John Calipari explains how he teaches offense to Arkansas players

Arkansas basketball head coach John Calipari has a lot to think about in the early stages of this season. We knew that going in. We knew Calipari would have to juggle a lot of different considerations with a very talented but young team which has to be brought along with patience and firmness. Calipari is like a jockey who has to know when to crack the whip and when to let up. He has to give his players tough truths but also give them the space to learn lessons on their own, sometimes the hard way. He can't be smothering or domineering, but he has to be honest and not be afraid to say things which need to be said. After the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Calipari talked about how he is approaching the Arkansas offense in the early stages of the season.

You should listen to the full audio clip, which is stuffed with interesting insights, but one particularly notable comment was Calipari's reaction to his team's free throw shooting, which was poor in the two exhibition games against Gonzaga and Memphis but improved against Pine Bluff. Calipari noted that Arkansas missed its first three free throws against Pine Bluff. "What are you doing?", he remembers thinking to himself when that happened in real time. Calipari emphasized to his players that if they aren't making free throws, "Don't get fouled!" It seems counterintuitive, but it's true. Drawing fouls when free throws aren't being consistently made means UA is getting only one point on a possession, if that. It hurts the team, Calipari said, so it's selfish to draw a foul if a player isn't making a high percentage of free throws. Calipari added that if Arkansas is making 75 percent of its free throws, that's fine. If UA is hitting a good percentage of its free throws, then getting fouled is a good outcome and a good offensive approach, but when UA was shooting barely above 50 percent in the exhibition games, getting fouled was not a good result for the Hogs at the offensive end of the court. That's a lesson for these young players: If you draw fouls, you really have to make it count at the foul line. 

Another really interesting observation from Calipari: He wants his team to play more "random" on offense. In other words, when an opponent takes away the first read or option and a play breaks down, can Arkansas become good at improvised plays and reactions. This team is so athletic, Calipari noted, that just throwing the ball toward the rim can create dunk opportunities. Creative improvisation - but with discipline and care - can be an important part of this team's success on offense.

One more note: Calipari said he has installed multiple offenses to give his team different ways of attacking and thinking about the game. This might seem like information overload for a young team, but Calipari is thinking about the need to give his young players options. As long as it's not a case of "too much too soon," this could be really beneficial for the Razorbacks down the line.