The Arkansas basketball program had just two returning players when John Calipari took over in the spring of 2024. That meant he needed to quickly build a roster -- long days of calling not only transfers and high school recruits but also boosters, businesses and the school's collective in search of money to attract said talent.

In the name, image and likeness era, fundraising is part of the life even for a Hall of Fame, national championship coach.

Two days into the job, one of the returnees, a reserve walk-on named Lawson Blake , tore an Achilles while working out. Aside from the disappointment for Blake, who would miss the entire 2024-25 season, Calipari was struck with a thought.

"What if we had just given him a million dollars and then he got injured and was lost for the season?"

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