Arkansas first-year head coach John Calipari and veteran players Adou Theiro and Johnell Davis took center stage Tuesday at the SEC Men's Basketball Media Day in Birmingham, Alabama.
Fresh off their "Tip-Off Tour" with stops in Hot Springs and Pine Bluff over the weekend, the Razorbacks are looking ahead facing No. 1 Kansas in a preseason charity exhibition Oct. 25 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. The Hogs will also play TCU in another preseason charity exhibition Nov. 1 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
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The official start of the season is Wednesday, Nov. 6, when Lipscomb comes to town for a 7 p.m. CT tip at Bud Walton Arena. That will mark the first game of the Calipari era at Arkansas.
Below is a running list of what Calipari and his players said at SEC Media Day on Tuesday, starting with their appearance on SEC Network's The Paul Finebaum Show.
JOHN CALIPARI, ADOU THIERO, JOHNELL DAVIS ON THE PAUL FINEBAUM SHOW (10/15)
(Q: How would you describe the last few months?)
Calipari: “We’re undefeated. Everybody is excited. You know, you walk into a program, the whole idea is a culture and how do you develop it? I do believe cultures will travel with staffs. What you expect, you want them to do even more, what’s unacceptable. And then in between, you’re about players. These guys have done great. We brought down a couple vets (Adou and Thiero) with us and guys that we’re expecting a lot from."
(Q: Adou, how would you characterize your first few months in Fayetteville?)
Thiero: “I’ve had a great time going down there meeting Nelly (Johnell Davis) and everybody on the team. I already knew a couple of guys, but meeting everybody else and just being in the gym with them grinding together, it’s just been a good time."
(Q: Talk about the charity exhibition with Kansas and your challenging first weeks of the season?)
Calipari: “Well, we want to see where we are. And really, I want the players to see where we are and the fans to see where we are right now. Playing Kansas, they’re No. 1. We know Bill Self is one of the best coaches in the country. He’ll have his team ready. We go down to TCU and play in Dallas. Then you’ve got Lipscomb and Lennie Acuff — one of the best coaches out there — you have him.
"Then you go Baylor in Texas and then you go Illinois, who has got one of the best guards. Michigan, Miami, and that’s all before (SEC play). I wanted to challenge them. Bringing them together — these two, the other guys, we’ve got three freshmen, we have three transfers. You know the great thing about these two (Davis and Thiero)? They didn’t worry who are your freshmen. They wanted to be here, they want to be challenged and they want to win."
(Q: Johnelle, what is it like to play for John Calipari?)
Davis: “At first, I was just like it wasn’t real. But then I came back to reality. Like, it’s time to get back to work and show him how I work too."
(Q: Adou, what is it like to play for Calipari?)
Thiero: I’ve been with two other teams, so we’ve always had different players. Just seeing how he adjusts with everything, you can really see it all.
(Q: What’s going through your mind as you get closer to the season?)
Calipari: "One, I want to have fun. I want to build something special. More importantly, I want 25-to-30 families I want to help before I’m done with what I do. I want this to continue to be about the kids. These guys, they wanted to come — didn’t care who else was there — and they wanted to play for our staff. ‘How good can I get? Please challenge me.’
"Here’s the great thing, I have four players on this team that I coached their dad. One of them is here. That could mean that I’m an old fart, that could be one. But the other thing is the trust. And they don’t even think I’m hard enough. They’re like, ‘Be like you were with us.’ I said, ‘That was 25 years ago. I’m not going to be (like that).’ What does your dad say, (Adou)?"
Thiero: “My dad always tells me, he came and watch our practice and he’s like ‘Yeah, he’s taking it easy on you guys.’”
(Q: Cal may have been fired in the NBA, but he’s turned down a lot since…)
Calipari: "What I do, where could you get the satisfaction of still wanting to win? We talk about winning because it’s good for them and their futures. But we’re not here to win at their expense. This is, how do we help them? And you know what? I don’t have a magic wand. It’s the culture. They have to take what they want. They have to want to come in and say, ‘I’m going to compete against other really good players.’
"I like my roster. We’re a little beat up right now, but I like the roster. But we’re so new. And normally, it would take me a few years to get the culture right, and I’m saying it’s probably going to do that here. I don’t know how good we’ll be early or how bad. It won’t matter. It’s where will we be at the end? And the other thing is, where will they be with their games at the end of the season as we make that run."
(Q: Any way to characterize what you’re feeling and do you ever wonder how you got here?)
Calipari: "My dad was a baggage handler. My mom worked in a high school cafeteria. And I have a chance to do what I do and help young people and create different things for them. I’ve been blessed. But I’ve also been blessed by families entrusting me with their children. So I’ve been fortunate.
"I’m excited. This is a new adventure for me and my wife. We look at each other and we’re like, ‘Let’s do this again.’ She’s still making brownies, she’s still the princess, she still calls me The Roommate. It’s an adventure. I’m excited. And I want, again, a thousand people — we’re trying to engage with our state — that they all feel without them, we couldn’t have done what we’re about to do.
"We’ve been to nine cities already. This weekend, we were in Pine Bluff and Hot Springs. We’ve been all over the place trying to connect the dots. This is going to be a challenge. This league is really good, maybe the best it’s ever been. A challenge for all of us, but I look forward to the fight and let’s see what happens."
