SPRINGDALE — Students at Springdale High got the quite the treat on Friday morning.
Inside their brand-new gym, the school of roughly 2,200 students gathered for a pep rally ahead of their football team’s annual rivalry game with arch-nemesis Fayetteville High. The 125th edition of the Battle of the Bulldogs is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Harmon Field in Fayetteville. An hour later, the Arkansas vs Kansas basketball exhibition will tip off just down the road at Bud Walton Arena.
During the event, the head coaches of both those prestigious college programs made a surprise appearance.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers John Calipari and Bill Self got a loud ovation walking onto the court as they were joined by 7 Arkansas basketball players. Meanwhile, all 19(!) Kansas basketball players trotted out. That disparity makes some sense, however, given the Kansas players had nowhere else to be on the road, while some of the Razorback might have had prior obligations such as class.
Springdale High just so happens to be the home of heralded recruit Isaiah Sealy, a 6-foot-6 wing who’s a consensus top-100 recruit in the Class of 2025 and the top player in Arkansas.
About six years ago, Sealy survived a major car crash that left his cousin in a coma for three weeks but has persisted through that trauma to become one of the nation’s best prospects. He got his original scholarship offer from Arkansas via Eric Musselman in May of 2023 and then received an offer from John Calipari this past summer. He’s also gotten offers from the likes of Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Louisville and Missouri.
“It’s a blessing to be offered by Arkansas,” Sealy told Best of Arkansas Sports in 2023. “I am just going to keep working on my game and I am just going to go wherever I feel like is the best fit.”
John Calipari, Bill Self Share Message
The event’s official name was pretty long – the CareSource PASSE Pep Rally for Mental Health – but the message was simple enough: don’t be afraid to share what’s on your heart and mind with others. That’s important in general but especially when dealing with life’s inevitable stressors and the aftermath of trauma.
“The first battle we have to win is the one from within,” Calipari told the students. “You have the positive voice, you have the negative voice. We all do, and you’re trying to stay on the positive side. Many times you need help. If you need help, talk to somebody, talk to your friends.”
Don’t be callous to others’ battles, either.
“If you see one of your friends is struggling, don’t be afraid to let somebody know,” the first-year Arkansas basketball coach added. “Maybe they can reach out.”
Social media, of course, can be an insidious source of stress for many adolescents. That’s why Bill Self’s message centered around how social media doesn’t define you.
“What is written on social media or what you read – because we’re all on it – has to go in this ear and out the other,” Self told the students. “If it can’t, you need to leave social media behind.”
The two coaches have known each other for decades and had a bit of fun while delivering some serious guidance.
When Self walked out onto the court, he joked that he didn’t understand why Calipari got a louder ovation. (The Arkansas players also got a much louder ovation than their Kansas counterparts.)
The keynote speaker was Brandon Saho, a Cincinnati-based former sports reporter who now hosts a podcast that features interviews with athletes, musicians and celebrities to help break the stigma of mental illness. One of his most recent interviews is with UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley.
CareSource, a health insurance company based in Dayton, Ohio, made a $10,000 donation to Springdale High for mental health initiatives.
Another organization that was involved with putting on the event was Jay’s Light, a mental health and suicide prevention initiative founded by Dayton basketball coach Anthony Grant and his wife, Chris, after their 20-year-old daughter, Jayda, died by suicide in 2022. In a video message played for the students, Chris revealed that her daughter had been battling anxiety and depression.
“I consider (Anthony Grant) a friend and it was just so sad when I heard,” Calipari told reporters afterward. “Kids now, what they’re dealing with is a lot more than what we had to deal with growing up. Social media. How about cell phones alone, where anybody can direct message you.”
For Calipari, this is just the latest example of the legendary coach and his team getting involved in the community. They also did Samaritan’s Feet events in which they gave away shoes to children in Hot Springs and Pine Bluff ahead of their Tip-Off Tour practices in those cities earlier this month. Over the summer, Calipari volunteered with clean-up efforts after a tornado hit Rogers, as well.
You can watch the entire event beginning at the 12:30 mark below.
The Kansas and Arkansas players are introduced at the 20:10 mark, followed by some of them participating in a game. Calipari and Self are introduced at the 30:05 mark, followed quickly by their short speeches to the students.
Arkansas vs Kansas Basketball Preview
As for the basketball game later in the day, the Arkansas vs Kansas exhibition is a top-20 showdown that will give fans their first glimpse of the John Calipari era — albeit one that is hindered by injuries on both sides.
What could throw a wrench into the No. 1 Jayhawks’ ability to handle the Hogs is the health of their star, Hunter Dickinson. The seven-footer already tried playing through a sprained foot at Kansas’ Late Night in the Phog event and ended up tweaking it. There’s optimism from Self that it’s not serious, but it would be surprising if the Jayhawks risked playing him Friday night.
Of course, Arkansas may be without their own standout center Jonas Aidoo anyways. The Tennessee transfer was limited in the Tip-Off Tour events at Hot Springs and Pine Bluff, plus a recent practice photo shared by the UA appears to show him not dressed out in a jersey.
Watch out for Kansas’ KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr to come out with an extra edge given Kansas’ loss to Arkansas in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The senior duo has combined for 247 career games with the Jayhawks, including that Round of 32 game against Arkansas in which they combined for 26 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 50% shooting from long range.
This duo matching up against Adou Thiero and DJ Wagner (depending on health, of course) could be a major key to monitor.
For a deeper look at how both teams match up at all positions given these developments, make sure to check out our Arkansas vs Kansas preview:
Evin Demirel contributed to the above report
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