Calipari's process has many people chasing their tails

Nineteen days. That's how long it's been since Arkansas basketball officially had games to distract from the pursuit of players in the transfer portal.

During those three weeks, there has been little to nothing of actual news to report in regard to the Razorbacks' roster for next season. Freshman Billy Richmond put out an Instagram post right after the Hogs suffered a heartbreaking Sweet 16 loss to Texas Tech in overtime that indicated he was seriously considering coming back, Zvonimir Ivisic went in the portal to join his brother in Illinois and a couple of players Arkansas fans didn't know were on the team left.

That's about it. Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero went into the NBA draft, although that was already a foregone conclusion in the minds of most fans and media.

But, then, crickets. One of the most powerful teams from an NIL standpoint just went dormant.

Arkansas was expected to be a heavy hitter, one of a handful of teams that could land pretty much any player it desired with a bag of cash. The action was expected to be swift and the talent elite as the teams at the top of the NIL food chain picked their guys first, leaving whatever was left over for the rest of college basketball to pilfer through.

It took a while before players even started listing Arkansas in their Top 5 and even then the Razorbacks didn't appear to be serious candidates. It's been a perplexing process.

There were plenty of people out there swearing that behind the scenes this player was on lock or that an announcement was coming any minute now on that player. Days were predicted to be insane only to be silent.

The prevailing thought was everyone should just wait for official visits to open up again and see all the names pour across as offical announcements rolled in. After all, no matter how much a player wants to be a Razorback, John Calipari requires an in-person visit before he will accept an athlete into the fold.

Well, a full weekend of visits being open once again came and went with no players taken out of the portal. There were insiders on the internet and on various radio shows and podcasts who swore things would be official this weekend because paperwork was already started on specific players.

Yet, nothing. That doesn't mean paperwork didn't get started.

Last season, there were reporters who jumped the gun on players agreeing to become Razorbacks because they knew with certainty paperwork had been filed. However, they got burned because paperwork doesn't mean anything official in the Calipari era.

It just means he is trying to expedite the process should he decide to take a player. There's no need to allow extra time for an agent to shop his guy around one last time.

It's also good to know ahead of time whether a player might have issues getting into the university for any reason. Admissions have changed the path of plenty of basketball players across the country the past couple of years.

The only thing that seems to be certain at this point is Florida State big man Malique Ewin is expected to show up on campus Monday. He was supposedly one of those players who had quietly committed behind the scenes, but his actions in the past week or so indicate that was just wishful thinking.

The Hogs will battle Kansas, Auburn, Mississippi State and Virginia for his services. There will be the usual chatter and bravado from those who claim they know for certain something is going to happen.

However, unless it comes from Calipari or an official release from the basketball department, just take it with a grain of salt. There are plenty of guys out there with legitimate inside knowledge and positive intent, but this administration works in a very official capacity, so anything otherwise is just hearsay and wishful thinking.

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs keep good vibes with fourth straight series win

• Razorbacks will host ACC transfer Monday for official visit

• Georgia walk-off bomb hands Hogs back-to-back losses for the first time

• Former Razorback All-American making his mark in pro ball

• Pitino payback for Calipari could be stopped by Musselman