‘Think like kings’: John Calipari demands new mindset from Arkansas basketball roster

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball will embark on a new era this season with Hall of Fame coach John Calipari leading the program, and the former national champion is demanding a refreshed mindset from his new team.

Speaking at a press conference Monday recapping the Razorbacks summer workouts, Calipari stressed the importance of setting a new culture in Fayetteville. He pointed to the successes of former head coaches Nolan Richardson, Eddie Sutton and, most recently, Eric Musselman as evidence that Arkansas can be competitive on the biggest of stages.

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Still, Calipari’s arrival raises the standard. As long as he’s coaching college basketball, Calipari is chasing national titles. He believes he can reach the mountaintop with Arkansas, but he needs that self-belief to reach his new roster. He has a simple message to try and extract that faith.

“I’m trying to get them to think like kings,” Calipari said. “Kings think different than we think. And I’ve got to get these kids to understand. I want you to think big and dream big, but you must work bigger. But your dreams for yourself and your teams have to be big.”

Instilling that belief was one of three summer goals for Calipari. The other two focused on setting the tone for his own culture and individual development. Out-of-bounds plays and offenses to break down a zone defense will wait until September. The summer was designed around getting his players in tune with the new expectations and finding a new ceiling in their on-court talents.

But of the three goals, Calipari believes breaking through with a new mindset is the most difficult piece of the puzzle when arriving at a new program.

This is Calipari’s third team of the century. He guided Memphis as close as a program can get to a national title in 2008 and got over the hump with Kentucky in 2012. The results speak for themselves. Calipari knows how to elevate a team.

And still, he’s preaching patience. Calipari is filled with belief, but the hard work that comes next can take time, even if the entire roster buys-in to his ‘think like kings’ outlook.

“Just make sure you’re a little patient,” Calipari said. “It doesn’t happen overnight. Look, there’s no magic wand up here. They’re not computers. Said that many times, this isn’t a video game. Got to work on their mind. Well, guess what? That takes time, that mindset to get that negative voice off your shoulder.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: John Calipari wants Arkansas basketball players to ‘think like kings’