When John Calipari strolls onto the court at Rupp Arena on Feb. 1 leading Arkansas into a road battle with Kentucky, it will make for an unforgettable moment in the career of a coach who has been the face of SEC basketball. Calipari led UK for 15 seasons, starting out in the 2009-10 season, when the conference featured just 12 teams and sent only four to the NCAA Tournament.
Now, as Calipari embarks on the second chapter of his SEC coaching odyssey, the league features 16 teams, including nine who reached last season’s NCAA Tournament. The conference has made significant strides on the hardwood amid the emergence of programs like Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee, all of whom have reached the Elite Eight or deeper in recent years.
Against that backdrop, Calipari’s jump from one proud SEC program to another is particularly fascinating. When he arrived at UK in 2009 fresh off a prolific run of success at Memphis, Calipari waved a magic wand and turned the Wildcats from an NIT team into a 35-3 squad that earned a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament with the help of an elite freshman class.
Such a remarkable turnaround is impractical nowadays, in part because of how much better the SEC competition has become. College basketball is also an upperclassman’s sport now, and that reality will test Arkansas in 2024-25 as Calipari deploys a few freshmen in his first Razorbacks rotation. Meanwhile, at Kentucky, former Wildcats player and BYU coach Mark Pope has stepped in with a roster full of veteran transfers. His first team couldn’t be any more different than Calipari’s first team was at UK 15 years ago. But between the transfer portal, NIL and the improvement of SEC hoops, not much is the same as it was then.
We’ll be reminded of that reality on Feb. 1, when Calipari is stomping up and down the Rupp Arena sideline wearing Razorback red while coaching against the program that he once led to unquestioned conference supremacy.
SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Mark Sears | Alabama | G | Gr.
Sears made a legendary jump in his senior season, leading Alabama to its first-ever Final Four while averaging 21.5 points on 43.6% 3-point shooting. The crafty lefty is one of the sport’s elite outside shooters, but he’s also adept at reaching the free-throw line and is skilled at knifing his way to efficient looks inside the arc. His decision to return for his bonus season makes Alabama the obvious pick to win the SEC. Look for Sears to compete for first-team All-American honors as he solidifies his place among the best to ever wear the Crimson Tide uniform.
Preseason Freshman of the Year
Tre Johnson | G | Texas
Texas bid farewell to starting guards Max Abmas and Tyrese Hunter, clearing the way for a new cast of backcourt stars to emerge as the Longhorns transition into the SEC. Among them is Johnson, who ranked as the No. 6 player in the Class of 2024, per 247Sports. The five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American was regarded as “one of the very best scorers in the national class,” by 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein and should be ready to make an instant impact for the Longhorns.
Four more players to watch
Johni Broome | C | Auburn: Broome expanded his range to the 3-point line last season while earning a handful of third-team All-American honors. The former Morehead State star is one of the nation’s premier post scorers and shot blockers. His return solidified the Tigers as a legitimate threat to in-state rival Alabama in the race for SEC supremacy.
Johnell Davis | SG | Arkansas: After spearheading FAU’s legendary Final Four run in 2023, Davis returned to the Owls and won AAC co-Player of the Year last season. Now, he’s off to Arkansas to use his final season of eligibility under coach John Calipari. Davis is an efficient three-level scorer with the sort of veteran savvy that the Razorbacks will need as they reboot in a rugged conference.
Wade Taylor | PG | Texas A&M: Taylor’s offensive efficiency dipped a bit during his junior season, but he remains one of the most electric guards in the country. He averaged 25.6 points during Texas A&M’s five postseason games. If he improves on last year’s 32.5% 3-point shooting mark, Taylor could be an All-American for an Aggies team that is expected to be among the SEC’s best.
Jaxson Robinson | SF | Kentucky: Robinson won Sixth Man of the Year in the Big 12 last season while playing under Mark Pope at BYU. Now he’s following Pope back to the SEC after spending time at Texas A&M and Arkansas earlier in his career. UK’s roster is constructed in a way that clears the path for the lanky wing to be a primary scoring option.
