karter knox: John Calipari shows excitement for new Arkansas squad; provides update on Karter Knox ahead of new season

Karter Knox is returning to Arkansas for the upcoming season, and Razorbacks head coach John Calipari is fired up about getting one of his top guys from last season back.

After Knox withdrew from the NBA Draft on Monday, Calipari posted a picture of his team on X. He also shared a message reflecting the high expectations he has for this season.

"Can’t wait to get started with this group! Karter will be joining soon. Excited to have these guys on campus and coach them," Calipari tweeted.

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After originally entering the NBA Draft, Karter Knox withdrew his name, looking to build up his profile ahead of next year's event. The Florida native finished last season with 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and one assist per game.

Knox, a 6-6, 220-pound forward, helped get the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16, where they fell in overtime against Texas Tech after surrendering a late lead. Knox is one of the team's best defenders and will likely take the opponent's primary ball handler in most matchups.

He will look to build on some strong performances at the end of the season. Against top-seeded St. John's in the NCAA Tournament, Karter Knox contributed 15 points. In the Sweet 16 loss to the Red Raiders, he added 20 points and scored all four of his three-point attempts.

Arkansas bounced back from a slow start, opening with a 1-6 record in SEC play, to make it to the second week of the NCAA Tournament.

Hogs star will not follow Karter Knox back to Fayetteville

While Karter Knox will be back in Arkansas next season, Adou Thierro, one of the team's most important contributors during last season, is foregoing his college basketball eligibility and will stay in the NBA Draft.

Thierro averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He suffered some injuries down the stretch, missing more than a month, including the team's first two tournament games.

Adou Thierro followed Calipari to Arkansas after the head coach left Kentucky in 2024. While Thierro came back against Texas Tech, he only played for five minutes, with only one point and one rebound.

Despite Thiero's exit, the Razorbacks will have a solid roster to build around entering next season. DJ Wagner, Trevon Brazile, Billy Richmond III and Karter Knox will all be back this year.

Calipari also added a couple of players through the transfer portal in Malique Ewin (Florida State) and Nick Pringle (South Carolina).

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Ruth John S