When Kentucky basketball went through a full roster and staff turnover this off-season after the departure of John Calipari and hire of Mark Pope, one of those players was DJ Wagner, who chose to follow Calipari to Arkasas. He’s not the only former Wildcat who joined him in Fayetteville. Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic, Kareem Watkins, and commits Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond also followed Calipari.
On Friday night, the Arkansas Razorbacks held a charity exhibition against the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, Kansas Jayhawks. The Razorbacks looked really good, winning by a score of 85-69. Former Wildcat DJ Wagner was the star of the show. He finished with 24 points on 8-14 shooting overall and 2-4 from three, adding 4 rebounds and a steal. There was also former Kentucky signee Boogie Fland, who had a terrific game himself as the team’s leading scorer. But, Friday night seemed to be a testament to just how improved Wagner looks heading into his sophomore season.
Calipari has been close with Wagner and his family since his days at Memphis coaching DJ Wagner’s father, Dajuan. The family has had a loyal relationship with Calipari ever since, and the head coach has been recruiting Wagner since he was in middle school, essentially. A few weeks ago, Calipari talked about how Wagner was poised to have a bounce-back year this season with Arkansas.
“He was playing great, then he got hurt and he never really bounced back from that. …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.”
– Calipari on DJ Wagner.
Wagner had a nagging ankle injury for a good portion of last season at Kentucky, and after his performance against Kansas, he’s looking much more comfortable now, ready to be one of Arkansas’ best players this season.
