John Calipari ready to watch DJ Wagner bounce back for Arkansas basketball

FAYETTEVILLE — DJ Wagner left New Jersey’s Camden High School with unenviable expectations.

Now a sophomore with Arkansas basketball, Wagner ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the country by ESPN and 247Sports when he enrolled at Kentucky in 2023. He was thought of as a potential top-five draft pick, but Wagner was up-and-down offensively in his only season with the Wildcats, averaging 9.9 points on 40.5% shooting. He only shot 29.2% from 3-point range.

Razorbacks head coach John Calipari is fully aware of a narrative that Wagner failed to live up to his respective hype as a five-star recruit, but Calipari doesn’t believe that historical account is fair.

“He was playing great, then he got hurt and he never really bounced back from that,” Calipari said. “I think he’s healthy. I think he’s more athletic than he was. The kid lives in the gym. He knows how to read his body now.”

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Wagner suffered an ankle injury in early December against Miami. He dealt with that injury throughout the remainder of the season, but he was still able to play in 29 of Kentucky’s 33 games. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on three separate occasions.

Overall, Wagner put up modest numbers, but Kentucky was at its best when the point guard was a meaningful difference-maker. Kentucky went 12-1 in games which Wagner scored 10 points or more.

And according to Calipari, Wagner’s impact stretches beyond the stat sheet. Still in just his second year of college hoops, Wagner is becoming an important figure in the locker room as Arkansas embarks on a new adventure with the former Kentucky coach.

“When you walk into my gym, the voice you hear is his. That’s the voice you hear, which means he’s into his team,” Calipari said.

“Unbelievably coachable player, maybe one of the best I’ve ever had. If you tell him something, he does it that moment, right then.”

Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivišić join Wagner as Kentucky transfers who followed Calipari to Arkansas. Despite the continuity, Calipari says there are still so many new faces that the team is still learning each other’s strengths, weaknesses and tendencies.

Arkansas will host Kansas on Oct. 25 in a preseason exhibition, with proceeds going to pediatric health organizations. That’s the first time the roster and the fans will get their first look at the squad against high-quality opposition.

Calipari’s excited for whatever lessons may come.

“I want to win every game I coach, but when you’re building and you’re doing this, you’ve got to throw them into the fire and see where they are right now,” he said. “Then we’ll all know — here’s where we are as we start this process.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: John Calipari eager for DJ Wagner’s bounce-back with Arkansas basketball