Copy by Victoria Williams

Photos by Kenidy Shiffer

In 2024, the University of Arkansas introduced John Calipari as its new head men’s basketball coach. Lawson Blake, a senior forward, has played for the Razorback basketball team for four years, meaning he experienced the transition between coaches.

“To be a part of the actual change, it’s been very different,” Blake said. “Coach Calipari is someone that I’ve always really looked up to.”

He added that he has enjoyed getting to play with different teams and coaches throughout his career. Blake is from Fayetteville and said that he grew up as a Razorback fan.

“I love the university and the culture and wanted to be part of what is being built here,” Blake said. “This just always felt like home to me, and I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.”

Coach Calipari came to the U of A from the University of Kentucky where he won a national championship in 2012. He was also inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. However, the Razorbacks struggled at the beginning of SEC play, losing their first five conference games.

“It was frustrating because we knew that we could do it,” Blake said. “I think we had seen flashes of it all year that we had a really good team. We had the pieces that we needed to make an impact in the league.”

Through these challenges, Blake said that the coaching staff did a great job of keeping the team encouraged and ensured they were working hard.

“Coach Calipari does a great job of making us feel a part of the family and keeping us encouraged. He has our back in whatever we do,” Blake said.

On their sixth conference game of the season, the Razorbacks earned a win against the University of Georgia, with a score of 68-65.

“I knew we could do it,” Blake said. “To get that first one, we needed it to hopefully go on a streak.”

Since that first conference win, the Razorbacks have beaten multiple of the country’s top-ranked teams, committed to learning from the struggles and being the best they can be.