"Almost dislocated his finger ... what if he didn't come back?": John Calipari nonchalantly snubs Arkansas roster issues
Out of 15 listed players, John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks saw only seven in action against the Pacific Tigers on Monday. As the Hogs get deeper into their season, the injury issue can hurt them in key matchups.
While Calipari is hoping to get a few players back to the lineup soon, he nonchalantly moved past a potentially new injury that the Razorbacks could have suffered in the Bud Walton Arena.
Calipari mentioned freshman forward Karter Knox nearly dislocating his finger in the middle of the game. His exit would have left Razorbacks with six active players.
"I hope we get one back but if we don't, I don't think we can forfeit," Calipari said after Arkansas 91-72 win over Pacific. "Think we got to play the game and if we have to. Today, when Karter, I think almost dislocated his finger or might have, what if he didn't come back and we have ... six happy guys, exactly." (3:50)
John Calipari's roster suffered two injuries against Troy on Thursday
The Razorbacks' most significant lingering injuries are to frontcourt players Jonas Aidoo and Trevon Brazile.
Aidoo suited up in Thursday’s game against Troy Trojans for four minutes but was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest. He is coming off a lower-body injury and slowly conditioning his body. While John Calipari does not plan to play Jonas Aidoo, he still ensures the forward is in uniform during games.
Trevon Brazile earned his first starting minutes earlier this season and was expected to have a breakout year in the coming stretch. However, the forward rolled his ankle against the Trojans near the basket in the first half.
As he returned to the bench after being assisted to the locker room, Calipari tried to get him back on the court. However, Brazile was unable to bring his 100%.
“It was his ankle," Calipari said after the game. “They said it did swell a little bit and they weren’t comfortable with him going in, because I did ask, 'can you give us three minutes so (Zvonimir Ivisic) doesn’t have to play all 20?'"
The lack of options has forced Calipari to get creative in ensuring that big man Zvonimir Ivisic does not get burdened with minutes and tasks on the frontcourt. He experimented with a short-ball lineup in the second half against Pacific and even instructed his players to dribble out the clock before attempting their shots.