Razorbacks' basketball early fall practice reports encouraging on many fronts

Two much-anticipated newcomers who were not with the team in the summer, international twin tower freshmen Paulo Semedo (7-1 with a wingspan reported anywhere between 7-5 and 7-8, native of Angola) and Elmir Dzafic (6-11, 265, native of Bosnia and Herzegovina), have finally been able to get onto the court with their teammates.

The feedback and player reviews are wide-ranging, so here's what we've gleaned so far (combination of recent practices and summer work):

• True freshman guard Darius Acuff, Jr., the national Top 5-rated, 5-star prospect in the high school class of 2025 high school, has followed up a strong summer with impressive work so far since the team returned. 

He's projected to start at point guard for the Razorbacks, and as a proven scoring lead guard at the high school level, the reports that he is learning to strike a productive and impactful balance as a scorer, facilitator, and floor leader might be the most significant update covering the last couple of weeks.

The veteran in a guard rotation that includes two true freshmen will be a backcourt catalyst on defense with proven ability to run the team a year ago and now sharing lead-guard duties with Acuff. Wagner is entering his third season playing for Calipari, and he may be the most underrated of the team's four key retention pieces that serve as the foundation for this upcoming season.

Averaging more than 14 points and 3 offensive rebounds per game last season at Florida State before transferring to Arkansas in the offseason, Ewin came to Fayetteville with credentials as a potential offensive weapon. He may be expanding his game to add three-pointing shooting to his arsenal.

Brazile is bigger, stronger, and he's been a more proactive player on both ends of the court, which is encouraging given his injury and inconsistent-play history. He's looking to improve on what was a brilliant final nine-game stretch to end last season.

Knox is lean, mean, and determined to be a production and impact leader among the valued retention players.

As one of the Calipari's four key retention players, Richmond brings a combination of unique qualities that time and again Calipari talks about being vital to the success of his squad.

We're told he's looked really good in perimeter shooting drills, but is still a work in progress in terms of execution when facing defenders in live competitive play. It's not a negative or a knock, just the reality of the learning curve for a true freshman, and Thomas shows more promise than anything else.

The SEC journeyman is a proven frontline commodity after successful stops at Alabama and South Carolina, and like Ewin he brings starter value whether he's among the first five to begin games or if he checks in off the bench.

Semedo has had several "wow" moments already while also choosing to "try to dunk everything" in competitive play. Although his ceiling is high on a longer-term developmental plan, he's potentially a depth option in year one behind Brazile, Ewin, and Pringle.

Dzafic may be a year or two away from factoring into the rotation, but his mountain-esque size, strength, and physicality are a welcome combination when talking about his value in practices now and potential later. We're told his weight is actually closer to 285 than 265. Although he's more space-eater and a brute on the interior (and not an above-the-rim type of finisher), he recently used a series of pump fakes to get defenders off their feet before powering home a thunderous dunk.

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