision for any number of reasons, but it would make logical sense for Wagner to eventually commit to Arkansas or to some team out of left field. At this point, I'm leaning towards the former.