It had been widely speculated that the Hall of Fame coach was pursuing players from overseas to fill out the 2025–26 roster. So, no one was surprised when John Calipari explored international options to add to next year’s Arkansas basketball team.
He has already landed a commitment from Bosnian big man Elmir Dzafic. However, to everyone’s surprise, insiders suggest that Coach Calipari isn’t done yet. He’s still targeting more big men from the international circuit, and interestingly, it could be another Russian prospect.
Arkansas Targeting Russian Big Man Egor Ryzhov in Late Transfer Move
CBB insider Aaron Torres thinks that Russian big man Egor Ryzhov might be the next player to join the squad. Their latest retrieval, Dzafic, brings extra size and future potential to the frontcourt. He had a bit of a silent season with KK Bosna Sarajevo, putting up 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in only 7 minutes per game.
However, the 7-foot, 265-pound Bosnian center impressed scouts during the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship, averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds across eight games. According to Torres, they’re still going after another Russian center, Ryzhov.
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NEW INTEL
-Is Russian F/C Egor Ryzhov still in play for Arkansas?
-More int’l ballers in the mix?
PLUS
-Reaction to Dzafic pledge
-Entire UA staff @ NBPA Top 100 Camp, so what did they see from priority targets? pic.twitter.com/jCseJtUOaQ
— Kevin McPherson (@ARHoopScoop) June 13, 2025
He said, “What I’ll be most interested to see, is he the final piece? Uh, I’ve heard mixed things about whether they’re still going after, uh, Igor Ryzov. That is something that we should find out in the coming days. Igor Ryzov plays in Russia. His season is officially done. So to me, the big question becomes, is this the final piece?”
Ryzhov is a 6-foot-11 center from Russia. He just finished his season playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg in the VTB United League.
Though he played limited minutes, he averaged 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game across 30 appearances. He is only 20 years old. People think he is still learning, but has much potential to improve.
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“I think he wants to have a roster where he has his guys, he has the backups, he can run practices, but he’s nimble enough where he’s not so back loaded where he’s going to have four or five guys transfer out,” Torres added.
Arkansas has already assembled one of the most talent-rich rosters in the SEC. They also boast the country’s No. 6 overall recruiting class, led by five-star guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas. So, if Calipari adds him to the class, it would be a win-win situation for both the team and him.
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