The Biggest Mistake Of John Calipari Final Roster For Arkansas.
John Calipari’s first roster at Arkansas is finalized following the official announcement of the four latest signings. Here’s a look at the latest additions and the finalized scholarship distribution.
Arkansas basketball officially announced the signings of four players on Thursday morning, marking the completion of the 2024-25 roster.
The Razorbacks have welcomed freshman guard Jaden Karuletwa, transfer junior guard Melo Sanchez, grad transfer guard Kareem Watkins and freshman guard Ayden Kelley, according to a release from the school.
The release didn’t specify which players would be on scholarship or which would be true walk-ons, but HawgSports can confirm Sanchez, Karuletwa and Watkins are expected to be on scholarship while Kelly is expected to be a true walk-on.
Karuletwa (pronounced Car-RUE-leh-Twah) is a 6-5 wing from Sun Valley, Calif. (Village Christian HS). He was named first team All-Olympic League last season while averaging 14.1 points and 4.6 rebounds and shooting 94% from the free throw line and 49% from 3-point range.
Kelley is a 5-10 guard from Southaven, Miss. (Northpoint Christian School). He averaged 19 points and four assists this past season. He is the son of former Memphis guard Antonio Burks, who played three seasons under Calipari at Memphis (2001-04). Also, Kelley’s stepfather is former Tennes yousee star point guard Tony Harris.
Sanchez is a 6-4 guard who played the past two seasons at Hawai’I Pacific and is a native of San Diego, Calif. (Veritas Prep). He earned second team All-PacWest in 2024, ranking ninth in the league and leading his team in scoring (14.6 ppg).
He ranked seventh in NCAA Division II and led the PacWest Conference in 3-point percentage (.461) as a freshman (2022-23) while ranking second in the conference in 3-pointers made per game both as a freshman (2.57) and a sophomore (2.52)
Watkins comes to Arkansas after four seasons at Kentucky. The 5-8 guard hails from Camden, N.J. (Kingsway Regional HS) and played in 20 games over his career with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
He graduated in the Spring of 2024 from Kentucky with a degree in finance and is pursuing a Master’s in Adult and Lifelong Learning at Arkansas. He is the brother of Razorback sophomore guard DJ Wagner as Dajuan Wagner is his stepfather.”