The Scales Tip To One Side In ‘Mutual’ Part of The Decision for Malique Ewin to Transfer 

Apparently, this wasn’t a true mutual decision.

By
-
0
The Scales Tip To One Side In ‘Mutual’ Part of The Decision for Malique Ewin to Transfer 
Photo Credit: Craven Whitlow
Add as a preferred source on Google Smash That “Follow” Button

Give it a few more days and Arkansas basketball fans will be looking for big men like Tom Hanks was searching for Wilson in Cast Away.

A week has passed since the Razorbacks landed Furman forward Cooper Bowser and Georgia guard Jeremiah Wilkinson on the same day, and it’s still mostly quiet on the portal front. Former blue-chip recruit Paulo Semedo announced his return for his sophomore season, but neither he nor Bowser are expected to be anything more than rotation pieces off the bench.

Arkansas still needs to find starters at both power forward and center, and possibly one other frontcourt piece to fill out the rotation.

Malique Ewin had been the big unknown in that department over the last six weeks.

The former Mississippi and Florida State big man is relying on a Diego Pavia waiver to get an extra year of eligibility for his sophomore season spent at the junior college level.

With the jury still out on that front and the transfer portal closing at the end of Tuesday, Ewin announced that he was entering the portal just seven hours before the deadline.

Even from there, though, he could still play a role in the plans of Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari.

Malique Ewin Tests John Calipari’s Ultimatum

The 67-year-old has made no bones about his distaste for the lack of regulation surrounding the portal and NCAA eligibility standards. Calipari doesn’t want to engage in bidding wars, and he won’t deal with his players having one foot out the door.

“If you put your name in the portal when you’re on my team, you’re out,” he said before what ended up being Arkansas’ last game of the season against Arizona. “I’m not going to be extorted. You know where we stand on things.”

The Head Hog has previously allowed a couple exceptions to this rule, letting Ugonna Onyenso and Trevon Brazile return to Kentucky and Arkansas, respectively, after entering the portal. In Onyenso’s case, though, NIL was still in its infancy; with Brazile, he was cut a bit of slack given the offseason chaos of Calipari leaving Kentucky for Arkansas.

Author

  • Michael Main is a Fayetteville native who, like both of his older brothers, attended the University of Arkansas. Main graduated in 2025 with a double major in journalism and political science and a minor in legal studies. He spent his childhood following the Razorbacks closely and attending as many games as possible, witnessing iconic moments like the Michael Qualls put-back dunk, the Henry Heave and a number of field stormings. Main was a member of the Razorback Marching Band and Hogwild Pep Band, attending every home football and basketball game while he was a student and traveling to San Francisco, Providence, Tampa and elsewhere for postseason play. After freelancing for BoAS for a year and a half, the 22-year-old made the transition to a full-time role as senior writer following his graduation. In his free time, Main is likely spending time outdoors, enjoying the company of friends or feeding his obsession with Liverpool FC and European football as a whole.

No posts to display