Arkansas HC John Calipari gives stamp of approval to new NCAA preseason rules: "Been saying that for a number of years"

Arkansas coach John Calipari is fresh from his debut season in charge of the Razorbacks, during which he led his team to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Ahead of his second season in charge, expectations surrounding Arkansas are sky high.

During a news conference on Friday, the charismatic Calipari advocated for the NCAA to allow college basketball teams to compete in exhibition games in July and August as opposed to the dead period before the season tips off in earnest.

“I think that college basketball has got to compete in the July area. There’s got to be games even the first weeks of August, there has got to be exhibition games in the summer,” John Calipari said.

“We’re getting swallowed by everything else, and it can’t just be the tournament. In the summer, in July, it’s a space where we could take over. Right now, you have the NBA Summer League. Why don’t we have something? I’ve been saying that for a number of years.”

The NCAA's Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee voted in January to allow teams to play up to two exhibition games against any four-year schools during their preseason preparations. In the past, teams had to get approval from the NCAA via a waiver process to be allowed to play in exhibition games and the proceeds from such games were all donated to charities.

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John Calipari sets out the summer league format

Last year, after John Calipari's shock departure from Kentucky to take over the Arkansas Razorbacks job, he had a frantic summer, including assembling his roster from scratch.

Despite the chaos of the start of his reign in charge of the Razorbacks, they played two preseason exhibition games via NCAA waiver. The Razorbacks hosted the Kansas Jayhawks, who were the No.1-ranked team then and beat them before beating the TCU Horned Frogs on the road.

During his news conference on Friday, Calipari broke down how the summer exhibition games should be conducted in the future.

“I also said there shouldn’t be a one every four years go on a foreign trip. If you want to go every year, go and then let those games be televised,” John Calipari said. “If you don’t want to go, don’t go. Everybody should have 10 practice days in the summer, as though you’re making a foreign trip.

“And if you don’t want to, play some games against people you want to play against. They can be scrimmages or they can be open, but why wouldn’t we do that? Do you think our kids just like to do (practices in the summer), or would they like to play against somebody?”

For the first time in his Arkansas reign, John Calipari invited the media to watch the Razorbacks training after a stellar summer of recruitment and he further stated his excitement at the upcoming season, perhaps informing his enthusiasm for the exhibition games.