"We pay our respects to those brave men and women": John Calipari shares heartfelt Memorial Day message

Arkansas coach John Calipari had an impressive first season in charge of the Razorbacks after leaving Kentucky last year after 15 years at the helm of the Wildcats. Calipari has wasted no time in bolstering his roster ahead of next season by recruiting and securing the commitments of several players via the transfer portal.

On Memorial Day, the Razorbacks coach took a break from recruitment and tweeted a heartwarming message aimed at the personnel who lost their lives while serving the country.

"Memorial Day is about honoring and remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Sending thoughts and prayers to their families as we pay our respects to those brave men and women who never made it home," Calipari tweeted.

John Calipari has been a vocal supporter of the country's armed forces and a picture of him engaging with a group of soldiers at the Rupp Arena after Kentucky beat the Winthrop Eagles in 2010 went viral.

John Calipari gets off-season good news

John Calipari attended the Western Conference finals game four pitting the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Oklahoma City Thunder where he got to watch his former players Rob Dillingham and MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander duke it out.

During the NBA game, Arkansas standout Karter Knox announced on various social media platforms that he was withdrawing his name from the 2025 NBA Draft and was returning to Arkansas for another season. Calipari immediately tweeted his joy at the news on X.

"Here watching the western conference finals game that has 4 former players and 2 former Arkansas players," John Calipari wrote. "The competitiveness is off the charts. Makes me wish our season started tomorrow! And I got a call from Karter!!! What’s better than that!!!"

Knox was a four-star recruit and the No. 22 overall player in the country in the class of 2024 according to On3 and committed to Calipari's Arkansas after playing for Overtime Elite. Despite a slow start to his college basketball career, he became a key cog in the Razorbacks' machine as the season progressed.

Knox averaged 8.3 points on 46.2% shooting from the floor and 35% shooting from beyond the arc, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 36 games played last season. Alongside Karter Knox, John Calipari will welcome back Trevon Brazile and DJ Wagner.

The Razorbacks have recruited several prospects in the offseason including Nick Pringle, Malique Ewin and Karim Rtail who will be bolstered by five-star freshmen Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff.