John Calipari doesn't care about criticism of his roster-building strategy

John Calipari does not care about those who criticize him for the way he builds his rosters.  The Arkansas head coach has led the Razorbacks to consecutive Sweet 16s in his first two seasons in Fayetteville. His third season will begin headlined by the arrivals of five-stars Jordan Smith Jr., JJ Andrews, Abdou Toure and Miikka Muurinen, along with transfers Jeremiah Wilkinson, Maper Maker and Cooper Bowser.  Bowser, Muurinen and Maker will be among those in the Arkansas frontcourt, but Calipari and the Razorbacks have yet to add what many believe was the biggest missing piece from its 2025-26 roster: a strong, beefier big man who can be more physical on both ends of the floor.  Calipari has likely heard the criticism regarding that perceived absence, and the Hall of Fame coach pays it no mind.  "We're going to add one, maybe two more guys to the roster, but I don't just add [players] to add," Calipari said Thursday on 103.7 The Buzz in Little Rock. "If the team doesn't look like somebody thinks it should look, that's OK. I've had all kind of teams like that." "I don't add just to add... If the team doesn't look like somebody thinks it should look that's okay." - @CoachCalArk on Arkansas Basketball's roster construction @DavidBazzel @RogerDoyleScott Full interview: https://t.co/YiOnx74QhX pic.twitter.com/wpZccWcsoL Calipari called back to former Kentucky and current Washington Wizards center Anthony Davis, who played as a guard for much of his high school career before his lone season of college basketball with Calipari and the Wildcats. "Literally, Anthony Davis wasn't a center, and we won the national title [in 2012]," Calipari said. "But we had a bunch of guys around him so that he could be who he was." That 2011-12 UK squad featured the likes of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Darius Miller and Doron Lamb and Marquis Teague, among others.  "I've done this different ways," Calipari said. "I've done it with three point guards on the same team. What you want to do is make sure you get good people with good hearts who can be good teammates." Few coaches in college basketball can be trusted with roster construction as much as Calipari, who has proven himself to be not only one of the greatest coaches in the sport's history, but also an incredibly talented recruiter from both the high school ranks and transfer portal alike.  Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!