Hoop Hogs notebook: Recruiting for 2025 heating up; staff stuff, plus Pro Hogs

[Kevin McPherson]

By Kevin McPherson

LITTLE ROCK -- While it's true new Arkansas head coach John Calipari is busy assembling an entire roster in preparation for his first campaign as Head Hog in 2024-25, he's not casting a casual eye toward recruiting for the future as he already has the Razorbacks front and center with multiple top-shelf 2025 prospects with the early November signing period just six months away.

Calipari's 2024 recruiting has been par excellence (Hogville's Hoop Hogs recruiting tracker is linked here: https://forums.hogville.net/index.php?topic=765836.0), and it seems as though he's also commanding the favor and attention of younger prospects and their families even though he recently took up residency in Fayetteville, Ark., after 15 years in Lexington, Ky.

One of the highly regarded 2025 recruits locked in on Arkansas and Calipari is Darryn Peterson (6-5; 195 pounds; native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; Huntington Prep in W.Va.; composite national No. 3 / 5-star overall prospect and composite No. 1 shooting guard), who has already been in contact with members of the Hoop Hogs' new coaching staff.

"Yes, Arkansas has been in contact with Darryn," Peterson's father, Darryl Peterson, told Hogville on Tuesday.

Peterson's Arkansas recruitment actually began with the Razorbacks'' previous coaching staff, but the stakes were raised with the program's hiring of Calipari.

"Darryn was already very interested in Arkansas before Cal arrived," Darryl Peterson said. "They were already in (Darryn Peterson's original) top 8, even more excited now that Cal is there."

Although there's been public speculation that Peterson might re-classify to 2024, his Dad said that was not the plan of action.

"We decided that we will remain in the class of 2025," Darryl Peterson said, adding that their preference for an upcoming visit to Arkansas would be "July (or) August is our hopes, or next school year."

Peterson is coming off an impressive weekend in Hoover, Ala., playing on the Adidas 3SSB circuit as he averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals in four games for 17U Phenom United.

His top 8 schools that he originally announced months ago may be down to a handful of programs -- Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, and Ohio State.

In a recent interview with college basketball national recruiting analyst Rob Cassidy, Darryn Peterson had this to say about Arkansas and Calipari: "At Arkansas, I've already talked to Coach Chin (Coleman, Hogs associate head coach) and Coach Cal. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go visit there, too. I thought (Calipari) would be (at Kentucky) for life. He was telling me that I was coming there next year and all that, so I didn't expect him to leave at all. He said he got a new job, but nothing has changed. They still want me. They are still going to have Kentucky-type everything."

During an early January interview with Hogville, Darryl Peterson described his son's game.

"Darryn's strengths are he's a three-level scorer, can play 1-through-3, high IQ, can play on and off the ball, a two-way player, can easily see he's a team-first player on offense and defense, and he has the best pace and skill set in all high school basketball," Darryl Peterson said.

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More Cal, UA gains with 2025 prospects, including fast-approaching on-campus visit: Junior Darius Acuff, Jr. (6-3 point guard, IMG Academy, native of Detroit, 247Sports national No. 4 / 5-star prospect) is set to begin and official visit to Arkansas on Friday, May 10. He was offered a scholarship by Calipari's Hogs in April. He's among several 5-star prospects from the 2025 class to receive recent Arkansas offer. Here are others that have been confirmed: AJ Dybantsa (6-9 small forward, Prolific Prep in Calif., composite national No. 1 / 5-star prospect); Cameron Boozer (6-9 power forward, Columbus High School in Miami, composite national No. 2 / 5-star prospect); Caleb Wilson (6-9 power forward, Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta, composite national No. 4 / 5-star prospect); and Meleek Thomas (6-4 guard, Midland, Pa., composite national No. 6 / 5-star prospect, has expressed interest in visiting Arkansas).

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Arkansas makes final 5 list for 2025: In late April, junior Will Riley (6-8 small forward, The Phelps School in Malvern, Pa., composite national No. 15 / 5-star prospect) cut his list of post-high-school options to five, naming Arkansas among the group of colleges that includes Kentucky, Arizona, and Alabama as well as the possibility of playing professionally in Australia's NBL. Interestingly, Arkansas (pre-Calipari) was not on Riley's Top 10 list of schools, but the Calipari-led Hogs did make the cut for Riley's final five.

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New Arkansas coaches begins outreach to in-state prospects: Arkansas' coaching staff in recent days has had intial contact with some of the top prospects in the state, according to multiple sources. The following list is NOT a disclsoure of which players has been contacted, but instead it's a list of Top 100-ranked prospects in Arkansas representing the 2025 and 2026 classes: Juniors (2025) Terrion Burgess (6-9 combo forwad, Benton, 17U Arkansas Hawks, 247Sports national No. 36 / 4-star prospect); Isaiah Sealy (6-6 guard, Springdale, On3 national No. 50 / 4-star prospect); Kellen Robinson (6-1 guard, Bryant, ESPN national No. 95 / 4-star prospect); and sophomores (2026) JaShawn "JJ" Andrews (6-6 wing, Little Rock Christian Academy, ESPN national No. 13 / 5-star prospect); Jacob Lanier (6-6 guard, Maumelle, ESPN national No. 33 / 4-star prospect); and Aidan Chronister (6-7 wing, Sunrise Christian Academy by way of Rogers, ESPN national No. 60 / 4-star prospect).

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Calipari's basketball staff beginning to take shape: As expected, Arkansas formally announced three staff additions in recent weeks -- two associate head coaches in Kenny Payne and Chin Coleman, and assistant coach Chuck Martin -- and it's our assessment it's just a matter of time before Bruiser Flint and Calipari's son, Brad Calipari, are officially named to the basketball staff in some capacity. There's also the possibility former Arkansas star and former NBA player Ronnie Brewer, Jr. -- he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator on the Hogs' previous staff -- will be retained to the new staff. Additionally, a source continues to indicate former Arkansas and NBA star Joe Johnson could be in line for a role on the new staff.

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Pro Hog updates: With 12 former Arkansas players -- Bobby Portis, Patrick Beverley, Daniel Gafford, Isaiah Joe, Mason Jones, Moses Moody, Jaylin Williams, Anthony Black, Nick Smith, Jr., Jordan Walsh, Ricky Council IV, and Stanley Umude -- appearing in NBA regular-season games in '23-24, the list of Pro Hogs still competing in May as the NBA Playoffs have moved into second-round series has dwindled to four -- Gafford, Joe, Williams, and Walsh.

Gafford (6-10 center, native of El Dorado) and the 5-seed Dallas Mavericks will play on the road against Joe (6-4 guard, native of Fort Smith), Williams (6-9 forward / center, native of Fort Smith), and top-seed Oklahoma City on Tuesday in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals. Asource told Hogville that former Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson, who recruited and coached Gafford and Joe, will be in attendance for game one of the series.

Walsh (6-6 rookie guard) is on the Boston Celtcis' active roster for the playoffs but has yet to appear in a postseason game. Boston opens its Eastern Conference semifinal series at home against Cleveland on Tuesday.

Pro Hogs also appearing in the playoffs but already eliminated were: Portis (6-10 forward / center, Milwaukee Bucks, native of Little Rock) who finished the season as one of three finalists for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award; Beverley (6-1 guard, Milwaukee Bucks); Black (6-7 rookie guard, Orlando Magic); and Council (6-6 guard, Phildelphia 76ers).

One Pro Hog who did not compete in the '23-24 NBA Playoffs is Smith (6-4 rookie guard, Charlotte Hornets, native of Jacksonville), who made a trip to Fayetteville for a workout on Saturday, April 27, in the Razorbacks' basketball performance center across the street fron Bud Walton Arena.

Smith had a photo op with Calipari, who tweeted the pic with this message: "Great seeing Nick Smith, Jr., in our practice facility today. Any former Arkansas players, or players that played for me, are always welcome here. All hands on deck. Let's go!!"


Photo via John Calipari