Arkansas coach John Calipari pays respects to UMass friend who died: "His advice about people carried me all these years"

Arkansas coach John Calipari recently paid tribute to his late mentor and friend, Pat Nardelli, following his passing. In an X post on Monday, Calipari reflected on the wisdom Nardelli imparted during his coaching career, particularly when he took on the coaching role at UMass.

Calipari remembered a piece of advice from Nardelli that has guided him throughout his career:

"Pat Nardelli, a mentor and friend from Pittsburgh passed away. When I took the Umass job his advice about people carried me all these years,” Calipari tweeted.

During his time at UMass (1988-1996), Calipari transformed the program into a national powerhouse, winning five consecutive Atlantic 10 titles.

The tribute also highlighted the bond between the two men. Nardelli was more than just a mentor; he was a friend whose support helped shape Calipari's career path. The emotional post ended with a farewell: "RIP my friend."

John Calipari acknowledges roster mistake as Arkansas falls to South Carolina

Arkansas coach John Calipari acknowledged an error in his roster construction following a 72-53 loss to South Carolina on Saturday. The defeat exposed the challenges of Arkansas' limited depth.

Calipari's decision to build his first Arkansas roster with only nine rotation players backfired as early injuries in the preseason left the Razorbacks unable to fully scrimmage, setting the stage for struggles throughout the year.

"We needed to have more," Calipari said after the game. "You don’t plan on what happened, but we needed more guys. But, you know, when we had the guys, we played better as we got shorter."

Arkansas failed to lead at any point against South Carolina, missing its first 17 three-point attempts. South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles dominated, scoring 35 points to hand Arkansas one of its worst losses of the season. The Razorbacks were without key players Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero, whose injuries have only magnified the team’s lack of depth.

Arkansas found some success with a smaller roster. The Razorbacks were winless in the SEC when Fland went down, yet they managed six wins in their last 11 games, including a crucial 86-81 overtime win against Texas without Thiero on Feb. 26.

With only a few healthy players, Arkansas couldn't afford multiple players to have off nights, a lesson Calipari acknowledged.

"I’m going to say it again, it’s not only being injured,” Calipari said. “You can’t have three or four of your seven play poorly and expect to win."

The Razorbacks and Calipari will be hoping Thiero returns from his hyperextended knee in time for the SEC or NCAA tournaments, with no way to reinforce their squad.

"I can’t make any trades, I can’t pick up anybody at the wire, this is who it is," Calipari said. "How do we make this work? That’s what I’ve been doing all season, and now we’ve got two games left. We’re going to be in dogfights both games."

Calipari hinted he won’t repeat this roster-building approach in the upcoming offseason. But for now, his focus remains on securing a spot in March Madness. Arkansas faces Vanderbilt on Tuesday and closes the regular season at home against Mississippi State.