John Calipari is Counting Crows
We aren't talking about the band, but we do want to Boogie
There’s an old nursery rhyme called “Counting Crows” that starts like this:
One for sorrow
Two for mirth
Three for a wedding
Four for a birth
Like most nursery rhymes, this one is rooted in some old times superstitions. Here, the number of crows or magpies a person encounters is an omen for something that will soon happen in their life. The nursery rhyme goes all the way up to 13 crows warning you to “beware of the devil himself.”
(That last one checks out. If I randomly see 13 of any species of bird just chilling out together, I’m assuming we’re in end times.)
Still, I stopped at four, and I think you know why.
The latest on Boogie Fland
Earlier this week, Boogie Fland announced he was foregoing the rest of the draft process and returning to college basketball next season. This comes after Fland put his name in the portal on the last possible day. Smart money has been on the idea that if Fland returned to college basketball, he would not be a Razorback.
That was until ESPN’s Paul Biancardi dropped this tweet on Wednesday morning. Biancardi’s tweet gives the impression that Arkansas might actually be in the driver’s seat regarding Fland’s college basketball home for the 2025-2026 season. If nothing else, it conveys that John Calipari—not Fland—might be deciding the point guard’s future as a Hog.
Can Calipari find the minutes for all four guys?
We’ve got another number-based phrase that applies here: There’s only one basketball. The key question moving forward is whether Calipari believes he could manage having four ball-dominant guards who would command heavy minutes. Assuming Karter Knox and Fland return, with no other additions, Arkansas could field a nine-man rotation that looks something like this:
Point: Fland/Darius Acuff Jr
Combo: Maleek Thomas/DJ Wagner
Wing: Knox/Billy Richmond
Forward: Trevon Brazile
Big: Malique Ewin/Nick Pringle
Right off the bat, I’ll be honest that I see some major positives and significant concerns with a rotation like this. And before you get your knickers in a twist, my concerns have nothing to do with running a nine-man rotation.
Positives
Fland is a dynamite point guard (30% assist percentage last season), and contenders rely on experience at that position. Him running it back with another offseason under Calipari’s tutelage would be exciting.
A Fland/Thomas/Knox/Brazile/Ewin starting five could really, really click offensively. While none of the 1-4 spots are lethal shooters, they all have to be respected from deep, which makes it nearly impossible for a defense to pack it in and dare you to shoot. That spacing would also seemingly give plenty of room for Ewin to dominate inside the arc in the halfcourt. Likewise, the space available for Fland and Ewin to operate in the pick and roll could lead to both players seeing their efficiency skyrocket.
Concerns
It just feels like one too many guys to garner significant minutes. Calipari essentially has 80 minutes to share between Acuff, Fland, Thomas, and Wagner. Prior to his surgery, Fland had two games with fewer than 30 minutes played. Wager was in a similar boat. To simplify the math, let’s assume each averages exactly 30 minutes per game next season. That leaves just 20 minutes for Acuff and Thomas to split, which seems like a waste of their talent.
Wagner’s best position in Calipari’s offense up to this juncture has been the point, and therein lies the real issue here. Fland coming back would create a logjam at the one. He only has 40 minutes at that spot, which must now be divided among three deserving guys.
Ultimate Decision
If you’re Calipari weighing these pros and cons, you must ultimately decide to bring Fland back if he’s open to it. That starting five of Fland/Thomas/Knox/Brazile/Ewin seems too good on paper not to roll with that if you can make it happen. Wagner is a great player, but I’m fine squeezing him out if that’s what it comes down to.
It may not have to play out that way, though, exactly. That’s the beauty of a nine-man rotation. You can borrow from Peter to pay Paul. If the depth chart as I listed above is what the Razorbacks open the season with, Knox, Richmond, and Pringle all would probably play some minutes at the four spot each game, which allows Thomas and Wagner to both steal some minutes on the wing, which trickles down to Acuff or Fland getting some burn at the combo spot. So a minutes breakdown could be roughly something like this:
Point: Fland (25), Acuff (15)
Combo: Thomas (20), Wagner (15), Acuff (5)
Wing: Knox (20), Richmond (10), Thomas (5), Wagner (5)
Forward: Brazile (20), Richmond (10), Pringle (5), Knox (5)
Center: Ewin (30), Pringle (10)
I don’t envy the position Calipari would be in with all those mouths to feed, but I also think Fland is too talented a player to just let waltz to another team. Calipari needs to make it happen if he’s open to another year in Fayetteville. The Hogs would have to commit to lots of small ball to make it work, but the ceiling of that roster is high because of the combination of talent and experience. Championship teams have an overflow of talent, and bringing Boogie back would take the Hogs to that level.
So what does four crows get you? A birth…and I think the starting lineup featuring Fland is good enough that the birth we’re discussing could be a Final Four.
P.S. Let’s go Knicks! 🗽🔵🟠